Saffron

bluesuperted Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Did you carry little Saff forward facing til 2? > That sounds painful! I don't think I would start > forward facing your little boy at his age and size > midivydale as it would put a lot of strain on your > back and also at his age he should be able to see > everything by turning his head slightly as he'd be > high enough up. It's also not great for > particularly little boys' groin area and genitals > plus there are issues about sleeping in that > position and overstimulation as hard to 'turn off' > from things. I never forward faced my son (so he > never knew any different!) but he was certainly > involved in the world around him from his position > (front carry, facing in) - ahhh feeling nostalgic > for so many conversations with the old ladies of > SE London!! No, not painful with the Wilkinet. The reason I stopped carrying her eventually was mainly because of strength issues associated with my pre-existing back problems, not pain. I then switched her to an Ergo carrier on my back, but she never liked this as much as the forward facing Wilkinet in the front-carry position. The Ergo didn't give me enough support around my torso, and always really hurt my shoulders. Also, it put Little Saff's hips into a "scooped" position that was difficult for her to manage. This may have been because she has a proportionately long back, not sure? Little Saff didn't like the parent-facing position in front-carry slings. She had no problems "switching off", and could even sleep in the front facing position in the Wilkinet. Not a problem at all. She loved that she could see the world from my height and perspective, and she wasn't overstimulated at all. She is very much an extrovert. I actually think she finds the stimulation and interaction to be soothing! (Tough for me as I'm naturally more introverted -- the first of many mother-daughter personality clashes ahead?!) The Wilkinet can give a lot of support around the trunk of the child's body, preventing too much pressure being placed on the crotch, so it shouldn't be a problem for either sex. But of course, what worked for us might not work for someone else. Every parent-child dyad is different when it comes to slings, and that's why it's great to try a few different ones. I even used different slings for different tasks. The Hip Hammock was very useful for short carries, like down to the local shop or in train stations between platforms, because it was very easy to get Little Saff in/out quickly. But if I wanted a longer walk, it just didn't offer enough support. DH never managed to get the hang of the Wilkinet. He did better with the Ergo. His shoulders are broader and his back is much, much longer than mine. Possibly because of that, Little Saff rode better in the Ergo with him than me. The child's "seat" and relative position in the sling are also affected by the parent's body type and centre of gravity. So the sling that works for one parent may not be great for the other. The only way to know is to try! Happy slingdays :)

I loved the Wilikinet sling for front carrying. And my daughter loved it because she could be forward facing. (Not all front carriers will let your LO sit forward facing.) The straps can seem a bit fiddly, but they allowed me to make a more secure adjustment and distribution of my daughter's weight than clip/buckle style carriers like the baby bjorn or ergo slings. I was carrying her until she was nearly 2 years old. I only stopped because she was a very large 2-yo, and I have a pre-existing back problem. Why not advertise for a pre-owned sling in Forum family classifieds sections? You could probably find a few different styles at a fraction of the cost. I had 5 slings over the course of Little Saff's baby/toddlerhood. All were good for different things at different times. Only one of them was bought new! (And I resold them all on the Forum!!)

Beagle, I was pregnant during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, when the flu vaccine for pregnant women was being widely offered and encouraged. I chose not to take the immunisation at that time for several reasons. At the time the H1N1-imm was a newly formulated vaccine without a lot data in pregnancy. It is widely accepted that there is altered immunity in pregnancy, and immunising pregnant women is a complex biological issue. And, at the time, it was still being disputed whether 1 or 2 injections was necessary for full effect (since shown only 1 is needed). I was wary of having to accept 2 injections of a newly formulated imm without much pregnancy data behind it. Also, I was not living in an area greatly affected by H1N1 or influenza in general. I was in Switzerland for the first 6 months of my pregnancy. Switzerland was not greatly affected by the 2009 H1N1 outbreak. If this was because of better hygeine or better vaccine uptake I don't know. However, had I fallen ill, the speed and quality of medical care available would have been second to none. By the time I moved to London in the mid-autumn of 2009, the H1N1 pandemic had already begun to decline. I was not working or mixing with people in hospital or clinical environments, and I was not frequently communting to central areas of London during my pregnancy. However, if I were to be pregnant again now, I would take the flu vaccine, for several reasons. I'm living in London, commuting centrally almost daily, and mixing frequently with people who have been in hospital or clinical environments where I could be more likely to be exposed to the flu virus. While infection with influenza in pregnanct women is not common, when pregnant women do become infected, the outcome can be profoundly bad. Influenza in pregnancy is more likely to lead to severe respiratory complications. Influenza in pregnancy can also be detrimental to the foetus. For the 2009 H1N1 outbreak in the UK, pregnant women made up a disproportionately large number of the total cases of individuals hospitalised for infection with complications. Because of these facts, and also because there is a lot more data on influenza immunisation in pregnancy now compared to 2009, I would feel that the small risk possible in taking the flu vaccine would far outweigh the risks involved with infection. So, personally, YES, I would feel confident having a flu vaccine in pregnancy now. Whooping cough imms, I couldn't say Yes or No, because it wasn't available when I was pregnant. I had the impression that this vaccine has been well-researched over a number of years. A 2007 article in the The Lancet: Infectious Diseases reached the following conclusion: I would be inclined to take this vaccine were I pregnant, but I would probably feel more secure leaving some time between this and flu vacc. I wouldn't want the two imms on top of each other. That's just my personal take. You'll obviously want to talk it all through with your medical team. xx

