August 2010 - new thread ladies!

[Chulita]

New thread cos we've nearly filled the last one!

Thanks Marzi, that report is really interesting. It seems to pretty much totally dismiss the idea that weaning before 6 months is bad (as long as you wait until after 4 months - though I notice it said that there was no actual evidence that communities that wean from birth do any harm), and also says that introducing allergenic foods early makes no difference at all. Makes me feel better about the fact that DS1 practically lives on peanut butter. When I first started giving it to him when he was nearly a year, I remember some of my friends looking at me in horror!

I was on that thread and read the report a few days ago and I also thought it was really good. it made me feel much better about having started a couple of weeks early. It also made me not worry too much about introducing wheat, dairy, fish, meat and citrus in the last week - he's only had little tastes of most of those and doesn't seem to have had any ill effects so far.

Morning ladies! Anyone watch One Born Every Minute last night? Thought it was emotional when I was pregnant. Now I've got a kid, it's worse! I cried at the opening credits. What a sap! I suppose it could be sleep deprivation that's to blame...

Nights still shitty here. Not too bad night before last - E only woke 3 times and was v peaceful/still inbrtween. Last night back to the usual thrashing around in his sleep - not even swaddling helps. Hello, wits end!

So we won't be moving E into his own room until he's only waking once at night. It just wouldn't work for us right now.

i just watched it and sobbed! much nicer watching it after having had a baby than when pg...

Is it a new series or a repeat? I'm sure I would cry if I watched it - I got a bit emotional going to the hospital recently - it brought back the memories!

Just took J for his first swimming lesson. The lesson itself was great, he took to it really well, but the whole experience was pretty stressful. He screamed his head off while we got dry and dressed :( and the venue is not at all pushchair friendly. Oh well, hopefully next week will be easier

It's a new series - I got the impression the babies were born around September/October.

I am going back to the maternity unit tomorrow - there is a monthly BFing session for pregnant women and their partners run by the infant feeding coordinator, and I am going to talk to them about my experiences/not sure what! She likes to have a mum and baby there to talk to the group, particularly someone who has experienced some problems at the start. It will be very odd going back there - the last time I was there was bringing J home for the first time in 30 degree heat in the summer.

I'm doing that on saturday woodlands! It's not at the hospital though, it's run by a bf charity in conjunction with health visitors.

Just remembered - I cried when Mary gave birth to Jesus in the Nativity that was on BBC just before Christmas - double emotional hit of woman giving birth and God coming to live as a human!

Yes it's a new series which was filmed before the Xmas one.

Good grief that boy Ralph! Very sweet when he wanted a hug from the nurse though.

Did body pump followed by zumba last night oh my I'm aching..

Hi everyone

Sorry I've been absent. My laptop battery died, dh did his back in, ds1 was being a horror, G teething and I've got the cold, so I didn't have any energy to post!

Tentatively started blw here mixed in with a bit of spooning when we have soup/yogurt that G shows an interest in. Going well so far, but no effect on sleep!

Thanks for those sleep links alice off to read them now [desperate]

oh and G still in our room - no plans to move any time soon as like many of you, too lazy to trek down the hall for night feeds! Also G will be sharing with ds1 and his early waking is bad enough at the mo without G waking him through the night too! ffs ds1 is 4 nearly 5! Surely he should know how to sleep by now!!!!!

nat you might find his sleep improves when you move him cos then you are not disturbing each other.

D woke 3 times last night and so did my dd! 12, 1.30, 3, 4.30, 5, 6.30! worst night for ages but went to bed at 10.30 and got up at 8 so prob got quite a bit of sleep in between. i am trying to feed d more in the day cos I wondefr whether with him being ill he is not feeding as much and that is why he is feeding more in the night. But if it hasnt improved in next few days will prob start him on food.

Daniel and DD both have conjunctivitus which may also be why they woke so much last night - took them to docs this morn and they have some drops now.

I was just about to ask you Neenz of there had been any improvement on the sleep, but alas no, hope things change for you soon and then you can all get a good night sleep.

I'm off to the British Embassey in Dusseldorf tomorrow to sort out T's passport, got his photos done the other day, sooo how cute, then when I have the passport I can visit my family in the UK and proudly show off my son. Can't wait . Plus my 19yo niece has just had a baby girl, so can't wait to meet the newest arrival too.

Bouncing hope you get rid of the cold soon, sending you lots of get well vibes.

