srisky

Soft and wet - Prince

I against I - Massive Attack

Me, Myself & I - De La Soul

Smart boys! Take heart, your sons clearly know how to behave well :)

It is very selfless of you to think of others during what I imagine is still a difficult time. Agree with SW but maybe also post this message in the Lounge, as some women who do not have children (or have adult children) may not visit the Family section? Thank you for posting about this x

Please don't waste your money on it! Use the money on a treat for yourself that you can use in the exhausting postnal period (e.g nice bath stuff, nice nightie for after, pretty nursing bras) Similar to others, I bought a pack of 2 Sainsbury's basic nightshirts for ?5. I was naked for the actual delivery bit (TMI?), so the one nightshirt I did wear remained spotless and the other one is still untouched. For easy boob access postnatally, buy pyjamas with button openings or with a vest top that you can yank down. Saw several of these in Sainsbury's today. Good luck!

My wisdom teeth are yet to be fully assessed (haven't had an OPG etc) but I'm keen to avoid a lapdance courtesy of KCH dental dept! Thanks all for the advice/reassurance/anecdotes!

Hi tog-in-sox, I agree with you that hygienists definitely have a role in dental care and it allows dentists to get on with other aspects of dental care. Also agree that ?50 is nothing compared to extensive work etc. You will see from the first sentence of my original post that I readily accept that I may need a referral to the hygienist and I will be making an appt! I think I apply this level of cynicism to anything that I don't have much understanding of, have to put my trust in someone else for and fork out ??? - analagous to giving your car for a service and they tell you you need new brake pads, the transmission is gone etc.. Why did I decide to go? Because it's an important part of my health, which I have been ignoring (for no particular reason) and the longer you leave it the harder it it becomes to go. The other thing I had noticed was food was getting stuck in front of my (impacted) wisdom teeth on both lower sides and that can't be a good thing in the long term. No pain, sensitivity, bleeding though. So what other work do I need? Replacement of a crown, which was done when I was about 10yrs old when I broke a tooth (when I fell) and possible referral to KCH for extraction of my lower two wisdom teeth (ouch!). Neither of which I question. Re: pearly whites or Fagin impression - I think Fagin but someone the other day actually told me they admired my pearly whites, which shocked me and I still can't see it but there you go, I guess most people have a warped self perception. However, I am aware that looking good superficially doesn't equate to being healthy. Incidentally, are you a dentist or affiliated to one? In fact, were you the dentist that treated me?? Actually, don't answer that! :-S

So, I went to the dentist for the first time after many years (slap on wrist) and I have been referred to the dental hygienist (amongst other things) and no doubt I need that referral after some neglect :-S However, the cynic in me wonders whether this is something that dentists advise new patients, as it's an easy way for the practice to make ?50. Oh, I have been told that I may require 'a few visits' to the hygienist..mmm...

If you don`t fancy using a microwave, you can put the bottle of milk in a jug of boiling water and it will be ready for bubs within a couple of minutes (literally).

In some cultures around the world women who have just given birth are literally not allowed to do anything other than rest, feed and bond with their baby. Relatives, friends and local community rally round and help with everything else. Often they may have their mother or mother-in-law staying with them to cook, clean etc. Before anyone says it, I know it's not everyone's ideal situation to have their mother/mil staying with them but that's not the point here! ;-) It's about new mothers (first, second, third time round etc) having a chance to recouperate and bond with their baby without worrying about more mundane things aswell. So, it's not all modern day lazy parenting.

Maybe maternity nurses provide a range of services from the type that Moos described to the type that alieh described. My mum did for my husband and me what the maternity nurse did for Moos and for that I am soooo grateful. I can not describe how exhausted I was after giving birth to my daughter, without going into huge detail: I had 3 nights and 2 days of contractions without any real sleep, apart from the odd nap, plus no food for the whole of of the last day of labour, as I kept vomiting it up. Fortunately, I didn't have to stay on the post natal ward (no idea how I would have coped - much respect to those who had to stay) and was home at 4am, 4 hours after delivery. I was so tired that I was breathless after walking up one flight of stairs. That night/morning mum took my daughter into her room and rocked her for the next few hours, as she had developed an immediate aversion to the moses basket and would scream if we tried to put her down. My husband and I managed a few hours of precious sleep, interrupted only by my mum bringing my daughter in for her feeds. I really do not how either of us would have managed without help that night, the sheer delerium from the lack of sleep would actually make us dangerous parents (I'm sure I would have fallen asleep on my daughter whilst attempting to bf). I wouldn't judge anyone for hiring some help if they are not as fortunate to have support at hand.

