Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Post-natal clubs

Join our Postnatal Clubs forum to find parenting advice for newborns.

March 2016 - quick, a new thread!

998 replies

Swearwolf · 29/08/2016 07:54

Sorry for the terrible title, I saw the old thread was up to 996 posts and panicked!

Ooh don't I feel important Grin

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Thread gallery
15
MrsElls · 08/10/2016 22:07

Ah just checked the nappies and sizes 4, 5 and 6 all out of stock Sad. Thanks for the tip though dom.

DomesticAnarchist · 08/10/2016 22:33

Ah, poor baby, Dotty. Hope he's better soon., and hope you get better sleep tonight.

We have The Snot here too. And 2 hourly feeds overnight too. Fortunately no (additional) vom.

I really hope the nappies don't leak, since I have 6 packs to work through!

Yeah, MrsE I worked out that the nappies were 1p each on that deal, so went on to see if I could buy more but they're all gone. Boo! I honestly didn't think it would work. I was expecting to be told it was a glitch and be asked to pay the difference when we picked them up. But no! I feel like I've taken advantage though.

Me624 · 09/10/2016 19:52

Wow good work on the nappies Dom!

Sorry to hear about the poorly babies, get well soon Dom and Dotty's DSs.

We are on holiday! Our first one with DS by the seaside on the south coast. After packing half the house into the car we had a good drive down, DS slept most of the way, and he seems quite happy in his travel cot. Today he had his first taste of ice cream which, predictably, went down very well. He tried both DH's mint choc chip and my fudge, mint choc chip was the clear winner.

QforCucumber · 10/10/2016 07:40

Dropped off the thread again argh!
Just tried the nappies dom as bought an emergency pack of boots ones last week and loved them, working for buy1 get 1 free but not the discount. Damn. Bet they realised and put them all out of stock as they fixed it!

Swearwolf · 10/10/2016 07:46

Boots ones are on offer a lot, it's always worth looking there. I really like them too!

OP posts:
magpiedreams · 10/10/2016 13:27

Like a few others I fell off the thread for a week or two there but I'm caught up and back on it!

Sorry to hear about colds and teething. And car-seat conundrums (I'm burying my head in the sand on that one for now).

I'm back at work and DS2 is punishing me with feeding primarily at night in return for my daytime absense - he takes bottles of EBM in the day fine, just sees them as extras I think! I'm struggling I keep up with expressing and he's o let got 2 feeds in hand in the freezer - dom ffaux and whichever superhero who's name I forget who is expression in the office and on the train (huge respect to you) do you get your output to match baby's intake?! I'm usually about 120-150mL down each day which I have to make up in bits and pieces throughout the week.

DomesticAnarchist · 10/10/2016 14:03

Hi mags, (I'm pumping right now!)

I'm starting to fall behind. I usually pump twice at work, and sometimes twice in the evening. But recently he's demanding feeding at evening pump time so I've ended up behind.

So this week I'm going to add more formula in and drop the evening pump. (It's taking the same time to make his little packed lunch!)

I want to keep BFing overnight & weekends (& half term & xmas hols) so want to keep some pumping. I'll have to see how it goes, I suppose.

TheMshipIsBack · 10/10/2016 14:16

I'm keeping up with T, but only just. She doesn't take more than 4-5 oz of EBM at a time, and only twice during my work day, which roughly matches my pumping. She just prefers to wait till I'm home and has a big feed then, and another at bedtime (not counting about 4 brief comfort feeds at night!!). I'm pumping now too. Grin

Purpleprickles · 10/10/2016 19:15

We are in snot city again here. Honestly it's only been a week since the last lot went. Sleeping is a nightmare unless she is in our bed which we are doing to just get some sleep but I don't want to fall down that slippery slope. Thankfully at the moment she is feeding ok. I have my GP appt tomorrow and weighing clinic, I thought I'd do it all in one hit. Bit nervous about the GP as I don't really want anything from them I'm just going because my HV says so. So I'm nervous a)they might just say you are wasting time b) or say you aren't wasting time and clearly need to have tablets. Confused

Sorry to hear about the other ill babies, it is horrible. Magpie how is work going? Sometimes I feel ready to be back now and other times not at all. Hi Q as well.

