MichelleT

Another Manduca fan here - I carry my 17month old most days. The nice thing about a ssc is that as the baby gets bigger you can switch to a back carry for longer trips, which is easier on your back and means you can wear the baby for longer. My toddler still loves going in the sling and sits quietly in it observing everything that's going on while I chat away to him. Slings are fab!

Can I just say again No Cry Sleep Solution! Its not a case of sleep deprivation OR leaving baby to cry. There are other ways to gently help your baby to learn to sleep. I got home tonight, Pickle had his bath, bottle, teeth two stories one on my lap one in his cot lullaby good night and off went the light. Twenty minutes later he was asleep without a squeak. A lot of this is down to him being ready developmentally, but also I followed lots of Pantley's tips about consistent evening routine, bedtimes, a calming hour before bed so the baby relaxes and winds down gradually. I've never ever left him to cry in his cot.

The language used by medical professionals doesn't help - my labour 'failed to progress'

Hi Mrs F, that's fine for your baby but sleep training isn't working for the OP so what would you suggest?

Rahrah, does your baby nap well? Mapping seems to be key to good sleep. Also if you would like to borrow my copy of no cry sleep solution let me know. Will be in ed tomorrow afternoon so could drop it off. And good luck! This too shall pass xx

It's funny you should say that Ruth but before I had a baby that's exactly what I thought. I even remember saying to a colleague why don't you just leave her to cry...

see you tomorrow Saffron, little Saff and Msjenny xx

I'd love to do this, or something similar, but work full time. Does anyone know any choirs who need (slightly hoarse) altos and rehearse in the evenings/at weekends?

I'd say as long as she is eating and drinking milk, she is getting plenty of nourishment. So if her mum can relax, and just keep offering food, but not get stressed if she refuses it. She will eat again! I went through a phase myself when I ate nothing but white rice with ketchup. My mum ignored me and after a while I started eating again. And now I eat everything :)

Ruth, apologies if I upset you or anyone, I get just as upset reading about babies crying alone in their cots...

A couple of points raised; dogs and other domesticated animals are no longer the result of natural selection, hence the need for c-sections and high maternal mortality in many breeds like bulldogs which have been selected for large skulls. My mongrel gave birth easily, twice, to six and seven pups respectively, with a bit of toast between contractions to keep up her strength. However I take your point that by standing on our hind legs and developing big brains human beings are not very good at childbirth. However I still feel that it is better to go into labour believing that it IS possible to give birth naturally. After all, if it was impossible, we wouldn't be here. I also grew up in developing countries and would say one thing in their favour is that the people are generally fitter and stronger and giving birth for the first time in their teens/early twenties, as nature intended. I on the other hand was what is kindly known as an elderly primagravida... Physical labour of any kind is unknown to me. I sit at a desk all day. But I still wanted to give it my best shot, and I do believe that had conditions been optimal I could still have managed a home birth.

Hi Rahrahrah, that sounds terrible, I can't imagine how frazzled you must feel. Assuming you have had your baby checked for any medical conditions, as someone said above, might I suggest the 'No Cry Sleep Solution' by Elizabeth Pantley. Its a gentle way of helping babies sleep through the night, with no controlled crying/leaving to cry. Co-sleeping (safely) or bringing the baby into your room/sleeping in her room? Babies need company, its not just about their physical needs. To the poster who said no baby ever died from crying, perhaps not, but there is some pretty damning research on leaving babies to cry, raised cortisol levels, and the consequences thereof... We have never left our son to cry, though we do leave him awake in his cot, but he is now 17 months old and chats away for a while before drifting off. At seven months I was still rocking him to sleep.

Having discussed all the options with my partner, NCT teacher, and the very experienced community midwives, and done a lot of research, I opted for a home birth, for the following reasons: one-to-one and two-to-one care from a team of familiar faces, the idea of being in my own space, and the fact that, if necessary, I could be in Kings in minutes. As it was I did end up in Kings, being induced, and eventually having a forceps delivery. I don't feel that I failed, but I also don't think that this was the nicest way for my baby to come into the world. It certainly wasn't the gentle birth I had hoped for. I find it interesting that a lot of people say its not about the mother, its about the baby - medicalised births may be safer for the baby but they are not without their problems. I'm not talking about the bright lights and beeping machines here but the effects of the drugs the mother is given, ongoing trauma from forceps etc, while the post-natal ward is just a horror, unless you are lucky enough to get one of the private rooms. Even then, staffing levels are barely adequate. There are pros and cons to home birth and hospital birth; if a home from home birthing centre was available to all then I think it would be very different. Sadly, under the current regime of cuts, I can't see this happening, and were I to have another baby I'd go for a home birth again.

Littlemoo, thank you for sharing your story, I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'm sorry New Mother but why would I want more surgical intervention? Pregnancy is nit an illness.

Sorry Bumpkin, I should say that I'm sorry that you had a bad experience and hope you and Bumpkinette are ok now. This article made me see red. Worth reading the comments, I'm not sure that Barbara Ellen actually bothered to read the article she's quoting and the 'home birth propaganda' headline is just sensationalism. All births come with risks. So does crossing the road, and driving a car, and chopping up vegetables using a knife...

What a miserable article by Barbara Ellen! And only her opinion after all - the study actually found that the risks were about the same. I hate the idea of women being put off home births because of scaremongering like this; home births are no more dangerous than hospital births and based on my experience at Kings probably a lot more hygenic, comfortable, and better monitored.

Baby rice and cereal is much less nutritious than breastmilk. Could be she just needs to cluster feed/tank up in the evenings?

Hi e-dealer, its is happening as far as I know. Saffron is kindly hosting. Perhaps you should PM her.

We have the Bee + and love it. Neither of us drives, and I also carry my toddler in a sling; I bought the Bee because it suited our life. I wanted a small buggy as we were in a one-bed flat when Baby T was born, I wanted something I could easily get on and off buses and around local shops, and carry up stairs on my own if need be, and could be facing us when he was little. I also wanted a buggy that would have good resale value. I got John Lewis vouchers from work when I went on maternity leave and that combined with presents from friends meant that the buggy only cost me about ?100, so I should actually make a profit when I sell it :). I bought a JL footmuff for ?16 instead of the cocoon, but he was in a sling til he was three months old anyway. Friends who had their babies a few years ago all love pushing the Bee. Its expensive because its well designed. We have a Maclaren as a spare buggy and I hate it; it weighs less than the Bee but feels so heavy.

Marvellous! See you then xx

Hello! Can we join in? Not sure about BabyT's painting ability but if he's allowed to make a mess sure he will love it. Mxx

I have a front mounted seat too, its a Dutch seat, a Bobike Mini. What Molly said - I can chat to my little boy and he loves being able to see everything. He also 'helps' by changing gears... You can buy a plastic shield attachment to reduce exposure to wind etc but we haven't found it too much trouble so far. If its really bad in winter I'll get one on ebay.

I got ours from amazon.

Hi Saffron, Another mum of one here! I'm back at work full time so a Saturday is perfect, would be great to meet up with other only children (my bub is 14 months). Michelle