sillywoman

Thankyou. SW

James, Could you give us a brief example of what type of question would ensure any petition would be properly considered by Southwark council please? Please hurry as seemingly we only have until Friday (Can this be right? Less than a week from presentation of the facts to the public to closure of the consultation? Did I miss an earlier public presentation?) to collect sufficient data to make clear to Southwark, in as unbiased a way as possible, ED residents opinions of this scheme, and of course we all have jobs & lives to live too.

Zak Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Elsewhere there's a post listing the roads where a > petition is going round. Those of us who object, > need to make sure that all affected roads are > covered and that the signed petitions are > centrally collated. If you think your road isn't > covered then Email the person ( scroll up) who is > co-ordinating it. Petitions often don't seem to > work, but it seems that this is one situation in > which they might. Zak - I can't find this. Lots of suggestions for a petition, but can't find a post that says there actually is one. Please could you post a link to the relevant post? I live in Trossachs Rd and, along with gsirett, we plan to petition the residents of Trossachs, Tarbert, Glengarry, Thornecombe & Hillsborough early next week on this subject, but if someone else is already doing this then we don't want to waste our time repeating work already done. If they've done a petition but haven't yet done these roads then maybe we can join our petions together?

Our 11yr old son has asked for a new bike for Christmas. I think Father Christmas may well oblige as the poor boy has been cycling to school & back on his older sisters re-sprayed ridgeback for the last 4 years. My question is which bike. We're not made of money & our experience this year suggests that getting him anything too nice is a hiding to nowhere as it will be stolen as soon as the Christmas wrapping's off. He needs something that will last him though - we don't want to have to replace in a year or 18months. We'd like him to have an aluminium frame as they're so much lighter & easier to maneuver. So can anyone recommend a good bike that could see our son through the next 2 or 3 years or so?

I have wondered about this myself (as a parent of teens, but with a professional interest in new baby stuff), but I can see that it'd be more admin work. We're a victim of our own success really. I wonder why the forum format works so well here in ED, but less well in other seemingly similar places? A whole other thread I know . . .

A very cheeky post here so apologies in advance; I've had an antenatal course cancelled at short notice (not enough interest - it sometimes happens) so I'm trialling a one day 'labour & birth' class. I've put a post in the classifieds, but I thought that if there were any of you winter Mums who hadn't yet had your babies, & missed out on booking NCT classes or other private classes this might be a good opportunity to 'fill in the gaps' so to speak. I'll only be doing labour & birth topics as it's just for one day, but because it's a bit ad hoc & spaces are limited I can tailor it to whatever information you want depending on your personal circumstances. Apologies for highjacking your thread, and to those of you who've already had your babies & this post isn't relevant. I just thought I'd see if there was any interest for such a session. If you think this might be for you please check out my post in the family room classifieds http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?25,778773 and PM me. Thanks SW

Hmm, you're right about the lack of depth Otta. It's hard to extrapolate accurate information just from statistics. But, I would say that Kings & Tommies are both specialist teaching hospitals with area's of specialism that will influence their outcomes and so their statistics. Their results could be expected to be broadly similar, but they're not. Personally I believe that's down to the ethos within each consultant unit, which is created in large by the attitude toward labour & birht of the consultant Obstetricians. Personally - seeing as many Mums & their partners going through all three hospitals systems as I do each year, and hearing the stories of their experiences - it would be Kings every time for me, with all it's faults and imperfections. Or maybe the birth centre at Lewisham. Tommies would very definitely be third on my personal list.

Stats will only give a very limited picture I agree, but I do think they can be helpful in situations like this where you're wanting to know what the trends are in various hospitals. I didn't search for the stats for previous years - they may be available on that website? But, over the last 7 years (as long as I've been teaching), I think they've been similar (though IIRC Lewisham assisted delivery trend has improved significantly). Sadly I chuck out my 'local stats' poster each year so I don't have easy access to past years, but from memory Tommies has consistently been more interventional than the other two over that time so if that's what the OP is hoping to avoid Tommies might not be the best hospital to chose for her?

Ellie78 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Generally I would say that I would prefer not as > much intervention, just because I think I'd find > it all a bit scary (lots of machines attached etc) > but, you know what, in the however many secret > years I've known my body...it sometimes just does > what it wants to do (or what I don't plan it to > do)...For that reason perhaps my choice of St T's > isn't so far off the mark of where I want to be. > > If you go by the statistics (http://www.birthchoiceuk.com) then you have a significantly higher probability of unplanned Caesarean at Tommies and Lewisham (taken overall) or of forceps delivery at Tommies. So to avoid forceps or ventouse, statistically go for Lewisham. To avoid emergency caesarean statistically go for Kings. Tommies isn't great for either I'm afraid. The most interventional of the three.

Moos ROFL. >:D

Aaargh, have offered to take over a class in Balham for a sick colleague so now can't make it. Will be sending longing thoughts of a big glass of wine & lots of laughs your way. Have a good one. I'll try & make the next. :(

. . . because generally a teenagers primary consideration will be not to lose face in front of their friends, rather than not causing distress to others. I'm sure there's someone on here qualified to talk about brain development and necessary social stages and so on - stuff that's way beyond me. I can only speak from experience rather than knowledge. I don't condone their behaviour at all. Like the OP I suspect I would have felt alarmed & a bit frightened, but sometimes if you can acknowledge that a teen does have the power over you then that gives them the authority (respect?) they crave and frees their mind from the need to posture so it can make the right and decent choice. I think of it like a quid pro quo - you've acknowledged they're powerful in front of their mates, so they'll act rightly and do as you wished in the first place, but making it look as though they're the one who decided to do it because they're decent people. They keep their cool status. In defence of teens in general (though not these specific ones), I've found them to be generally courteous, well mannered and respectful of others - with a little nudge sometimes in the right direction. I don't really think that the world is going to hell in a handcart with our coming generation.

