Kiwi - I had similar ishoos with DD1. Feck me it hurt a lot and I bled into her mouth etc. Minging. I rang the Cow & Gate helpline, which was free and v helpful. They told me to try to keep feeding through the pain and that it was just my nipples adjusting to the latching on etc. They were right and it hurt for about 4 weeks, then suddenly it got better. That's probably not a lot of help now, but it does get better. Well, it did for me anyway and I hope hope hope it does for you too.
JJ - have you tried sitters.co.uk. They do a minimum of a 2 hour slot, so that might work perfectly and if you register, you could get possibly get the same person every week to come and help out. Alternatively, try a local nanny agency who might have someone spare?
Lady - glad your DD1's stutter has gone. My DD1 now has one, but she just repeats the same word again and again and again and again and you get the picture. I know she's reaching for the right word, but then she seems to get stuck in a kind of rut and can't stop. It's like a broken record and quite weird.
Anyway, cold is still raging, but am feeling a little better this afternoon. The reason for which I will reveal shortly...
Went househunting yesterday. The most expensive one was just lovely. DH and I are going back to see it next week. So typical that the priciest one should be far and away the best. Hey ho. But the garden was amazing! Actual house was fairly characterless, but I like that, because we can put our stamp on it... YAY! DH insisted that today DD2 went to nursery with DD1 because it might make her a bit happier there and also it meant I could have a rest and recover, because I've been so minging with cold. Hurray! I am having a lovely day. Done the ironing, the hoovering, the washing, the washing up, eaten lunch, had a little snooze, finished my book and watched Jeremy Kyle. Hateful man. Such a guilty pleasure. But honestly, I am feeling so much more human. THANK YOU TO DH! He may be an arse at times, but then I remember why I married him - he's a kind man!
Ahem. Well, no Beans househunt would be complete without an al fresco poo story. And I outdid myself yesterday. If you're repulsed by me, please don't read on, but Vag - you'd be so proud of me.
I actually did manage a poo before I left the house, so was smug in my knowledge of biggie safety. But NO. I arrived 10 mins early for the first appointment and as soon as I turned off the engine, I was touching cloth. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN???? Absolutely bursting - both village pubs shut. I had no option, but to drive round to the rear car park of one of the pubs, which was, thankfully, empty and no one around. I had to get out DD1's portable potty (you know the potette ones, which have disposable bags in them?) and then, to my shame, I got DD1 out of the car as well, so that she was standing next to me and I could pretend if someone came, that it was her using it!!!! I AM EVIL! I managed, just in time, to do my poo into the potty. I am so so so ashamed of myself. BUT thankfully I didn't get caught (unless there was a CCTV I didn't see in my panic!). I then went to have a look at the house nearby and realised I had left DD1's toy T-Rex at the scene of my crime and go back to collect it. THEN I had to go and have lunch in that pub as the two other local pubs were shut. I was terrified that someone was going to come and accuse me of my heinous crime. It was awful. Then I had to drive round with my bag of evidence in the back of the car, til I'd seen both houses. Then I found a building site on my drive to the inlaws and deposited the bag into a skip. GOD! How RANK??? I can't believe I've told you all about this. DH nearly killed himself laughing at me. I am horrific.