Great Ormond Street Hospital? http://www.gosh.org/gen/donate/

While the Aha article was interesting and useful, I don't agree with everything it says, and I felt like it had an unnecessarily antimedia undertone. The argument of age-appropriate viewing aside, the very reason we as parents --as people-- are touched so deeply by distant tragedies has less to do with our relationship with news media than it does to do directly with our humanity. Rather than trying to lull ourselves and our children into a sheltered sense of safety by switching off the news or not talking about it, why not actively do something to support the people who are struggling? And help your children (if they're old enough), to be part of that, like making a donation together online, or even volunteering somewhere locally. The idea that we can soothe our children's fears over other people's tragedies by reassuring our children that we ourselves are safe is a bit twisted. While it sounds nice at first, it is actually a bit like saying Let's not acknowledge other people's starvation, because we ourselves know there will always be plenty of food on our table. I believe that children, even young children, are savvy to this kind of artificial platitude. Personally, while I wouldn't force children to watch or talk about something upsetting like a public tragedy, I wouldn't hide it from them either (within reason, let's not be hyperbolic about it). And the Aha article's statement that children under 13 yo should not have the telelvision/radio on when there has been a public tragedy is actually ludicrous. Knowledge of tragedy is not what traumatises. It's inability/failure to take action in the face of tragedy that leads to feelings of trauma. Pengui, as your child is quite young, your wait-and-see approach sounds quite sensible. However, as you child grows maybe it's how you use your own strength of identity in discussing tragedies with your child that will help him develop a strength of identity too, and a deep sense of connection with humanity on a global and cross-cultural level? xx

Sorry you had a bad experience, leecass. It's never nice to hear that anyone was upset, even though it's now apparent from other posters that that wasn't the intention. I mostly avoided drop-in groups for many of the reasons you listed. It can be upsetting to be turned away if the groups are full, and sometimes groups have irregular events of which non-regular users are unaware. Also sometimes it's harder to make consistent friendships when groups have transient make-ups. If you want to have another try at some different drop-in groups, there are many others in the areas. You just have to search for them. Many are listed in old posts on the Forum. Also, look a little further afield than ED. The Crystal Palace 1o'clock club is wonderful, and it's not very far by bus from ED and surround. I've always found the staff there very friendly and welcoming, and it's not expensive just a few ?s. The coffees are nice, not expensive. They have snacks for sale. It's very clean, with lots of toys and books. There's always an interesting mix of people there too. Think again about joining a sessional playgroup too, maybe? They're not all money-making rackets. We loved Baby Sensory when my daughter was under-1 yo. It was a pity no one was hosting the Toddler Sense groups in the area when she outgrew Baby Sensory. After trying a few Toddler groups, Boppin' Bunnies was by far my favourite and my daughter's favourite too. http://boppinbunnies.co.uk/Boppin_Bunnies_Site/Boppin_Bunnies_Home.html You might also like Tea Dance for Little People, a social enterprise focused on providing creative play to families with young children. They have several winter events at various locations, not expensive but you need to book in advance: http://www.tdlp.co.uk/ . Try not to be disheartened. Hope you find a group to suit you and your LO. We're in Brockley (SE4) just off Hilly Fields park, you're always welcome to have a playdate with us sometime. xx

