greeners

Hi, looking for recommendations for somewhere to buy affordable carpets and a fitter. Also any advice on good carpet for a young family, probably just carpeting stairs and upstairs hallway, maybe the bedrooms.

Does anyone have any advice/recommendations for a travel insurance policy for my 12week old baby and I? We're going to Canada for 2 weeks.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

Does anyone know where I can go to get my baby's passport photo done around east dulwich or forest hill? Thanks!

Tess and I are planning to try and meet on Friday for lunch if anyone fancies it, will also post on the Facebook group about it. X

Yes, the cafe is nice although not sure how many buggies it would fit in one go! Also the dish & spoon is very good in Nunhead. I'm up for meeting again soon, still don't have a little one to bring along but I'm hoping anyday now! Ramble and CharDale, hope Arlo and Ottilie are doing well!

Sonners, I'm not quite sure on the engagement thing.. Have read different things on google! Will ask midwife next time! Thanks for the dates info, bluesuperted! Adding them to shopping list... Xx

Yes will keep you posted, Ramble! I'm not an NCT member so don't get the emails but the meet ups get posted on the forest hill NCT website and non-members are welcome - I just need to remember to check it! Actually there seems to be tons of groups on there for when baby arrives too so I'll send you a link. I say every day that I'm going swimming tomorrow... Have you been to the new forest hill pool yet? It's great and the lanes were almost empty when I went on a saturday! If I get up early enough I might try to go although I also need to turn up at my new GP first thing in the morning to try and get a new patient appointment. Not sure about baby's position, the midwife said she'd like it a bit more bum forward than so much to the side and told me to get on all fours and not slouch! I've been trying hard to sit knees lower than hips and on my yoga blocks. Hope yours has turned from back To back! Xx

Chardale and ramble, I'm holding out for some Christmas babies in this group! You never know... I'm getting more braxton hicks but they're the same as before really, not any more intense. Apparently baby is 3/5 engaged but I'm not sure that means much. Also is back to side, so back is facing my left side and limbs my right and lots of bum shuffling going on - here's hoping they swivel round soon. I keep meaning to go swimming and give baby a nice hammock to get into! I've been told about the dates too and I'm starting raspberry leaf capsules tomorrow (37 wks!). Curry and games night is planned for new years eve... I hadn't even thought about new years eve until a few days ago! Ramble, did you know about the NCT forest hill bump social tonight? It's at tapatisserie from 8 on honor oak park. We may not make it unfortunately as hubby working late.

Hi Raquel, yes it is still alive but lots have migrated over to the Facebook group Winter Club 2012/2013! Come and join us there if you like. A meet up is planned at the Plough on 27th December. X

Thanks for the answers ladies. I am with kings so not sure if I would fall under the lewisham criteria but I was definitely not offered the GTT due to PCOS as a risk factor. I've been asking about it on an online forum for Pcos and it just seems that the policy about PCOS as a risk factor for GD just differs in different PCTs or even with different consultants (although I'm not consultant led anyway) and that also it might be confounded by the fact that lots of PCOS is accompanied by a high BMI which would be another reason to have a GTT. Not sure if, due to my PCOS I should have pushed for it more at the time, but I have not been showing any other symptoms/markers and baby size has been on track all the way through so hopefully all fine with 3 weeks to go! Perhaps I'll be more aware of it and ask more questions if I'm ever pregnant again.

Hi, just reviving this thread with a quick question about GD - I have no reason to think I have it but out of interest, what is the policy in this PCT for testing for it? All I had was a blood test at my 28wk midwife appt where I was told not to eat anything too sweet beforehand 'like a big mars bar'! I know that in some other PCTs, all women are routinely given the GTT with the sugary drink etc... I know there is a screener to assess your risk (think it is higher BMI, ethnicity, close relative with diabetes, high birth weight baby previously - none of which are relevant to me). The only thing that could possibly be relevant is that I had IVF due to PCOS which can be linked to insulin resistance, but which I don't appear to have based on a Pre-pregnancy blood test.

Gorgeous blogs, ladies! Notesink, I love your dolls. I mainly make jewellery (wedding tiaras and hair accessories) but with my little one's impending arrival in january I'm getting more into sewing for the nursery because I don't think jewellery wire and crystals mix very well with babies. I have a long list of Christmas presents to make and hoping the baby doesn't come too early or I won't have time to make them! Here's my blog, not as comprehensive as either of yours though as I still have several posts to publish of most recent makes. http://quirkylittleone.wordpress.com/

I've also heard that oats in a bath are good for chicken pox. I've been using them regularly to relieve pregnancy itching and dry skin and it works wonders. I just get a pair of little tights socks (as in, socks made of something like 15denier tights material), put half a cup of porridge oats in the toe and knot it up, then put in the bath. If you squash and squelch it around a lovely thick goo comes out that makes the bath all milky and can be rubbed into the skin. There is also a product called aveeno which is an oat-based soap substitute, but the porridge oats in a sock option is much cheaper! Hope your LO recovers soon!

It's not coming up on my search either but will try again from a computer as it can be a bit funny on my iPad!

Sounds great Tess, thank you. I'll PM you my full name in case you need it to set up the Facebook group. Weekend meet up sounds great, although I'm due in early January so it'll be touch and go whether I can make it!! Ramble, not long for you now!

We moved to Honor oak 6 months ago and have never looked back. We say that every time we step out we discover something lovely and new to us. We actually now much prefer it (sorry to say that on edf!) but still are in ED regularly as it is only a short drive. We're about to have baby #1 and amenities, activities & schools all look good. It is a lot more affordable- we simply couldn't have the house we have in HOP in ED.

It was great to meet everyone, I will definitely try to make it to this meet up with my husband.

Phew, saves me thinking about dinner while my hubby is away!

Looking forward to meeting you this evening! Are people planning to have something to eat there? X

I'll definitely be there this time but hubby can't make it! What is the anti d jab for, is it the one to do with your blood group? I had whooping cough and arm is better now but my doctor's surgery still don't have any stocks of the flu jab in! Hope everyone is well - not long to go now. X

Sorry I didn't make it, I had a parents' evening so had to work late and I'm full of cold so I don't want to pass on germs to everyone! No fun being ill when pregnant and unable to take anything for it! x

Magkate, welcome to the thread. I have been attending Sitaram yoga classes which run throughout the week and I think they do an evening class on Wednesday & Thursday at kings and on Sunday at brockwell lido. If you google Sitaram yoga you should be able to find a list of their class times. I go the Saturday morning one as I find it hard to attend evening ones. There are also some classes run by the teachers who used to teach out of the dulwich therapy rooms studios but they've now relocated to a venue off goose green. If you ring the dulwich therapy rooms they should be able to give you contact details for the teachers. I think Push studios also do a class but I may be mistaken and it's Pilates. As for classes, I was dubious about NCT for many reasons but have now decided to go for them. I have heard that ariadne's classes that someone mentioned come recommended and that the NHS parent craft ones are pretty good too, but get booked up. Someone was also advertising an active birth class on the forum the other day, maybe in the classifieds section. I'm in two minds about the flu jab (gearing towards having it - as i'm currently suffering from a horrible cold and cough and realising that it's not much fun when no chemist will sell any over the counter meds to relieve it!) and have booked to have my whooping cough jab in a couple of weeks.

Oh have just realised I have a parents evening on oct 17th. It always overruns but I will try to come to pub after if I'm not too hoarse from talking!

Chardale, im going to wait a couple of weeks in between the jabs to avoid that! Re books - I've been given 'what to expect - the first year' by a friend so I'll start with that. Not read much of it yet but it seems fairly comprehensive, like the pregnancy one.