Ruth_Baldock

Gina- I'm born in September, so I will have two kids before I am 26 (am 25 now). Husband wanted 3 before he is 30, he's 30 in October. Feel a bit shocked by it all really, never ever ever thought I'd be married with two ankle biters before I was 40, let alone 30. When we decided to have a second, the conversation went like this: Me: Another baby would be nice! Him: I dunno... Me: I don't need your opinion, just a few of your best swimmers. Didn't think it would actually work, but it did! 2 miracle babies! Well done us!

Our neighbours hate us ever since the New Kitchen Saga (don't ask) but we do have several friends locally who could help. I'm helping a friend in a similair position in Jan- am her birth partner. She lives in Sussex. When she goes into labour, husband will drive me, baby baldock and himself to theirs so he can babysit her eldest (who will be 2 then). I'd ask the same but three kids under 3 in the same house may prove a bit much for her.

Husband suggested an HBAC so we could have Baby B The Elder scurrying around whilst I was in the birth pool. Am sure this works for some people, personally cannot imagine anything I'd like less. Gina- thanks :) This is what happens the MOMENT your baby starts to 1) sleep through and 2) becomes Best Friends with their cot (can go up to 15 hours in there sometimes...). Baby B started sleeping through on the 18th September, and Baby B 2 was concieved about 3 seconds later (or 3 weeks). My Mum always said this would happen, knew she was right!

Well, if nothing, this made me laugh. Last time round, Husband was practically having kittens every 15 minutes the moment I turned 37w, and when I called him that fateful Monday evening, his Dad (who he works with) took the message, and then said to Husband 'It's time! GO GO GO GO GO!'. Husband cycles to Soho and got home in 12 minutes. I was in the bath sipping a hot chocolate, he expected to turn up and find me delivering the placenta with one hand whilst nursing the baby and holding it with the other. Nice.

Hello to you Forum, on this brass-monkeys style day. As I 'came out' a few days ago and announced that Baby Baldock The Younger is going to be making a debut in the summer, I thought it was okay to ask this. You've got an 18 month old. You go into labour. It's not guaranteed that your close-by Family can look after your 18 month old whilst you are cursing your husband/bouncing on a swiss ball/trying to remember hypnobirthing/begging for a swift death. 18 month old doesn't get on at ALL with YOUR parents (cries, has tantrums, makes self sick) and YOUR parents live bloody miles away anyway. What do you do? I feel it's too much to ask a friend to look after Baby Baldock The Elder, especially as his birth took 18 hours before I even got to 3cm (TMI? No such thing once you've had kids, surely?) and then it all went downhill anyway. NO WAY am I bringing him into the labour ward at Kings like DH suggested (mental, absolutely mental). Should I try and flog him on gumtree now and get it out of the way?

Ah saff, I'm sorry! Totally respect your decision not to let mini saff CIO, it's true that it's not a universal solution. We did do it in the end after 9 months of baby only sleeping around 6 hours in a 24 hour period but I dowish we didn't have to. I was up from4-7am. Baby b has a cough and everytime he coughed, he'd wake himself up. Shouldn't complain- he did go 9-4am without a peep- big improvement on the night before- woke up at 9pm and took till 1am to go to sleep, th awake from 5. Argh.

How did everyone cope with a newborn and a non-toddling toddler? I might as well 'come out', I'm expecting again and I am absolutely bricking it that Baby Baldock The Elder, who will be 19 months when Baby Baldock The Younger makes his/her appearance won't be walking. He started to walk, then had enough of it, and has crawled ever since. FREAKING out about this, sorry to hi-jack the thread OP!

Congratulations F!!!! xx

We're planning to use our John Lewis cosytoes/footmuff thing. Because we're too cheap to buy a new matching one (Sorry Babies B...). Tried it with a friend's p+t and it fitted, so alls good.