At this age with Little Saff, I used lots of distraction and daytime activities to cut down on breastfeeding during the day, eg trips to CP 1o'clock club, Horniman Museum, Southbank/Royal Festival Hall/Tate Modern, swimming, Boppin Bunnies... Maybe try to cut down in the first half of the day, then tackle afternoons gradually? How much milk your child needs will depend on what other sources of calcium and nutrients are in her diet, as well as how big she is and how fast she's growing. Between about 18-24 oz is pretty common for milk intake, but of course some children drink no milk while others have far more. There's no right or wrong. You need to strike a balance that works for your child. Also remember that even if your child is drinking only very little breastmilk, the calcium in breastmilk is very easily absorbed (highly "bioavailable"). So even a small amount of breastmilk is a good source of calcium. xx

amyt Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As others have said, this is a topic where > individual experiences vary quite a lot. The good > thing about NuvaRing is it's easy to stop, so it's > certainly worth a try if you're interested. > > But for what it's worth, I bloody hated that > thing. Maybe I never learned to insert it > correctly, because it was _always_ slipping and > poking out so that I could feel it. I think I > ended up shoving it back in just about every time > I visited the loo. > Yes that sounds like the insertion or fitting wasn't correct. Have you ever been told that you have a tilted uterus? In most women the uterus tilts slightly forward, but in some women it sits more upright or even tilted slightly backwards. These are variations on normal, which can cause the cervix to project at slightly different angles. My friend had a lot of trouble being fitted for a diaphragm because her uterus was very tilted. I think she ended up with a specially fitted cervical cap instead. I can imagine this might affect some women using NuvaRing as well. And vice versa: Anyone having trouble with diaphragms might find NuvaRing tricky too. I could only have my NuvaRing out for about 20min a couple times a months. Otherwise, I got breakthrough bleeding (but I'm prone to breakthrough bleeding on hormones anyway.)

I had a baby 2-years into a my PhD. I spent two years writing my thesis (part time, unpaid but with full access to university fascilities). Then my department helped me to apply for grants, so that they could take me back as a fulltime postdoctoral fellow. It's essentially an extension of the work I was doing as a postgraduate, plus lecturing. My tutor (who is also head of dept) was hugely supportive of my pregnancy and maternity leave, and very keen to have me back as fulltime staff. In fact there have been a few postgrads before me in the same position, and another recently graduated PhD from our group has just had a baby. There are so many bright and talented women in higher education now, it's a fact of life that many of them are going to have children. It's to the department's advantage in the longterm to support them. (My department has been very supportive of the fathers too.)

When you're looking at Montessori nurseries, check to see if they are certified by either of the recognised UK Montessori bodies. The name "Montessori" is not trademarked. Hence any nursery can call itself Montessori, but that doesn't mean it has been certified. See here for more info: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,924530,924530#msg-924530 .

Lochie, it might be worth asking how long your doctor would want you to have a coil before taking it out, if you decided it wasn't for you. My doctor had suggested that she would want me to give the coil no less than an 6 month trial. At the time, and considering the historial problems I had had with oral contraceptives, I didn't think I could take 6 months of something that didn't suit me. So, I opted for the plain copper coil. Different doctors might have different opinions on what the minimun time for a new coil would be, depending on the coil type and the patient's history. However, in general, doctors are reluctant to take coild in/out without good reasons, as the procedure can irritate surrounding tissues.

Check the babygamer.com for Toddler Games, then particularly look at Fungooms. http://www.babygamer.com/online_games/free/toddler/toddler_games.htm My daughter really enjoys these. Once she understands how each game works, she can play it by herself. We have to severely limit screen time though, as she can go a bit bonkers with it. Fisher-Price online also has some good toddler games.

jennyh Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My toddler had a nasty reoccuring eye infection > around 1 year old and you have my sympathies. The > way we managed to do it was to make a fun game out > of it, there was no pinning her down as we quickly > realised she hated that. Ugh, no, being pinned down sounds awful (even my cat would hate that!). > Instead I had to have a > go, as did her dad, the dolly had a drop and then > we got very excited and made lots of whoooing > noises as she had a drop. Often it didn't really > go in but my mother in law (a GP) said that as > long as some got in it would do some good. Funny enough, our vet said the same thing about Kitty's eyedrops. > > Also keep wiping with slightly salted boiled water > and cotton wool, that can provide some relief if > their eyes are itchy and gloopy. > Sainsbury's sells a soft rubbery type of baby sponge that my daughter loves to rub her eyes with in the bath. I tried it, and it's lovely. A really soothing texture... I'll try to look up which one it is. And also just to say, for anyone who's still b/fing, I've heard that you can use breastmilk in the eyes because of its high antibody content (though I never tried this myself -- would love to know if it really works).

As far as I'm familiar with the Montessori style, it's actually quite flexible, and I would not say that "no toys" and "no dressing up" were part of Montessori. In fact I would be quite disappointed with any Montessori that did not encourage learning through play in all its forms. No wonder your son didn't like it.