I missed the nappy posts but I go to Lidl and get their nappies £3.59 for a pack or something like that and we rarely have any leaks unless it is a real poonami.

Swearwolf · 10/10/2016 20:22

Colds here too, and S has been having loads of runny nappies the last couple of days. Poor bab.

Work contacted me today about going back, apparently my idiot manager has already confirmed my return date to them without speaking to me, I'm so angry. I hated this crap before I left and it just hasn't changed, I really don't want to go back Sad

OP posts:
vroc81 · 10/10/2016 20:46

I'm ahead on pumping but I only pump so I pump to a schedule that I stick to even if she eats more or less than me and it seems to be working...I've got to brave dropping a pump at some point but I'm really nervous about it and going below her needs..

We're in snot city with you purple a cold and teething! Good luck with the doctors tmrw.

Purpleprickles · 10/10/2016 22:18

Oh Swear that is awful! Your boss cannot decide your return date! I've had emails from colleagues at work tonight as well, loads is being changed in my phase by the senior leadership. They always told me I was the expert in the field and that I did a good job. What a joke as they are now rewriting what was implemented. I can see me going back to finish the academic year and making sure I don't have to pay back mat leave and then leaving to supply.

Commiserations as well and Vroc to for the snot.

TriJo · 11/10/2016 07:43

C is currently another resident of Snot City - I got a cold last week and he caught it off me unfortunately :( We're flying tomo

TriJo · 11/10/2016 07:45
  • tomorrow, unplanned short notice trip to Ireland because FIL took ill, and I'm worried he's going to be a nightmare on the flight.
QforCucumber · 11/10/2016 08:01

Oh no tri fingers crossed he will sleep, or be excited about all the things going on. Hope fil is OK.
Another one not wanting to return to current workplace, popped in to discuss my return last week - their response 'oh, we didn't think you'd want to come back full time so we've taken on your replacement on a permanent basis. Not sure what there'll be for you to do' they are prepared to look into childcare vouchers for me though. I'm still employed and so have accrued this year's holiday allowance, tempted to give notice and use that to live off until I find another job but then worried if I can't find anything else in that time :-/ argh!

Swearwolf · 11/10/2016 08:41

I'm pretty sure that's not legal q! In my case, my original boss took on another team and decided she had too many people to manage, so my team was divided between the two most senior team members. I ended up with the guy who is only senior because he's been there years, because he can't get another job. We do the same job and he's a completely useless manager, has completely ruined any chance I might have had at progression. I know what happened - when I handed in my mat b1 I had to fill in a form and had to include a return date, but this was always changeable and a complete guess at the time. When hr contacted him to check, he should have asked me, but he's just looked at the form and gone 'yeah, that's about right'. Honestly, does he not think hr have a copy of that exact same form??? I will be phoning them today if nobody replies to the emails I've sent.

OP posts:
QforCucumber · 11/10/2016 08:47

Yup fully aware of the legalities but it's also pretty illegal for me to be told 'if we'd known you'd have been getting pregnant we'd never have offered you the job'
However the director knows what he's doing and never says these things in front of anyone, or always laughs it off as a joke.
(Because when you offer a 27 year old, settled with their own house and partner they clearly won't be looking to have a family any time soon Hmm )
I've self funded my way through 2 qualifications while I've worked there, so on a hunt now for an alternative.

Me624 · 11/10/2016 08:48

Q that is definitely not ok and as a lawyer I am outraged on your behalf. They do not have to give you your exact same job back if you take more than 6 months mat leave but they have to give you an equivalent role. Don't hand in your notice, if you want any advice then PM me. (Disclaimer - I'm not an employment lawyer. But I know a fair bit about it still.)

Me624 · 11/10/2016 08:50

Just seen your post, even if you want to leave, I still wouldn't hand in your notice, if they don't want you to come back then they're going to have to cough up some cash. Handing in your notice absolves them of that!

QforCucumber · 11/10/2016 09:01

Swear bloody annoying when people take it upon themselves to make decisions on your behalf, I can understand your annoyance completely.

