40 + yummy mummies with baby tummies and those who've 'popped' - come hither!

[jeanjeannie]

Come join our merry (talkative) band of ladies who lunch - feel sick - are getting fatter - sleep deprived or run off their feet with babies! Some of us suffer all of the above - while trying to retain an air of calm and mystery

All we ask is you play nicely, eat cake and indulge in the occasional gossip and moan about our ills....or anything else that we can think of.

We're like grumpy old women....only not so grumpy...

oh I have read the Outcast jw it is enjoyable in a light reading kind of way.

that's not shallow Neddie but sensible. Financial inequality is fine so long as all parties are happy about it but if one is taking the p* enough is enough.

OMG [shock} I just looked at my bank account JW you have to stop posting all these yummy web sits.

I found that labyrinth book a bit creepy I couldn't read it in the end.

Ollie has grizzed all day and now has fallen asleep just as I have to get him togged up to meet the school bus!

MrsB I haven't the foggiest I'm afraid, but I do remember eventually finding that children whos parents said they were sleeping through the night were in fact sleeping from 12 to 6 which is not quite the same thing in my book. B did not manage 12 to 6 until at least 7 months and then only cos I sold my soul to the devil

Sorry hedgepig. I hold my hands up and surrender. I am officially a bad influence, mostly on myself. (hangs head in shame)

mrsb no idea how you're supposed to tell a 5 month old he can no longer have his midnight feasts. If it's any consolation none of my older 3 slept through until they were 2 ish. K is the first one that has done. I put the older ones in bed with us until the bed was full with 5 of us I'm obviously a bad mother so don't listen to my advice.

That's not shallow neddie. But does he have a brother that you could throw my way?

MrsB formula-fed babies will tend to last longer between feeds - including at night - because it's sits on the stomach longer than breastmilk. In theory I guess a 6 month year old baby either f- or b-fed should be getting enough milk in the day to put together a night's sleep - though more like hedgepig's version of night ie. 6 measly hours, than the ideal 7pm to 7am! It seems to change so much from baby to baby and must depend on factors such as how quickly the weaning process is taking and how much non-milk foor they're eating.

I did find that once we'd done the dreaded controlled crying with DD when she was 8/9 months it reduced night-time wakings dramatically. Once they can put themselves to sleep, rather than be fed or rocked to sleep, if they wake in the night they settle faster because they are in the same place they were when they dropped off. Dropping off at the breast or in daddy's arms and waking in a cot makes them more likely to cry for the breast or arms.

MUM41 We didn't have a big problem with flushing, although DS didn't really twig the whole wipe, flush, handwash deal until he was nearly 4 (boys are rubbish!). Could you make up a little song or rhyme for DD to say when she's on the loo which includes the instruction to flush? Or remind her to wave the poo goodbye as it goes down the U-bend?

General hygiene improved massively when we introduced flushable wet wipes to be used after every poo, and the fact that they don't always go down first time stimulated a bit more interest in the flushing bit . DH loves them!

give me 12 'til 6 pleaaase!! that'd do me to be going on with. He does sleep well in his hammock and will be in bed from 10pm to 8am but will wake for three or four full feeds in that time. He goes straight back to sleep though so its not too bad but there is definitely no differentiation between day and night feeding.

Perhaps this will continue until we get to the point where I can stuff him with solids during the day!

Again, driving wind and rain school run, when will this weather improve
So many posts and so little time....

Ermintrude thnakyou, sounds like a good idea, got to think of a rhyme now, we too have the wipes and hand washing not a problem with her little froggy soap friend

mrsb I agree with ermintrude, I have always put mine to bed awake and sorry to have to say (maybe I should whisper) and please don't make me feel bad ladies but my boys have gone through the night pretty much from around 12 weeks, and thats from 6:30 7:00ish pm till 6:30 7:00ish am sometimes longer, all my girls were the same too. They will often wake in the night, have a little chat to themselves for 15 minutes or so and then drift off again quite happily, I believe thats because they have been put to bed awake.
I breast fed for the first few weeks then unfortunatly had to go to formula feeding due to being back and forth to hospital (long story) so couldn't say if would be the
same if bf.

Neddie you are lucky to be aware of your twin pregnancy so early, funny thing is we didn't find out there were 2 until NF scan at 11 weeks, considering I had 2 scans prior to that and with the circumstances of thier conception thats what the consultant was looking for. he was gobsmacked he had missed one, was a lovely suprise though although I felt all along there were 2

I've just put myself on Twitter. If anyone of you ladies is already on it and comfortable with linking to me, give a yell.

JW Tee's Twitter

Hit post too soon!

I meant to add to my previous post, if anyone wants to email me, that is also readily available. I am not of the 'must keep my real life totally private' school of thought. My real name is on my blog. I post links to my blog all the time. So there's my twitter is anyone wants it!

It is my personal belief that the sooner we all realize that privacy is dead, the sooner we'll all be happier. But that's my belief and I don't begrudge anyone who disagrees with me and does everything they can to keep their RL hidden from the 'net.

I do, however, wish them luck.

I quite often post things that I would not like anyone who knows me in RL to read - mainly because you don't have any control over how they might interpret things and might take offence without any having been intended.

Having been musing the whole twitter thing since I read about Stephen Fry and the lift.

