Saffron

Strawbs Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It's not on his eyeball but it's in the very > corner of his eye in the crease near his nose - > does that make sense? X I would actually try to speak to NHS Direct if you cannot be seen by a GP. (All of the herpes-type viruses have the potential to be very damaging to the eye and its membranes including causing 2ndry infections, this includes both CP and its re-emergence as shingles as well as HSV.) It would be far, far better to be seen by someone sooner and told that it doesn't pose a threat, than to have to have additional treatment to the eye later, no? Also, speaking personally as someone who has facial scars from chicken pox, the idea that you can just give it a few weeks and you'll never know the spots were there, is sadly not strictly true. Miss_indigo's suggestion of keeping spots moisturised is very good, IMO. When the spots dry out, they can develop tiny cracks which makes healing more difficult. Moist healing is better and will lead to less scarring. xx

I have a plain copper coil. I wanted to avoid hormones for a variety of reasons, due to past experiences. But just prior to having my first coil fitted I was successfully using NuvaRing for contraception. This is a local hormonal contraceptive in the form of a vaginal ring... The website does a better job of describing it: http://www.nuvaring.co.uk/ . You could opt for a combination of copper coil, and give NuvaRing a try if your periods are heavy. If you historically have problems with systemic/oral contraceptives, then maybe NuvaRing would be better tolerated. The reason I stopped using NuvaRing and opted for a coil was only b/c I wanted longer-lasting contraceptive.

I don't disagree about the statistics, but if yours is the 1 in 40,000 that's presenting with severe complications, then the stats don't matter! (Seriously, people play the lottery on a much bigger stats gap!!) And many people are not aware of what the complications can be. It mis-informs parents to say that varicella is a mild illness, without letting people know that it can have serious complications. The fact that it's not on par --in some people's opinions-- with other childhood diseases, does not mean that it isn't a serious illness. Indeed many western countries now do put it on par with other serious diseases of childhood in so far as they routinely immunise children for chickenpox. I think it's very wrong to downplay varicella infection. I know someone who was treated for complications to the eye following varicella. And I know someone whose baby died of varicella. Wasn't a mild illness for them, was it? Hmmm. Parents should be aware of what the complications are, so that they can recognise the symptoms in their own children on the slim but horrible chance that their child might present with complications. xx

There's also the alternative approach, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em... In this scenario, the response would be something like, "And if Grandmother doesn't but out, nice things won't happen to her either." This needs to be said with complete and utter authority, a smile on the lips and a very cold look in the eye, where the other adult can see but the child can't. (And on that same tip, perhaps the next time my MIL starts offering everyone smacks, I shall offer to box her ears ;-) )

Pickle Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Just looking for opinions really. > > The situation - I am an atheist, and our children, > while exposed very slightly to religion at school > (not a church school, so they learn a bit about > all different faiths due to the different > festivals etc) are being raised agnostic (is that > the right term? I don't actively tell them not to > believe, but don't purposely expose them to > religious teachings). If, when they are old > enough, they chose to embrace religion that's > fine, but I don't want it pushed upon them. > I think that's just called being educated and open-minded! :) > My in-laws are currently staying (that's a whole > other issue!), and MIL is very religious. She has > spent all weekend so far reading the children > quite hard-core bible stories, quoting the bible, > and to top it off has at bedtime told my oldest > son that if he doesn't believe in God "nice things > won't happen". > Yup, them's fightin' words where I come from... but seriously, my solution for scenarios like this has generally been to address the correction directly to my child, rather than to the adult. In this case, I'd say to my child something like, "Well, that's not strictly true. Nice things happen to lots of people who don't believe in god or who believe in other gods. The main thing is that you do nice things to other people." For this to work you have to have a very kind and authoritative tone of voice, think Reception class teacher voice, and smile a lot at the child and the other adult. Basically, your tone of voice needs to sound like you're mothering both your child and the other adult, firm but kind. Then QUICKLY change the subject! You can talk to the other adult about it later if you need to do so, then they don't feel 'told off' in front of the child. It's not religion that's the issue with my MIL, it's talk of smaking people and telling people to shut-up. My MIL is constant saying things like, "Do you want a smack?" And, "Oh shut-up." She doesn't say these in an unkindly way, and to be fair she's just as likely to offer a smack to my husband or the green grocer! And she never actually hits anyone. It's just really bad bahavioural modelling in my book.

