Saffron

Agreed, it's probably not the nappies. It's probably a coincidence with the weather. Change the nappy brand if you're worried, but really it sounds like you need to see a doctor asap. If she's screaming and scratching at her genitals, you need to see a GP today if possible! Call NHS direct for more advice: 0845 4647 http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/About/CallingNHSDirect

I did offer to take her out in the buggy to run some errands which need doing anyway. I even tried to tempt her with the offer of crisps from the shop, but once she'd settled into W&G, she didn't want to go out. It's probably best that she (sort of) rested today. The cut foot was simultaneously accompanied yesterday by a fall off some play equipment. I imagine she's feeling a bit bruised and battered today. I'm wondering if by tomorrow I could at least get her into a little house shoe, like a soft leather slipper? Then I could take her for some indoor activities like Horniman. Anywhere localish selling toddler slippers? She's a 7.5/8 shoe size.

My daughter cut the bottom of her foot yesterday, prompting a short trip to the children's emergency dept of Lewisham hospital. They cleaned it and steritripped it, no stitches. However, they said don't get her foot wet for 5 days! She can't wear shoes over it, so no trips to the playground etc. She's supposed to be staying off of it until tomorrow. Well, try telling a 2 yo to sit down all day! So far we've managed puzzles, sewing, and sockpuppets before resorting to an afternoon of Wallace & Gromit on DVD. How can I waterproof her foot, so we can at least go in our own garden? Or do we just have to tough it out for the next 4 days? I'm thinking of putting a nappy sack over her foot, then putting on a thick sock with a hair elastic at the ankle. Anyone else housebound with toddler in this glorious weather?

I'm hoping someone will adapt the kangaroo digestive model to farty husbands.

You mean don't fart, I think? They certainly would be able to expel gas, were it produced. They don't appear to produce methane like cows b/c their intestinal fauna is different. http://www.greenlivingtips.com/blogs/109/Kangaroos-dont-fart.html

Top Shop always has a "casuals" line every season too, and I don't think they're anymore expensive than any other teen clothing shops (eg, Boden). I think when I was 14 my mother would have preferred me to shop somewhere more sensible (her idea of sensible, not mine). That just made me want to shop at fun places even more (my idea of fun, not hers!). In retrospect, all the time we spent arguing about clothes was ridiculous, and I shall try not to do that with my own daughter. (Someone please remind me of this in 10 years time... though I suspect she'll be really sensible, I'll be the embarassing mutton dressed as lamb.) That being said, I think jewellery can be a timeless gift. I have --and wear-- some very nice jewellery I was gifted as a teen. I don't have any of the clothes I wore as a teen! Stuff to do is nice too. It makes good memories. I remember the first manicure I ever had. My aunt took me to her local salon when I was 12 years old. It made me feel really special, and it helped break a long-standing nail biting habit I had.

Snopes and others say seagulls do not explode from bicarbonate/calcium carbonate etc. I agree. I think anyone who was paying attention in anatomy and physiology would as well. The theory that when gas pressure exceeds muscle strength, then the muscular closure will be opened by the presseure, must surely be true for the esophageal sphincter as well. The fact that rats and many other animals inc horses don't vomit is not related to this. Vomitting is an active reflex; whereas, gaseous escape is an involuntary release. In addition although horses don't actively vomit, the accidental ingestion of too much of the wrong type of feed will cause distention of the horse's relatively small stomach (most digestion takes place in the large hindgut through fermentation), leading to stomach fluids being involuntarily exuded through the nostrils. This is a vetinary emergency requiring immediate supervision. I haven't seen this in rats, but I have seen profound bloat in mice, which also cannot vomit. In the case of bloat, a dysregulation of digestion has occured most likely in the hindgut due to illness. The gas pressure is trapped between the many internal valves of the digestive tract and cannot escape rapidly enough to relieve the bloat. In a larger animal you would be able to surgically release the gas. Sadly in mice you're best to euthanise them in this case.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2002/oct/13/featuresreview.review

If he actively resigns his job, his JSA will be affected. You can still claim a lesser form of JSA if you resign, but only after some delay. Maybe he should check with the Job Centre?