Hope everyone is having a good day, take care
x

Lo peeps

chillita (from last week..not been near pc then lost big iPhone post..) I've no idea why the little bandit can sit for a bit. Think he's quite strong, we've never really had to support his head and he was rolling at 10 weeks, I think, so tbh I'm not surprised that the first time I pulled him up, he just sat there...if anything, I felt a bit guilty for not really trying to get him to do it before but in my defence, he was doing that constant bouncy legged thing for weeks & I thought he wanted to stand not sit (cue guilt that he's been spending too time in that bloody jumperoo thing that he loves).

pample well done girl for buying something beautiful for yourself. I doubt any of us are really being kind to ourselves so chapeau. Come on girls, these babies are hard work so more stories of carving out time for massages, manicures, afternoon tea & cocktails or retail therapy.

weehector, there's nowt wrong with co-sleeping girl - it is natural! Good on you. we co-slept for 8wks but I was quite eager to get him in his own cot. Any 'bad' habits he has can be rectified at any time (if you want to change them, which you might not!) so don't worry about it

I wouldn't pay £200 for a pair of trousers tho

Daniel slept a bit better last night - only up twice. When I'm sat there in the night feeding him and feeling exhausted I think 'I'm definitely going to try food tomorrow' but then in the morning I think 'nah he's alright on just bm for a while yet'! Might give it a few more days - I agonised over starting weaning with the twins too (stupidly). This 6mths thing is so arbitrary.

Neez I agree that ultimately E and I will sleep loads better when we're in separate beds. But right now, based on his daytime sleeping habits if not on/next to me or in the pram, he'd thrash about and wake himself up every ten mins or so, so would be worse. What I don't get is that when we initially put him down at night (between 7-8pm), swaddled, he sometimes stays down 4-5 hours. But if we try and reswaddle him, it doesn't work. Ho hum!

Hector I say go for them! I just had a mini splurge on clothes - haven't bought anything for a year apart from maternity bits and bobs. Yes, I could have gone for cheaper stuff, but I figure this stuff will make me feel great even on 3 hours sleep, will last longer than Topshop/Primark stuff and if I didn't refresh my wardrobe now, I'd be in rags by the summer. (My SMP runs out soon too).

We're currently gnashing our teeth here about whether I should go back to work at all. Central London childcare is extortionate. It essentially cancels out my wages, so my only earnings would be what we claw back in childcare vouchers. £250ish a month is certainly not nothing, but when you then deduct a travelcard etc, it's starting to look not worth dragging myself back to a job I hate. Plus in our area there are massive waiting lists at nurseries for one-year-olds.

Might just sack in the job, find something more local/casual when E's a bit older and, in the meantime, find some volunteering that would help me to get on a midwifery degree in 2012. (Yep, still want to pursue that pipe dream, if the gov haven't abolished the NHS and all its funding by then!)

Oh, and before I sign off, nighttimes going from bad to worse here!

Nat, I'd say follow your heart. Being a SAHM is great (if it's your cup of tea - and you've probably got a reasonably good idea by now whether it is or not). And being a MW sounds like a really great ambition. And leaving your baby to go to a job you don't like to earn basically nothing is unlikely to be terribly fulfilling, I'd have thought.

Hector I think you should pursue your dream of a £200 pair of trousers, too . If you've got the cash, go for it.

Well, it looks like we've started weaning . Just had lunch in a cafe, and S swiped a massive piece of lettuce from my plate, stuffed it in his mouth, gave it a good old chew and ate the whole lot. Then gave me a look as if to say, 'why haven't we done THAT before?'. So I think we might start properly next weekend, when he'll have just turned 5 months.

Ooooh, hello, long time no post (but I'm always reading the thread).

F is 23 weeks and we've started weaning - she's taken to it like a duck to water, think perhaps we should have started a couple of weeks ago when she started waking up at 5.30am when she'd previously been sleeping through the night from 10 weeks. I figure we're quite near to 26 weeks and certainly nearer than the 9 weeks my DN was when SIL decided to start giving her baby rice

I'm finding the doorway bouncer a god send - means I can get on with things in the kitchen and F will happily jump around like a loon for an hour (I think it's only meant to be 20 minutes, but I'm using mothers discretion )

Have put in my application for a nursery place for F when I go back to work in July. I know I have to go back if we want money for holidays/days out/work on house, so I'm going to try and embrace it rather than fret and worry about it. I know already I'm not cut out to be a SAHM, so hopefully work will take me back part time and we'll all be happy . Living on SMP has made me realise that I'm not that great at living hand to mouth (OK, it's not quite that bad).