Oh no, that sounds awful for your LO. Yes, definitely see what the GP has to say. xx

Medically and ethically, I personally find it a bit of a slippery slope that any mother would feel pressured to change her bfing relationship with an infant by adding formula or expressing milk (some women are not brilliant at expressing milk; it's not as easy as it sounds for everyone!) just to accomodate the father. Seriously, there's a heap of other stuff that dads can help with to be included and bond with the baby. Possibly one of the most important things that a dad can do, IMHO, is fully to support the mum when Baby is very small. How about making tea/meal for the mother while she feeds the baby? Feed the mother to feed the baby. Also, burping, rocking, strolling with the pram, changing nappies, washing Baby's clothes, cleaning soothers and toys, making Baby's bed, and playing games with Baby. Check out Jackie Silberg's lovely book, "Games to Play with Babies" http://www.amazon.com/Games-Play-Babies-Jackie-Silberg/dp/0876592558 . I think I still have a copy of this, if anyone would like to buy/borrow it. xx

http://www.researchprofessional.com/funding/opportunity/252252?__mhid=41515766

Two other things to be aware of with varicella virus: 1) The viral blisters can become infected with bacteria, which needs specific antibiotic treatment http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Chickenpox/Pages/Complications.aspx . 2) Varicella infection in previously healthy children can lead to pneumonia or encephalitis http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/969773-overview I wish the NHS would stop referring to varicella as a mild illness. It's really not on par with the common cold or conjunctivitis.

Also, just to add, if anyone has a child that has been recently exposed, you can have them vaccinated within a few days of exposure to minimize the risk of them developing fullblown chicken pox. xx

Strawbs Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Poor baby strawbs has picked up chickenpox.. > Whilst I'm glad in a way he has it now at 13 > months rather than as an older boy, it's > heartbreaking to watch! We go through moments of > hysterical crying.. He has spots everywhere > including his mouth, eyes and genital area > including his anus.. I'm using vira soothe and > Eurax cream which are good.. I'm doing bi carb > soda baths which seem to really relieve his > issues.. Tried calamine for the first day but it > really didn't do much albeit he enjoys getting it > applied.. > > Anything else I could be doing? I'm also using > piriton to help with the itching and nurofen to > control the temp.. > > First spots appeared Thursday, how many more days > of hell is he set to face? > > His nursery had an outbreak of cp and his gp and > chemist said they've seem loads of cases over the > past 5 weeks.. > > X Near his eyes, or on his eye itself? Chicken pox on the eyeball can lead to serious complications including blindness. If you haven't already, you need to speak to NHS direct and probably been seen by a specialist asap. xx

If it's viral, you're unlikely to get any specific treatment from the drs. However, if there is a 2ndry bacterial infection, you might argue for some antibitics, although my experience has been that they are unlikely to treat bacterial sinusitis with antibiotics unless (i) the infection is quite profound and/or (ii) the infection becomes prolonged or recurrent. If there are suspected allergies at play, your GP might prescribe an antihistamine. Or, if the congestion in the sinus is severe, your LO might be old enough for a decongestant. Did you check with the pharmacist for a children's decongestant? There might be an over-the-counter one for children, but I can't remember what the lower age limit is for non-prescription. Some GPs are more sympathetics to this than others, but it's always worth a check with the drs if you're worried. xx

Interesting... http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/42117

Fmm, I'll be following your thread with interest. I'm happy with one child, but DH would possibly like another. If I would even consider it, we'd have a gap of 7-10 years.

Thanks, EGL, I will mention it to him. The champix was very effective for quitting physically, but it's a psychological relapse at this point. Getting over the physical addiction wasn't so hard for him it seems. It's falling back into old habits that seems to be most troublesome.

So, just when I thought we'd turned a corner at 6 months, DH has started smoking again, complete with nicotine-induced mood swings and denial. Great. I have no idea what to do, and I'm rapidly running out of sympathy. Grrr.

I read this article on MRI of twin pregnancies, and I thought about your thread... http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57556272/video-appears-to-show-twins-fighting-for-space-in-womb/ xx

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20509577 Interesting, check out the formula calculator in the article, or link to it here: http://files-good.ibl.fr/childhood-obesity/ (For help with BMI and other conversions for weight and height: http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ and http://onlineconversion.com/ ) While it's tempting to brush this off as being a bit "academic" (ie not applying to the real world), researchers somewhat surprisingly found that genetics played less of a role that previoulsy thought and that predictability from the formula was around 80%.