I have teenage sons (though I'd be livid if I thought they behaved like that anywhere). I've found that agreeing with their "you can't touch me" posturing often deflates and diffuses their aggressive response. So I think I'd have said something along the lines of; "You're right - I can't make you, but I can ask you. There's lots of room in the park for us all & I was hoping you could play ball elsewhere. If you won't move then we will, but it's entirely your choice. AS you said I can't make you do do anything." I'm often surprised at how effective this kind of reasoned comment can be. I think it's because it puts them on an equal footing with you (the adult), and gives the impression of showing them some respect - something all teenagers seem to crave?

Have your party on whatever day you like but trick or treating, when done properly, is only to be done on halloween (IMO).

Noooo, Halloween is on the 31st. Not any other date. I love Halloween & my kids have trick or treated with pleasure since the 1990's, but if you come to my door before the 31st you'll be sent away with a flea in your ear - no matter how cute your kids are. Why would you do that anyway? What's wrong with Monday?

Sadly Jo yours is a story I hear frequently. It's hard to tell how a labour will go - you may book for and start off in the lovely birth centre then end up on the consultant unit (which at Lewisham doesn't have the best reputation of the local units). It's all a bit of a gamble.

If you need to be on a consultant led unit then Kings is your best chance for a more straightforward birth without intervention. If you'd like to use a home-from-home birth centre and you're low risk them Lewisham is best (absolutely lovely birth centre), if you want private healthcare and a view of the houses of parliament, or you've got a mutiple pregnancy and you'd like to have the best chance of a vaginal birth for your babies then Tommies is best. These are all personal opinion (mine!) and you'll find supporters and knockers for every hospital. Don't chose your hospital on how convenient it is for you to make antenatal appointments though, the crucial influence your choice will have is over the kind of birth experience you'll have.

Zeban, you're a hoot. You're betraying your ignorance of the realities of life with a baby with every word you're posting on this thread which makes me quite concerned of your implication that you're in some line of work or research in this area & consider yourself to have credentials. Scary stuff. DaveR: Interesting analogy, but flawed. Maybe it would be more appropriate to use a shopping trolley analogy. Imagine pushing a full trolley around the streets for several hours a day. If you had the choice between using a shopping trolley that did the job, but hurt your back because it wasn't ergonomic and with a seat that wasn't comfortable for your baby to be in, but was only ?1 a day; or a trolley that was better designed, more comfortable for your back, and more comfortable for your baby so they slept longer but it cost ?2 a day; how many would go for the more expensive option whenever they could? A pushchair isn't like a car because there's comparatively very little physical effort involved in driving a car. the physical toll on a Mums body from using a cheaper pushchair is significant (I've got the bad back to prove it!. Your car analogy is too simplistic.

It's these http://www.totscorner.co.uk/cart/pee-pee-teepee-p-256.php that have my jaw hitting the ground. Errr helloooo . . . muslin cloths?

So a request for information from those with older children. Oldest child (15) is very much inclined toward philosophy, politics and debate. AFAIK her school doesn't offer a debating club, but I think she'd really enjoy one and would get a lot out of it. Also it would be good preparation for University. So does anyone know of any schools/ colleges with good debating clubs locally that we might be able to explore as an option for her to attend?

Zaza's baby brother by Lucy Cousins; Walker Books Ellen & Penguin & the New Baby by Clara Vulliamy; Walker Books Rosie's Babies by Martin Wadell & Penny Dale; Walker Books Hello Baby by Jenni Overend; ABC Books The New Baby; Usborne My Baby Brother by Harriet Hains;DK Also; The Ahlbergs - Peepo & The Baby Catalogue were very useful for revisiting what babies need, what they can (& can't do) and how the older sibling is able to do so much more than the baby etc.etc.

Or very practical bit of equipment that will help you get out & about knowing that your baby is comfortable and that you aren't damaging your back with a too heavy pushchair? That's the option I'll go for.

Well, to be honest I'm not sure - I'll check back with my source, but from what she said I was lead to believe that there were no absolutely 'private' rooms - and that even those paying for their care might find themselves on the wards if circumstances dictated. I'll go away and pick her brains more precisely then report back.

ClareC Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I asked about this when I had a C Section there in > May. There are side rooms available on a need > basis. If one is free they will let you have it > despite not needing it as such. > > The private rooms are for private patients, you > are not able to pay for them. To have one of these > rooms you have to pay privately for your csection. > > > I was on a ward which was fine, far better than I > expected although I did make sure I only spent one > night there. My partner didn't stay but the staff > were fantastic, couldn't fault them. Yes, though even paying doesn't guarantee a room - or so my midwife friends tells me. If all the rooms are needed by women with greater need (poorly Mums, poorly babies or multiples) then a private patient could well find themselves on the ward with everyone else!

We've reported every theft we've had this year (and we've had several big ones now) I'm afraid the police response has been completely underwhelming, verging on the unhelpful. Sadly our experience of crime and the response to it this year has left Mr S & I feeling very skeptical about how much the police actually do to follow up any crime that doesn't involve guns or knives in our borough.