My New Year's Resolution this year is "Use it up, wear it out". I have a horrible habit of buying new products and starting them before I've even run out of the one in the cupboard. This applies to everything from makeup, deoderant, washing powder, wrapping paper, birthday cards to toilet roll (20 rolls in the wardrobe - they're on offer...) and shampoo. I have more face creams and potions than Boots, all half used, if they've even been opened

Off to scour ebay for some 6-9 months clothes for F, thank goodness she grows out of clothes so quickly so I can indulge in my shopping habit with her as an excuse...

Just tried to express some milk to make baby rice for daniel - got about half a teaspoon! It really takes me back. I really have to get on a pumping schedule if I want to get anything decent out.

Nat sorry didn't know you were co-sleeping, though lo was in moses basket in your room. 4-5hrs once in 24 hrs is pretty good! Very strange he doesn't like be re-swaddled though! we had the same thing with my work after the twins, it was barely worth me going back financially. I made the decision to quit, thought it was right one, but felt very strange about it and in the end changed my mind and i did go back. So my advice is make the decision to quit (if you hate it then why bother? If you loved it I would say go back anyway despite the money) then see how you feel about it next week. If you still feel happy then you have prob made the right decision! Good for you on mw plans. i am signed up for doula training in May

hello dibbydab :) I love our door bouncer too, very useful and J looks so cute jumping away and grinning

This talk of bags and jeans is making me want to have a little splurge too - and I do have some Christmas money. I think I want some boots. I've never had any nice ones before - too tight with money and also have very scrawny calves which makes it hard to find ones that fit. Any recommendations? I want something comfy for every day wear but also weather proof

Evening everyone.

I'm already addicted to the new series of ' one born every minute'.... just watched it as missed it earlier in the week.

Thanks Marzi for that report. I found it really interesting - I've started weaning E - purees and a bit of finger food -( steamed brocolli, sweet potato etc) so far she has taken to everything.

Yesterday she rolled onto her tummy for the first time, then managed to shuffle off her playmat.

Tomorrow we have her first swimming lesson.Has anyone else taken their little ones swimming yet? How did they react?

I hope everyone has a good night.

Ooh Neez that's exciting - will be really interested to hear how the training goes. How long is it for and what does it involve?

Went out tonight to an evening class and came home to discover that E refused a bottle from DH even though he was hungry. Had to pour 240 mls down the drain when I got home. Am gonna start donating to the neonatal milk bank I reckon, cos I know what Neez means about loads of effort for about a teaspoonful. Want to keep up the expressing just so a bottle can remain an option for us.

OK, tis late. Night all!

E woke up for more food already, so trawling my Twitter feed I was initially horrified by this article about being a stay at home mum and how it ruins your career prospects/finances - mobile.salon.com/life/pinched/2011/01/05/wish_i_hadnt_opted_out

Freaked me out until I remembered that a) we still have a (somewhat) functioning welfare state in this country - unlike America, which is where the author is based - and b) I do have a plan to return to work/education within two years. Still! A somewhat sad read.

Morning ladies, sadly I'm up already even my LO is now soundly asleep again. Here's more on the weaning debate... here

Morning all

Woke to up to listen to the news and yet another deabte/guidance on weaning, same as article by Celly

well what are we all supposed to think with all the conflicting advice. Well I know what I'm going to do and that is to go at my DS's pace. He is eating fruit already and has had a go at some veg, so me thinks each Mum should do her own thing, as she is surely the best person to know her child's needs.

So my DS has started on fruit and veg at 20 weeks and I am no longer worried that it may be wrong, he grabs it with such determination and immeditatley plops it into his mouth. If i try and eat a bannana, he opens his mouth and chases the bannana, trying to bite more, so if that isn't him telling me he wants it, I don't know what is.

I'm going to continue with the fruit and veg, I'm not doing the baby rice etc, as I don't eat packet food, so I'm not giving it to my LO, but that is just my personal preference, onwards and upwards I say

morsbag I took ds swimming for the first time this week. He loved the lesson, kicked and smiled and didn't even mind going underwater but he screamed the whole time we were getting dressed :( which was pretty traumatic. Going again next week though.

Confusing about weaning isn't it? Not sure it's helpful putting that in the news unless they're gonna change the guidelines because of it. Oh well, we can only just muddle along and do our best. I think the fact that research so far hasn't produced conclusive answers means it can't matter too much when you start