Too old??? Or do you mean risque/inappropriate? Top Shop has lots of nice casual stuff that would be fine for teens as far as I can tell. Bright pink jeans and fluro yellow gladiator sandals... what's not to love? But just in case... Are you buying for your own child, or a friend? Maybe check with the parents first, in case their tastes run to the slightly quieter style for their child. What about jewellery? Lots of nice shops for bijou on LL. There's an Accessorize in Lewisham too. Or if she's the sporty type, a voucher for the cycle shop? Or vouchers for a manicure/pedicure? Lots of nice salons in the area.

The vet on Barry Road seems to be very highly rated on the Forum. There is a petshop on North Cross Road, where the owner/manager is very knowledgable. They sell everything from hairball remedy to scratching posts. You can also check the big Sainos or similar for good deals on food, toys etc. If there's somewhere you don't want your cat to scratch, put double sided tape over that area for a while, and in the meantime be sure to offer lots of other places to scratch like a carpeted post or natural wood. Also, it's ok to trim their nails a little. Ask your vet to show you how. Feliway spray or plug-ins are very good if your cat becomes stressed. Ask your vet if you can't find them, but I got ours online. Advocate drip does fleas/ticks/worms without having to give tablets. Soooo worth the cost. Try to discipline your cat by removing it from the source of disturbance, or clapping loundly and say NO. Hitting cats makes them fearful and likely to become the kind of pets that lash out with claws and teeth. A squirt a water is also a good deterent and doesn't hurt at all. Make lots of cozy places for kitty to sleep, then expect to find her (a) in a carboard box or (b) in your drawer of best silks. Never ever leave your tumble drier open. It seems warm and inviting, but it's a terrible place for kitty to sleep. I don't think this one needs anymore explanation! Cats should not have alliums (onions/garlic/chives/etc) in any form. These interfere with cats' red blood cell metabolism and can be fatal in large or repeated doses. One of my cats likes milk but is allergic (projectile vomits!) to cows' milk. She's fine with a little goats' milk. Because the drive for thirst and hunger is different, many cats look for water in a different area than their food. It's worth putting an extra bowl of water somewhere in your house to keep kitty well-hydrated. Cats do dehydrate very easily. If your kitty will go outdoors eventually, he'll need water out there too, somewhere out of the sun (but you probably won't be letting kitty out for a couple weeks anyway). Water should be changed daily, but if you forget sometimes it's not a big deal. Clean accidents of the poo/pee type with biological detergent. Never use ammonia-based cleaners. Some people think the ammonia makes cats more likely to wee there again the future. Always make sure the litter is clean. Sometimes the top looks clean but underneath is wet. Kitty will look for somewhere more inviting to wee if the litter isn't clean... like the pile of clothes you've set aside for the drycleaners. Do you have a cat already picked out? We have kittens. Please PM for adoption details.

Doesn't clash with naptime? Walk not too long? Sounds like fun to me! :)

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1651-2227.1995.tb13596.x/abstract So the authors here appeared to conclude that pethidine-treated mothers should be given plenty of time post-birth to establish breastfeeding w/o staff excessively interfering. Amen to that. The">http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1746-4358-1-25.pdf This paper also suggested that analgesic-treated mothers may need more breastfeeding support, though extensive analgesia during labour does not mean that breastfeeding won't be possible.

Pethidine and diamorphine are both classified as narcaotic analgesics. "Narcoticc" means "yielding somnolence" (sleepiness), while "analgesic" means relieving pain. Both can yield sedation, and both are painkillers, as are all opioid analgesics. Pethidine is a synthetic opioid analogue, while diamorphine is a semisynthtic opium derivative. Pethidine may have more drug-interactions than diamorphine. Before receiving either, medical staff should always be informed about what other medication a patient is receiving. If pain is inhibiting labour and epidural anaesthesia is contraindicated for whatever reason, then a narcotic analgesic may be recommended. Narcotic analgesics are much more potent pain-relievers than NSAIDs like ibuprofen, and do not carry the associated risk of bleeding. It's definitely something you need to discuss in depth with your midwife/consultant if you think there is a valid medical reason that this type of painrelief would be beneficial to you.