I don't understand Twitter.... My mate in Dubai suggested it - but I can barely keep up with MN and Facebook!

mrsB I think 5 mnths is still very young although Iris was off for 12 hours sleep from 14 weeks - but Verity is totally different. I think they often aren't hungry, but have just woken themselves up and need to get back to sleep - so in effect - comfort eat. No top tips though - or I'd use them myself

Neddie there's nowt wrong with wanting a solvent man - able to take care of himself, you and a LO! Oh and if he can see to making sure a few horses are ok too - then all the better Well done you!

ladymac did I really get that right?! Hah - well, you paint such a vivid picture of him. I imagine many of the 'creative' types I used to go out with will end up like him....a triffle 'flaky' !!

Instruction has come through from mad Serbian FIL (therefor it must be done) to put together some pictures of the girls for his friend from college...a certain lady, religious, tory MP (now blonde) and novelist..... Gawd, I'm sure she doesn't really want to see pics! Poor woman has just had lunch with FIL - she's probably in a darkened room recovering! For those of you unfamiliar with my FIL - as jw so perfectly said - " he sounds like Ealing COmedy actor James Roberston Justice" and that's BANG on the mark!

is she at College also then jj? she doesn't seem the type to be too interested in small children but your FiL must be very proud of his beautiful granddaughters and wants to show them off

My OH's dad is a teacher and has pictures of D on the class room walls - he also showed the kids the scan dvd from when I was 20 weeks pg and burst into tears in front of the class when he got the call to say D had been born safely.

He teaches disabled children of various ages so I think he uses D as a teaching resource!

JJ why is Anne Widdicombe at college, pray tell? I bet your FIL charms the pants of her. Let's face it, he couldn't scare her.

MrsB aw, sweet that your FIL is so proud of baby D!

Tee If I were just me the person I would use my own name as my MN name but because I'm also me the writer with some (very very small!) public profile, I need to play it safe. I know too many writers with stalkers - I think it's the best of way of knowing you're successful

Can't out myself now I've said all that about my ex! He is not exactly famous but lots of people would have heard of some of the stuff he's written.

Neddie, I did it the other way round to you, went from the solvent ex to my less solvent DH. He was studying when we met and paid a lot of money to do a law conversion year after he got his degree. The next year of the course was to become a solicitor or barrister but by then we knew we'd have to get our skates on if we wanted to have a baby due to my ripe old age. And we would need to buy a bigger place to live. So he went back to his old career in insurance to earn us a crust and that's where he still is now. And we're still paying off the career development loan he took out to study law

Although money is tight I wouldn't change my life for the world. We live in a really nice house in a nice area surrounded by excellent schools. We just have to watch what we spend. Bought a Sainsburys' own brand eye cream yesterday for £3.25 whereas in my old life I would have bought a fancy brand. I'm sure it will do the job. However, do miss my Eve Lom cleanser and may save up to buy it again next time as it lasts so long and I'm getting through a cheaper version so much faster.

Ooh, and a bit of gossip. DH's friend that's coming to eat the salmon works on a well known magazine and he says there are more relevations to come about a certain chef from north of the border. Apparently his tastes don't just run to 'professional ladies' but also to younger people of the opposite sex

oh aye I have heard been hearing that and also that the reason the recent story was allowed to break was to prevent a worse one about a transexual.

ladymac I think I just read this wrong but do you mean opposite sex to the professional ladies or opposite sex to the well disguised chef!

Hahahah sorry I mean college from 1969 Birmingham Uni...!Am now laughing at the thought of FIL at college...what a nightmare pupil he'd be!!!!!!

MrsB that's so sweet of your OH's Dad....awwww, love it when grandads are chuffed to bits with their grandkids

ladymac Oh, I'd heard that too

Mind you...does anyone elses Gaydar go off when they see a certain spikey haired chef who shares a surname with a greek island...??

and he's kept in touch with her all this time jj? blimey! I also imagined your FiL as being more recently from Serbia than that from they way you describe him.

the opposite sex to the professional ladies hedgepig

Surely all chefs called Nigel are gay?

I've been thinking of rhymes for MUM41:

First wipe your bum
Then flush the chain
To send the poo
Right down the drain

OR

My bottom is
All clean and dry
It's time to wave
That poo goodbye

Or the more aspirational

First you have to clean your tush
Then don't forget to pull the flush
Finish off with soap and water
And you'll be the perfect daughter

FFS. I'm supposed to be writing a novel.

north of the border? Scottish or oop north? I can't think of any scottish chefs. And if it's ooop north I can't see Brian Turner doing it doggy style with a trannie

Gary Rhodes - Deffo! All he needs is a zapata moustache.

tee I'm one of your twitter disciples now....apparently!

Oh what cracking gossip. Does the chef f* a lot in his programs (and off by the sound of it). I have just come back from casualty(like u do when u tread on a 4 inch rusty nail and it goes right through your foot).
Ps I didn't cry but it really hurts.

johnworf I'm not sure you can out Gary Rhodes on MN but I think you just did- do you have a good lawyer by the way?
ps His brother is available 42 nice looking and a Psychologist if you are interested.

Geez, neddie are you alright? Get your tetanus shot? The babies okay?

Outing Gary Rhodes is like outing Boy George, totally not necessary! The one I want a definitive answer on is James Martin. Cuz I would never kick him out of bed for eating crackers. Or doing anything else. [wiggling eyebrows emoticon]

I see you on Twitter JW!!