40's + Mums and Mums to Be.

[johnworf]

Hello, good evening, and welcome. Our ovaries are tired and withered but we've still managed it despite what the Daily Mail says!

Come on in for a gossip, cake, parenting tips and the nonstop drivel interesting chat.

Newbies welcome :-)

erm and jw - I think that's what's good about that book - builds self esteem for "nasty friend" situations as well as physical bullying. The reviews below the link say it all really.

I have to say that I slept on the settee from about 9:15 and then went to bed at 10:30 and didn't phone the hospital . But today sprog is head down again. I'm 39 weeks tomorrow and yes baby still has loads of room to turn all the way round without me really feeling it. I think I have a floppy womb and lots of fluid or something (saggy belly and I'm MASSIVE - added a new photo).
With M they spotted her transverse at 38 weeks and made me stay in hospital for 10 days while she went round and round like a top. I know cord prolapse is exceedingly dangerous but I also know that by the time I drove to the hospital this one could have turned another 180 degrees. Had no show or any sign of anything like stuff starting.

Bonzo the cat position - where you stick your arse in the air and keep upper body near the floor (resting on forearms was most comfy for me, or walking hands down a few stairs while kneeling at top of flight) is a good way of discouraging any diagonal movement and keeping a vertical lie. Also just leaning forward all the time when sitting so belly hangs a little. Anything which uses gravity to stop the little beggar darling baby from turning around.

A sleeping; I'm going to make banana bread with the manky old fruit I found at the bottom of the bowl yesterday.

[pukes] at banana bread.
I think I can almost push this baby into the right position ... if I lie on my side and stick a cushion under the bump it moves away from sideways. Can't really imagine explaining to DH why I fell down the stairs and broke my neck lying down the first steps ... but I've brushed the kitchen floor on my hands and knees so that has sort of the same effect.
I'm with Florida on the "little bastards". I was bullied mercilessly at school plus had some really shitty "so called friends" (was ginger, freckly, specky, skinny as a pole, no fashion sense and a Liverpool accent in manchester ... no chance really eh?)

Florida ha at the relief at an early wake-up call.

Have just bought a bumbo through ebay - DP will kill me when he finds out the price for a seat!

SoonToBeInTroubleTiggaxx

Oi Bonzo, banana bread is really banana cake and thoroughly delicious slathered in butter. Oops, can I hear you retching again? . It's in the oven; I'll send a slice over later.

We have a couple of small runs of 3 or 4 stairs - didn't risk it on the main flight down to the hard tiles . Leaning over a gymball was also good. I did all my contractions and all but the last minutes of the birth over a gymball, having sneered at my sister's recommendation ("What need have I of such a new-fangled invention? Why, I gave birth bent over my bed last time, the good old-fashioned way blah blah..."). Babe was slightly back-to-back right at the end so I was sort of gyrating on the ball, completely unconsciously, which apparently helps turn the baby. Regarding the view of my circling backside, one MW checked the window anxiously saying 'Is this room overlooked?' and the other one muttered, 'If it is, they'd only look once.' .

dawntigga tell DH the bumbo will keep its resale value

Morning all.

Not a great night here at Tee Towers. Slept from 9:30 - 1 then 2 - 4 and then 5 - 7, at which point I woke up DH and handed him over. Now he's asleep again.

I meant to ask y'all yesterday, Health Visitor recommended lengthing his time between feedings with cool boiled water. I didn't question it, as DH has an irrational (IMHO) fear of contradicting someone like that. But I am pretty sure that is out dated advice...right?

Of course, I am not that keen on forcing a schedule on him anyway. LO, not DH.

hedgepig

JW at least it works well!

erm send some banana bread my way. I'll have bonzo's share!

dawn was the great bumbo hand off between floria and JW before you joined the thread? T'was some great reading.

Right, having some coffee then I will try to soak in bath for a bit while he's asleep and DH is doing his work. Have I mentioned how much I love having a DH who can work from home during the summer?

morning all

It's a network wide problem apparently causing the interwebs to break round these parts. Most annoying.

D slept from 10.30 last night til 6am - not too bad.

BELLA I had GD as well - controlled easily enough with diet - removed almost all of the mainly carb food from my diet (pasta, bread, potatoes) and got my carbs from things like porridge, veg, oatcakes and ginger nut biccies. Managed to keep my sugar levels pretty much at non GD levels and lost a bit of weigh too. No need for insulin. The only pain about it was the testign of bloods all day long.

Had to be induced at 39 weeks - because they insisted D was massive. He wasn't which I knew myself really and the induction was a mistake. If I had my time again I might have refused it although in some ways I would rather they were wrong than I was.

tee I tried replacing D's milk with water a couple ftimes to see if it would persuade him out of the night feeds (when he was 5 or 6 months ).It didn't work at all. Plus A seems very young. The thing about babies is that they KNOW how much food they need. So if my hv had given me that advice I would have nodded enthusiastically and then ignored it.