I'd recommend the Rose and Rebellion. My best friend has one, she's used it every day for 3 months and hasn't used her pram since. Her daughter is 15 months old. I tried it out with my son on my back, loved it, bought one. http://roseandrebellion.com/

Normally I'd have worn Baby B but I can only really wear him on my back for the forseeable future and I can't do that when I'm on my own. We had some success with locking the front wheel of the buggy. I saw a toddler holding onto his baby brother, stiff in a big snowsuit, for dear life whilst being pulled along on a sledge. Actually looked really cute :)

Baby Baldock was bundled up in his 'big' pram today and we made it from ours (camberwell) to Kings on the Rye by bus, then walked up to the Ryedale area-ish, where my MIL watches him. I stupidly, STUPIDLY said 'Oh look, Baby B, the park looks lovely!' so we walked through it. Stupid Mummy, I nearly had a cardiac arrest lugging his pram through about 700 feet of snow. Ouchies. Walked down Forest Hill Road to get back on the 63 and all was well. I was an hour and 15 minutes early for my shift. Smug. Baby B not a fan of snow, cries a lot and pulls off his mittens with his teeth. Same as me, cannot STAND snow. Bah humbug. Enjoying the necessary hot chocs though...

When I was in labour, I remember a midwife coming into the room to swap with the poor lady who had been subjected to my screaming and swearing for 8 hours, and she said 'The snows not so bad, only a few inches...'. I remember thinking 'SNOW?! WHAT?!'. It was dry as a bone when I went in, when we left (with baby in tow 3 days later) it was snowy and icy underfoot. (This was December 2009)

I'd love to meet, but can't drink lovely alcohol so may be very boring I'm afraid!

I share your GP based rage! I'm not with DMC, but it's impossible to get anyone to answer the phone at my surgery and I reguarly have to wait 10-21 DAYS for an appointment. I've only stayed because my GP is lovely and the midwifery team are fab. I have a lot of GP rants though, grumble grumble. Put your foot down!

My son wears tights. Keeps him warm and he looks soooo cute! Go for it :)

Good plan, SW. 'I like biscuits' sounds like the best idea, because then even if you're not aware of this thread, it can be a conversation starter too. Really fancy some biccies now, though...

....sounds to me as though he's already got one....smiling smiley BRB, weeping at desk. Well, sort of. ;)

I'd love to organise this all, but I am currently: -Working two jobs, one of which is lecturing so requires planning and marking and looking like I know what I'm on about. -Battling with a very picky eater -Trying to organise a one-year-old's birthday party -Trying to organise Xmas in our households -Co-ordinating Bumps+Babes -Dealing with what I and DH suspect is either a stomach bug or morning sickness. Fingers, pies...etc. However, would love to get Bumps+Babes involved in this, and I could e-mail Abigail Paskin from the NCT to enquire about getting other groups in and around SE22 etc involved if that helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTa8U0Wa0q8 And not just because of the Christmas adverts... "I don't have much money but boy if I did I'd buy a big house where we both could live If I was a sculptor, but then again, no Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show I know it's not much but it's the best I can do My gift is my song and this one's for you And you can tell everybody this is your song It may be quite simple but now that it's done I hope you don't mind I hope you don't mind that I put down in words How wonderful life is while you're in the world" Me and DH are utterly skint, but we'd love to get an Ideal Family Home for Baby Baldock, because he deserves the best of the best of the best. This reminds me of when he was a teeny tiny newborn and would wail for hours; I sang ballads to him to calm him down and he'd stop wailing, would scratch and paw at my chest and look at me whilst I sang to him. It's been a funny and tough old year, but life truley IS wonderful now he's in our world :)

I see your point keef (and agree that lidl Jaffa cakes ar yum!) but I think the idea behind th badges isfor those who litrally don't have the confidence to even smile at another mum- I even have diffiulty with making eye contact sometimes...

He'll drink cows milk fine as long as it's warm, but I'm still upset about losing our breastfeeding bond. Today I'm wearing a normal bra for th first time in a year and must admit it feels lovely...

Like gussy's idea! And Keef, we only have top quality biccies at bumps and babes (Jammu dodgers I'll have you know!) badge or no badge x

Sophie, thanks v much!!! This is going on our fridge door, feel much better abou calcium alternatives now :)

Oh god, the need to EAT lemons and the constant hankering for marmite makes sense! Kidding. Well, no I'm not kidding, but I've always wanted to eat odd things, pregnant or not. At least he is happy to swig down water from a sippy cup. I suppose I shall end up being obsessive about weighing him, again. (paranoid Mum moment...)