reren Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What is the difference between diamorphine and > pethidine? Does diamorphine have a different > impact? I'd have to look this up to be sure, but I believe compared to diamorphine that pethidine has a more rapid onset though also shorter duration of action. And, diamorphine is more potent than pethidine. The effects a patient would feel --"different impact"-- would also depend on what type of labour pain you were experiencing and how much of the drug you were given. Both drugs have the potential for opioid-associated side effects such as N&V.

Much the same here, I'm afraid. Husband can't stand toys everywhere but doesn't often help tidy them. When he does, he just throws everything in one giant toy box w/o putting any of the games or puzzles back together. So, when you want to play with anything, you have to unpack the whole box and hunt down pieces one by one. I have the distinct impression he thinks I'm slow at tidying. To me, it's the differencec between actually cleaning and organising things versus just shoving it all in a bag. The bag+shoving approach is fine once in a while, but I'm dreading what it's going to be like when I go back to work fulltime. Will I still be the only one sorting games and puzzles? I have visions of dumping the whole bag on his side of the bed one evening. Buahahahaha.

That's very discouraging Saila. I'm very sorry to hear that. It sounds like poor aftercare on the part of the staff was a major factor in your infection. Let's hope it doesn't happen that way again. If it does, phone NHS Direct from your hospital bed? Worth tucking the number into your hospital bag? Also, find out what other antibiotics would be available. Some people are more/less prone to thrush with different antibiotics. And since you're had a history of thrush, it might be worth asking for prophylactic treatment against thrush if you must start a course of antibiotics.

Hi Saila- Was there anything which could have interfered with your healing? Poor healing is often associated with increased infection risk. Are/were you diabetic, high blood sugar in pregnancy? Were you taking any meds that could potentially interfere with healing, eg steroids, blood-thinners, aspirin etc? Did the infection occur at or immediately after labour, or in the days following the birth? In other words, do you think poor surgial hygeine/technique was a contributing factor? If none of the above, you may just have been incredibly unlucky. Talk to midwives/GP about the possiility of using sterile wound washes on a tear/stitches. I don't know in particular about perineal wounds, but would washes are sometimes used on other areas to prevent infection. You should have someone look at your stitches frequently too maybe. A nurse might be able to spot the first signs of infection before you're actually feeling any different, given that everything will be a bit sore for a while. Treating an infection early will certainly minimise it more rapidly. xx

I really, really wanted an ante-natal/birth doula. I was out of the country working for most of my pregnancy. When I returned to London and started looking for a local doula (around 6 months pregnant), I actually couldn't find one that met my needs and was available. I think there is a need for good local doulas to assist in birthing, not a nanny-role at all. Don't be put off. My midwives were very supportive of the idea of doulas assisting the birth. They said that doulas are often doings things they would like to do but midwives are simply spread too thinly timewise. xx

Mr Fishy's looking quite well today, so I think I'll hold off adding anything for now. Annoyingly, even though I fixed the filter, there's now a small leak on the back of it. Grrr. It can still run, but I have to leave a towel behind the filter and change it everyday.

Interesting. We have an aloe plant. Can I just squeeze a tiy amount of fresh aloe into his water?

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If you've got time to post on here, you're > obviously not busy enough. Back to the kitchen > with you all! Multitasking here... laptop computer in my kitchen!! ;-)

...and while you're at it, would you mind changing some lightbulbs and taking the rubbish down too.

Aren't any high-earning, 9-5 working blokes going to reply to this thread saying that their long-suffering, stay-at-home partner does everything, and how grateful they are to her?!? C'mon, let's hear the other side of the story!!!

I don't think it's so much that people assume posters in the FR are mothers, as it is that the people who read the original post and thought of pregnancy (or mastitis) are women. From a lady's perspective, you have to admit that pregnancy does spring to mind when you read those symptoms!