Hi all - just a quick pop by before I pick Iris up from her Pre-school party. I've left her watching Colonel Custard - sadly NOT John Thompson in Corrie

tee totally agree that boiled water is outdated advice. Babies do cry for a reason and if they're hungry - well, thats it!!! SO many HVs seem to be trained in the (she-who-cannont-be-named-on MN!) school of thought. It's odd because I can't see why you should bottle feed any differently to breast feeding If you're happy - then YOU carry on. As you were....!!

erm is that like banana loaf? I've got loads on the turn - I can almost feel the fruit flies a'gathering!! I feel inspired - ta muchly! Any particular recipe?

bonzo My yoga teacher used to have a really good hit rate at naturally turning babies with various positions. She always said though that afterwards just don't go and sit back on a sofa.

Bullying is indeed evil. I was literally attacked for three years by a couple of girls - because I had red hair. Hahaha - saw one of them about 5 years ago....she looked like the sort of woman who'd be on 20 years younger because she was sad, revolting old trout! The book sounds excellent...I shall recommend it to the childminder 2 doors down she's involved in anti-bullying policies in schools.

dawntigga bumbo will definately have re-sale value!

mrsb nice to hear you all got a bit of a longer kip.

Right - off to collect Iris x

ermintrude can you post the banana load/bread/cake recipe? I've just found 2 that are almost black in the fruit bowl. Like JJ says, the fruit flies are in ecstasy in these parts....

....awaits instructions.

swine flu (or "the flu of all endings" as my OH sarcastically calls it)update

sis has ben sick over a weeek now, it has gone to her chest and she has a dreadful cough which she is on ab's for. Has stomach pains and has been told she will have to have a scan if it doesn't go) moving about causes terrible banging headache.

and now her bf who is even more senior than her in the company has come down with it.
between them they will be off for weeks and all down to a colleague who came in before he was better because he was bored at home

Have heard though that some of the worst "hot spots" in Scotland may be easing off slighlty...

Bonzo look away NOW!

Banana 'Tea Bread' from the Be-Ro* book

225 g (8 oz) SR flour
1/4 tsp bicarb of soda
pinch salt
75g (3oz) butter
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten
450g (1lb) bananas weighed with skins on, then peeled and mashed (about 3 lg/4 sm fruit)
100g (4oz) walnuts, chopped (or substitute raisons, dried apricots etc).

1. Heat oven to 180C, grease and line a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin
2. Mix flour, bicarb and salt together
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add eggs with a little flour
4. Stir in remaining flour, bananas and nuts/fruit
5. Bake for about 1hr 15 mins (does in 1 hr in my fan oven at about 170C

• If you don't have this, it's a classic little baking pamphlet with loads of recipes for all your basic English baking, you can prob order it from a website.

When I went off to uni, my mum gave me 3 publications: an ethical study of sexuality written by a Jesuit priest and entitled 'The Problems of Purity'; a guide to the Billings method of natural birth control (the one where you check your vaginal mucus every day) and the Be-Ro book. She hadn't thought it through - what could be more appealing to the average straight male student than a good Catholic girl of 18 who can bake? .

Excellent. Think I'll make some of this with the floppy bananas I have Wasn't Be Ro flour from the olden days?

mrsb sounds quite serious what your sis has. Do hope they're both going to get over it quickly. My SiL phoned last night to say she was taking 18 yo niece to docs today as she 'thinks' she has swine flu. I doubt it. She went to see HP last night at the cinema

K is coming down with either a cold or some reaction to the MMR. Nurse said anytime up to 15 days afterwards and we're at day 15 today. May be nothing to do with it at all. Who knows?

ermintrude as a collapsed catholic myself, I can see the logic of the 3 books your mother gave to you

[still puking] - you are all VILE. It's the putrifying black bananas and cooked bananas that are disgusting. Ewwwwww not fit for pigs.

Laughing at erm's midwife.

Tee sorry you're not sleeping. If it were me I'd completely ignore the HV advice about water. Baby knows he's hungry (if it is hunger) and water isn't going to help there and he's still tiny. Out of interest how long does he feed at a time? I know boobs and babies are different but I sort of encouraged M to feed for 20mins each side. If she fell asleep at the boob I tickled her feet or sat her up then down. Always changed her nappy between boobs so she was woken up again and then carried on jiggling her awake until she'd had a good long feed on the 2nd. Seemed to work as she fed pretty much every 4 hours even though I demand fed her. (I had the She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named book ... read about a quarter and then threw it as far as I could).

MrsB scary about your sister and BF. I'd be livid about the colleague. Hope HR have given them a bollocking talking to.

jw sorry K's sick. Sure it's not hayfever? Seems a long time after the jab to be getting that sort of symptom.

I've been on a mad house-clean. Shattered now even though the sty is only about a quarter done.

Afternoon all.