Thanks me I think my main problem is that though I've been there 2.5 years it's been on a week to week ongoing contract, they don't offer staff permanent ones unless they're management. So much sure they could just end up saying that my contact isnt going to be renewed anymore (it's a very 50s esque ran establishment in the constriction industry) they didn't even know that I accrue holidays while on maternity leave, and still think that even though I've been SMP only that if I don't go back I'll have to pay it back Hmm
I am actively hunting for jobs but my worry is their reference, doubt they'd even respond to a reference request which the may jeopardise any jobs I may be offered.

DomesticAnarchist · 11/10/2016 11:25

And this is why we need feminism. Equality my arse.

DomesticAnarchist · 11/10/2016 18:35

On an only slightly related point. I was listening to the Radio 4 Women's Hour podcast (as I do!) and they mentioned the EasyJet tribunal where two women won a court thing (help me out, Me) where EasyJet hadn't/wouldn't allow them the flexibility at work to continue breastfeeding after maternity leave.

On the podcast they mentioned the current legal requirements, one of which is that a risk assessment should be done for women who have given birth in the last 6 months AND for women who are breastfeeding. And the main thing there is the risk to women's health if they're not able to pump or feed adequately.

Has anyone who has gone back to work had a risk assessment done? I know I haven't (and I returned, technically, at 3.5 months). Now that people are staring to regard my desire to BF as awkward (they haven't said as much, but you get the odd look and comment) I think I might have to be brave and ask for the RA to be done to kind of make the point that I do still need a certain level of understanding, if not actual work flexibility!

QforCucumber · 11/10/2016 19:34

That's crazy. Not something I was aware of, but I've changed R over to formula. I struggled to express enough for 1 feed in a day but even before I knew that I had planned to make the switch as I work in a portacabin (well 3 put together) and there's barely a dedicated female toilet, or an office with a closeable door never mind somewhere to express privately. I also wouldn't trust the fridge to be Cold enough.
It is strange that a country with such good maternity policies is so behind on bf mothers returning to work.

TheMshipIsBack · 12/10/2016 08:51

Dom That's really interesting. I work for a university, returned to work 3.5 weeks ago, am still breastfeeding, and I did not have a risk assessment on return to work. You'd think that a science research institute at a university would be hyper-aware, especially since they have an Athena SWAN silver award. (Athena SWAN = "encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology"). There's currently a suggestion box on the go for Athena SWAN discussion topics, I should pop this in today. I had some trouble with access to the provided space, which is also the first aid room, and it took going over the heads of the local admin team (at the suggestion of my wonderful (male!) supervisor) to find a suitable alternative.

I was thinking this morning of maybe starting the switch to formula for T, but reading about this makes me determined to double down and keep bf just to be a stubborn PITA. Although my main reason was her new teeth and biting habit ...

Me624 · 12/10/2016 09:08

Yes, you should technically have a risk assessment if you return to work and are breastfeeding, I think tbh it is mainly there for women who perhaps work with chemicals or something like that which could be dangerous, but all women are entitled to it. Many companies won't bother with it though, my firm didn't even bother with the pregnant one although it being a desk job I didn't really need any changes made!

Q I'm pretty sure that if you have been there for 2.5 years you have rights despite not being a permanent employee, but I've asked my friend for you who is an employment lawyer and I will pm you when she comes back to me. I understand the concern though about references, especially in a male dominated industry.

Bad night with DS last night, he woke up at 2.40am and didn't go back to sleep for nearly 2 hours - he kept falling asleep but waking after 10 minutes or so. When I changed his nappy this morning there was a little poo in it which I didn't hear him do when I was feeding him so now I'm wondering if he actually did it in the night and that was what was bothering him Confused weirdly since weaning his poos have got much firmer but they don't really smell much until I get the nappy off, unlike the formula poos which had a very distinctive smell. I think there's been a few times where I haven't noticed he's done one, poor thing.

Good news is that I finally had it confirmed yesterday that DS has a place at the nursery I want him to go to, phew. They are outstanding rated and always full up, so despite putting his name on the waiting list back in June they said they wouldn't be able to let us know for sure until now which was leaving me feeling a bit nervous! I can relax now knowing that things will be so much easier with work and pick ups - he's going to be in nursery right next to my work so I won't have to worry about traffic etc.