I had never heard of maternity nurses or the concept of them until 3 or 4 months ago. I can understand why some people may find them useful. I can not begin to imagine how hard it must be to have twins - the first 6 weeks of my daughter's life were very tough. It must be even harder for those that do not have much support from family/friends. Having said that, I find it hard to get my head around the fact that it's almost a requirement for a maternity nurse to have no emotional repsonse to a crying baby. It seems to go against our natural instincts to comfort and I'd also be worried that something was amiss in a baby so young.

I think we are agreeing, SW, that parents give up a lot of themselves (physically, emotinally, financially etc) when raising children. We have already given up lots of things but really nothing very important. I just don't think of them as sacrifices, it's just what you have to do. Just semantics, I guess. I think the definition of sacrifice is relative and depends upon what you have and what you've been through.

sillywoman Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > srisky Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > > > > > I can genuinely say that we have not > > for one moment thought that we were sacrificing > > anything by having a child. > > > YOu will srisky, you will . . . Nice. I'm not for one moment saying life is going to be a breeze and we can carry on exactly the way were before she was born. It's already changed immensley. I guess it depends on what things are considered to be sacrifices and what things you accept will naturally fall by the wayside.

Heart of Glass - Blondie

> I am also assuming this means I am more than > entitled to drop serious ??? in White Stuff on > holiday wardrobe, right? Right! Oh, it's a must! I don't think they'll let you through passport control unless you are appropriately attired :)). Have fun!

Interesting thread! I do love being a parent but it's only been 7 months, it definitely hasn't all been easy and I haven't tried combining it with work (dreading it to be honest). If money/time was no question then I'd love to have 3 or 4 children - my husband would like a 5-a-side footie team ;-). However, ask me again once I have a second child (fingers crossed), as my answer may be very different! Wrt sacrifices, I'm not sure whether it's a cultural thing or more the way our parents were with us but I can genuinely say that we have not for one moment thought that we were sacrificing anything by having a child. I completely understand that life is definitely more complicated - simple things like putting petrol has to be vaguely planned in advance so someone can stay with the baby; a supermarket trip, visiting friends are planned around naps etc. But it's best not to think twice about how life used to be, because it's even better now. It never occured to me to think of the money spent on toys, clothes etc would mean less money on me. My daughter is part of me so when I spend money on her it feels no different to spending on me or my husband. There has just been an automatic adjustment in our expenditure - far far far fewer meals out, no holiday this year etc. Financially poorer, sleep deprived, hair hasn't been cut for months and my knees hurt but I wouldn't change it for the world. Edit to say: this is not meant in judgement of those who say they don't necessarily enjoy all aspects of parenting, it is exhausting. I'm just suggesting a different way of looking at things. I may well change my mind once I'm back at work and have to keep reminding myself why I love it so much!

Thanks, Alieh, that's very interesting. I'm glad we didn't hire one, as I don't think I would have been happy with some of the approaches you have mentioned (namely the enforced feeding and leaving them to cry) but then that's just me and it may be fine for others.

Fertility does go down but the ovaries also become less efficient - some cycles will be anovulatory (i.e. no eggs released) and others may result in the release of more the one egg. Some stats for the USA in 2007, which were published last year: - 20 percent of births to women over age 45 were twins. - Only 2 percent of teen mothers had twins. National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol 58. No. 24, August 9, 2010 Edit to say: I couldn't find exactly how many of the multiple births in the over 45's were due to IVF (and no doubt they do contribute to the above statistic) but it is well documented (quick google search) that increasing maternal age is associated with an increase in naturally conceived multiple pregnancies.

I know nothing about maternity nurses but I find the definitions of 'not sleeping' and 'sleeping through the night' to be very variable! I think some parents feel their babies 'should' be sleeping through and therefore, embelish a tad when recounting the night's events to other parents. Not out of spite but more to make themselves feel better and so it perpetuates. Maybe those who hired one feel more pressured to say their babies sleep well after spending money on a maternity nurse. If, however, I am wrong and someone knows their secret then please divulge!!

srisky Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Road to Hell - Chris Rea What was wrong with above? Ho hum ;-) > Hang on sloopy - The McCoys Hang on to your love - Sade

Road to Hell - Chris Rea

Back in the USSR - The Beatles

black - Pearl Jam