A is being Sir CrankyPants today. And eating in dribs and drabs. Was thinking constipation until I changed his last nappy, which was very full and fairly liquidy!

bonzo I am FF, but I am doing what I think is best, which is letting him have a full bottle and letting him drink as much as he wants from it over the 2 hours until it has to be thrown away. He's having about 20 ml every 30 minutes or so this way! After days of 120 ml every two hours!! BABIES!!

mrsb I would also be livid with that coworker who came to work with SF. Hope your sister feels better soon.

JW Hope K feels better soon as well.

Cheers erm am getting too it asap! The flies are a swarming sorry bonzo! Lol@book selection. I just had "Grub on a Grant" I still fondly look back on the tin of ratatouille splatted onto a plate with an egg on top!

Gosh - all go again and Iris has only just admitted defeated and gone for a nap! Really perky as old friend and former business partner is coming over on Sat - mind you she does only live west london so it's not miles. Pleased to hear the business is still doing brilliantly - hah - I knew it was a good idea - just hated doing it!

jw poor K - hope she gets better soon. It is very muggy, sticky and generally not very conducive to feeling bright.

mrsB gosh your poor sis Talking to a mum today and she said her eldest son and DH were in a curfew upstairs in their house!

Right - off to make banana bread and do some washing.

Bob the cat has bought me in a dead baby blackbird as an offering. Nice

Could someone please stop me from buying a pricy Canon zoom lens that I feel I REALLY must have. Stop me....restrain me...there's a recession on for gawd's sake..........................give me cake or something....

Well it's gone 3pm and K has not had one sleep today since 7am. I think she's overtired now and there's no consoling her. Plus think I've broken my toe by stubbing it fetching the Calpol I'm supposed to be having a pedicure in an hour or so. Fark!

Anyway, rotten bananas are in the oven just in case you wanted to know bonzo. Smells luvverly.

Feel like hitting the cooking sherry but know it'd make me feel very, very, ill indeed.

Is it bedtime yet?

jw ouch sorry about ur toe! some days you just have to say fark!!!!

my LO has been unsettled as well. puked in his cot. and crying. what have babies got to cry about i sometimes scream in my head?!?!

ok rant over

erm they sell the Be-Ro book in Morrisons

TooManyRecipeBooksTiggaxx

Ah, A finally fell asleep after lunch. For a treat I let him sleep in my arms for about 3 hours (and he's still asleep!) while I watched the West Wing! He's 5 weeks old today!

JW hope you enjoyed your pedi even if your toe was broken! and OWIE!

Evening all. Oh I'm feeling in period meltdown

jw did K get any sleep? And how is the toe doing...yeeeeouch do you reckon it's broken?

heron puking of cot is never good Hope he's perked up.

Iris was manic after playschool - it was like she'd drunk a pint of aspartimine

DP late home again tonight - that boy is working like a dog. Hate it when he's not here to put the girls to bed - they just get all cranky. I don't know how you ladies do it when your OH's go away.

Iris is banging on her bedroom window and shouting to the kids 2-doors down...they're now all shouting at each other. Oh Lordy - they're only 2 and 3 yrs old - they'll be phoning each other next!

Did you resist the camera, JJ? Could it have anything to do with menstrual lunacy?

JW Hope your foot-related problems were all resolved this afternoon and that K is right now having a little snooze, not so much to spoil her night-time sleep, but just enough for you to get something done

dawntigga My mum wrote to Be-Ro with a cheque for 6 new copies of the reprinted booklet, explaining that each of her 5 daughters had been sent off to uni with an earlier copies and 20 yrs on (OMG,it's more than that for me ) they were a bit dog-eared. I think she hoped that Be-Ro would write back with free copies and a request that her daughters feature in their next advertising campaign. They just sent her the 6 copies .

Tee hmm, am analysing the cost/benefit of letting Arthur sleep on us while we watch Season 4 of The Wire..

DD came home from school with a letter saying there were 2 suspected cases of swine flu and they'd be staying open. Such a bind at the very end of term - they break up on Tues. Since DD is Yr 6 it's all go with leavers' assemblies and parties etc. so I can't not send her, but really hope it doesn't come baby's way . I'm feeling a bit sniffly already, hopefully just in that way I always feel itchy when they bring home nit letters...

How's your sis and her BF doing MrsB?

They don't seem too bad ermintrude both (normally workaholics) spent the day reading (her) and watching golf on telly (him) and she managed to book some tickets to Michael McIntyre in Sept so probably not at death's door...

he is not seeing his kids this weekend though so as not to pass it on.

If they'd get this jab sorted soon we could get vaccinated and the LOs wouldn't be at so much risk.

How does that work with breastfeeding I wonder? if you get a jab do the antibodies get passed on through the milk?

D has cultivated a most ungainly mode of locomotion; he kind of "swims" across the floor flapping arms and legs madly.

mrsb sorry but lol at that image

DP has just found out about my Bumbo and it's cost - he took it rather well considering

SpentTooMuchTiggaxx