Five months old is a little young for controlled crying. Dr Christopher Green, the originator of the modern controlled crying method, only researched this method down to 6 months old. There should be other techniques that are "gentle" variations on this that would be appropriate, if that's the path you want to take. If you're not happy with Millpond, just tell them. It's your money. Ask for a different advisor. Ask for other explanations. Did you contact Nicola Watson on the Forum? I haven't used her, but her sleep seminars are very popular with other Forumites. Lots of sympathy for you. Little Saff is a rubbish sleeper. CC/CIO was a no go for us for many reasons, mainly b/c it's not recommended for children with nighttime separation anxiety, and also anything that vaguely resembled CC/CIO had hideous knock-on effect on her daytime behaviour. I went back to cosleeping instead. Hope you find something that works for you. xx

Some children have really sensitive skin. At home you may change nappies immediately, but at nursery it may take them a few minutes to figure out who has the smelly bottom! Just those couple of minutes might make a difference, especially if combined with dietary changes. What nappy cream are you using? Could you switch to a heavier barrier cream or a combination of creams, and have nursery staff reapply the barrier cream every time your LO's nappy is changed (even for wet nappies too)?

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Saffron, I don't know exactly where you are > thinking of, but I'd avoid the part of lower > Sydenham near Lower Sydenham station and the big > Sainsbury's (borders of Catford). It's a bit bleak > down there. No, more like borders of Forest Hill. Agreed, Catford in general tends to be a bit bleak. Sad really, b/c a lot of the actual houses themselves are nice, if you don't mind the heroin addicts on the street corners. :(

A short and interesting study on outcomes for Montessori students: http://www.themontessorischool.org/classroom/uploads/files/the_early_yeards-evaluating_montessori_education-82809.pdf So, after thinking I had won over Mr Saff, he's balked. He says private education will be too expensive, and that state school is good enough. True, it won't be cheap. And, I don't disagree that there are some good state schools out there, but I don't believe Little Saff will be well-suited to a standard style education. And I do believe she'll benefit from the more open, free-styled environment of Montessori. Sure it won't be the worst thing ever if she goes to a local state school. I guess I just feel like if we have the opportunity to offer her something different (in my opinion, better) then we ought to take it.

We had a bulk collection from Lewisham last year, no charge. P4 bus from Brockley rise runs to Horniman end of LL. 484 runs through Brockley, Nunhead, then P Rye and up to north end of LL. And the 122 will take you from Brockley to Crystal Palace. Brockley cross and Honor Oak Park can be bottlenecks for traffic at busy times of day. (But as much as we love the Brockley area, Hubbie and I have talked about moving a little further out to Lower Sydenham or Clock House. For about the same rent, we could have a bigger garden. Still undecided.)

We're in Brockley too... it's a bit like a shabby ED (I mean that in a nice way!). Hilly Fields in Brockley is a great park. Ladywell Fields park is also lovely and nearby, as is Telegraph Hill park. Brockley is now catching (and benefitting from) the overspill from Nunhead which caught the overspill from ED and Dulwich Village. We're within walking/cycling distance of Wellbeloved butchers in Deptford, the Broca alternative food shop near Brockley Station, lots of nice cafes like Brockley Mess or Pistachios, an excellent fish and chip shop (Brockley Rock), Wavelengths pool in Deptford or the new pools in Forest Hill, lots of stuff happening for children in the area too like local Baby Sensory classes and Boppin Bunnies.

So... the open day was nice. The primary school is very new, but the nursery has been going for a while. I was initially thinking we'd move Little Saff when she was ready for Reception year, but I think we're going to make an application for her to start the nursery in next autumn for a year before Reception. Some drawbacks... the school is new, so it's still finding its feet. It will take a leap of faith for some people to trust in the Montessori method. Children have to bring packed lunches, as there are no hot meals. Your children need to have attended a montessori nursery, and parents need be able to make a long term committment to the school in order to be at the top of the waiting list. Nevertheless, the staff were very friendly, knowledgable, and most importantly passionate about the Montessori method.