Never had to give eyedrops to my toddler, but I have had to give them to my cat! Make sure the drops are at body temperature. A cold drop in the eye can be really unpleasant. I put Kitty's eyedrops in my bra (pocket would also work, but don't sit on them!) for a few minutes before dosing her. Then Hubbie and I double-teamed her to get it over quickly, with one of us holding her snuggly and the other giving the drops. Then lots of treats and cuddles. I would do the same if it were my child. Have you tried the drops on yourself? If they really sting your eyes, they will sting your LO's eyes too. Ask for a different formulation if that's the case, but hopefully they've taken that into account for paediatric drops. No one in our house has been well since mid-October. As soon as someone is well, someone else is sick (including the pets). Lots of sympathy to you. xx

http://www.box4blox.com/lego-storage-united-kingdom/

Was it this one? http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,775532,775532#msg-775532

I guess when you stop and think about it, it isn't totally about religion anyway. It's about someone interfering with your authority as matron/head of the house. The problem is how to divert your children away from the unsolicited advice, and reassert your authority. No easy solutions?

Strawbs, glad to hear that your LO is over the worst of it. If there are any spots that look particularly bad or are in areas prone to being bumped or scraped, try using the tiniest sized Scholl's blister plaster on them while they heal. xx

StraferJack Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > some background here strawbs: > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8557236.stm > So the JCVI isn't bothering with varicella vaccine, because MMR rates are still low due to the Wakefield scare. What utter unscientific bollocks. They're as big a bunch of idiots as Wakefield. (In the meantime, the shingles vaccine is being recommended for anyone 70+, but the UK Support Society is pressing for this to be lowered to 50.)

Hmm, will see if I can find a different link. The information should be freely accessible. How about here: http://www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk/research/apply-for-funding/ . See link at "Research Grants: The 2013 Research Project Grant round is now OPEN," and other funding initiatives as listed. Research grants: WellBeing of Women, GB Closing Date: 04 Feb 13 WellBeing is the research arm of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. It funds medical and scientific research in hospitals and universities all over Britain into all matters of women's health, as well as the health of newborn babies. Research projects falls into three main categories: pregnancy, women's cancer and quality of life issues. WellBeing of Women invites applications for its research grants. Applications are welcome for projects in basic science, clinical or translational research in the areas of pregnancy and childbirth, including pre-term birth, miscarriage and fertility, quality of life issues such as menopause, incontinence and prolapse, sexual health, menstrual disorders and endometriosis and gynaecological cancers. Up to ?200,000 is available over a period of two to three years. Research must be undertaken in the UK or Eire. Closing date 04 Feb 13 Deadline information: Applications due by 3pm. This call is repeated once a year. Date added 27 Nov 12 Award type Directed grants for individual investigators; Directed grants to institutions, research groups etc Award amount max ?200,000.

Oh dear! Something gone haywire with my clipboard?! Here's the link for NuvaRing: http://www.nuvaring.co.uk/ (and edited above as well). The thing about NuvaRing compared to the Mirena, is that Nuvaring is easily removable. If you started with the copper coil and had heavy periods, then you could always give NuvaRing a try with your copper coil to moderate your cycles. If you start with the Mirena and the hormones don't suit you, then you have to face having the coil out which is a bit unpleasant.

Yes, Cyberia, when you put it like that, it sounds a bit glum. Personally, I was interpreting Otta's context as meaning mothers that have no choice but to formula feed because breast feeding has not worked out for a legitimate reason, whatever that reason may be (not including incompetent advice and misleading information).

Gidget Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Saffron > Will tell my friend what you said about the > genetic link possibility. > > I didn't know that there was a shingles vaccine. > Is it routinely given? Your mother was given it > because your dad's bout could have set her off? My parents are retired and live in the States. It was suggested by her GP because she has post-menopausal asthma and a history of pneumonia. The GP didn't want shingles to bring up any lung complications for her. On his recommendation, their private medical insurance paid for the shingles vaccine. It is a common vaccine in the States, recommended by the CDC for anyone 60 and over. I understand it's covered by many private insurers as well as some Medicare (government subsidised) plans.

Gidget Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Saffron, > Is chickenpox worse than shingles? I have heard > of people getting shingles near their eyes and all > over their face and that it can be very painful > and I presume dangerous. > That isn't an easy statement to qualify because the progression of either can be affected by age, general health, or other issues, such as access to information about treatment and availability of medications. Suffice it to say that neither are pleasant! My father had shingles about 10 years ago and was rapidly and successfully treated with antiviral drugs. I think these are more widely available now than was the case many years ago. After my father's bout of shingles, my mother was given the shingles vaccine. > And, I have a friend who had chickenpox twice, > once as a child and then again as an adult. She > had it everywhere as an adult and had to take 3 > weeks off work. There is thought to be a genetic link among some people who have repeated episodes of chicken pox. She could pass this trait to her children. If she wants to have her children vaccinated, she could perhaps ask her NHS GP to do it on the grounds that her children are at an increased risk of multiple infections. Just a thought. xx