Kes

Lovely to find some other local blogs - supergolden88 - I follow you on twitter, you make me feel very hungry!! I've had a blog for a few years, initially for the benefit of overseas family etc. Now I use it to have a good rant occasionally too. I've never put much work into building my readership so it's mostly just people who see me link to posts on facebook or twitter. That said I did get a twitter plug by Kirstie Allsopp a couple of months ago which was rather exciting! here's the blog: http://southwarkbelle.blogspot.co.uk/ and my celebrity endorsed post to save people hunting for it! http://southwarkbelle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/im-too-posh-to-push-telegraph-has-proof.html

have you been to the doctors? it could just be hormones still as you're breastfeeding but worth getting checked for thyroid problems or arthritis which can both occur post pregnancy. I ached all over for months after my first baby, turned out I had a thyroid problem, went on medication - felt brilliant! Hope you feel better soon

GinaG3 did you email the admissions address or reply to a previous email? I replied and got no response then realised it was going to a different address, I emailed the admissions email again and heard back in a couple of days.

Yes that's right, does seem odd, having spent a fortune on prescriptions for other things over the years I suddenly get everything free because of one little pill.

Just some reassurance if you do go on the thyroxine - I've been on it nearly 3 years now and had another baby in that time, never had any problems and I felt SO much better when I started taking it, only realised then quite how dreadful I'd been feeling.

James do you know if all those people actually put down 6 options? Just wondering if, in some of the wealthier areas people only applied to one or two very popular schools With the intention and ability to go private if they didn't get them? Would be important to know that if making decisions about where extra places are needed (and they clearly are needed!)

Many thanks Renata. Fingers crossed then!

Is it the same one who thought the government were picking on her for not paying for childcare for wealthy stay at home mums? Well at least that's one more place for someone else!

CocoC I had my first baby at St T's 3 years ago, and my second at Kings in November. I would definitely recommend Kings and caseload midwives over St T's, I was low risk first time, high risk second time and Kings were great, having a caseload midwife is also invaluable, feel free to PM me if you want more details.

Renata - thanks very much for the information, I've emailed southwark admissions about waiting lists and got a response in a matter of minutes, very impressive. Can I now ask you another question though? We were offered our 4th choice school, but it seems we are 3rd on the waiting list for our second choice. Will we be informed if we get a place there or do I need to keep asking? and if we do get a place could we reject it and stick with the initial offer (if the offer takes a long time we might have to do this for complicated childcare /work reasons)? A minor concern compared to those who got none of their choices I know. BTW you mention Ivydale as a good choice to apply to for those not offered a place. It was our first choice and we didn't get it, we are also quite a long way down the waiting list although last year we would have got in, so it seems unlikely there will end up being lots of spare spaces there for unfortunately.

James - I don't really care which political party did what right now, doesn't feel like the immediate issue. Could you answer the question that a few people have raised about waiting lists? My understanding is that you are automatically placed on the list for the schools you didn't get. Who do we need to contact to find out where we are on those lists? The schools or the council?

I've just had my baby but had both of the jabs while pregnant. I was with the brierly midwives but it was the nurse at my GP surgery who organised the jabs and I had to go in and ask for them as they hadn't had time to call people up at that point. I have the flu jab every year anyway as I have asthma and have never had a problem with it. When I was last pregnant in winter 2008/2009 (before the swine flu outbreak) I had a bit of a battle to get the flu jab as I was in the first trimester. At that point pregnant women weren't routinely given the flu jab but a major study had just been done into it and the advice was being changed. Unfortunately this information hadn't reached the practice nurse so I don't think midwives, nurses and even GPs Can always be relied to be up to date on these things. Personally, having had flu in the past I didn't think twice about having the vaccination in pregnancy as I'd been so unwell with it and lost so much weight that I'm sure it would be a greater risk to the baby than the jab would be.

I'd definitely be interested, new baby due very soon and the nuns head would be very handy. I agree it would be good not to clash with the library though. I know there is a music group on Tuesday mornings in nunhead but don't know of a Wednesday one.

Hello ladies I was really hoping to join you today but don't really fancy trudging across Peckham rye in the current downpour! If it eases up I'll try to head over. Look out for a drowned rat with a green coat and a soggy 3 yr old!

Hello ladies, I'm hoping to waddle across the park and join you tomorrow, will have my 3 year old with me too so how long I last may depend on her!

Anyone know if this is back to normal yet?

Hello ladies, I'd love to meet up with you but can't come this morning as I'm off to kings for my 32 wk scan, congratulations to all those who's babies have already arrived and hopefully I'll meet you soon. Also I thought Id suggest the dish and the spoon cafe on Cheltenham rd (between ED and nunhead) as a good place to meet. Lots of buggy space and a little play area to keep older kids entertained (not open on Monday's though) K

home cooked food, DVD box sets to pass the endless hours of feeding more home cooked food to save for later (the food obsession may go some way to explaining why breastfeeding didn't help me loose weight!)

I think there is another one next week, really hope they follow up on the twins couple too and that all turned out ok for them.

I'd say keep her where she is too, we also looked into this but decided that as it doesn't garuntee you a place in the school we didn't want to risk moving her and then potentially having to move her again a year later. Also the 5 half days thing would have been pretty impossible to organise on my working days and I want to have the whole day with her on the days I don't work!

Very reasurring to know that my high risk (but not really all that high risk) pregnancy is getting dealt with by the same people who get sent the genuinely difficult cases - feel very lucky to have Kings as my local hospital this time! I should really stop watching these things though, so sad for the couple who lost a twin.

LocalTeacher - you say that anyone who argues there is a financial crisis, or an aging population has been taken in by the government/daily mail (actually presumably every government and major media outlet globaly) - But what are your sources? Where are you getting your information from, when so many people have clearly missed something? I have no love at all for the current government and wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw Eric Pickles but I see evidence for the existance of a financial crisis in almost everyone I know. Have we all just been duped in your opinion?

While I have sympathy for teachers - where is the money supposed to come from? Do we protect their financial interests and start sacking nurses? Firemen? I work as a scientist for a medical research charity, I've had no pay rise for 5 years apart from a tiny bit this year that was more than wiped out by the increase in my pension contribution. My public sector husband was protected for quite a few years by pre-agreed pay deals, but is now taking big hits. I know friends in the private sector who have taken pay CUTS of 10% or more and plenty who lost their job (none of them bankers) If teachers were being singled out I'd be right behind a strike, but almost everyone has been hit by this, it's just that most can't wield the threat of causing massive inconvenience to others to try and escape it themselves. I'm sure there must be an issue with getting teachers in London but would we really want someone who'd choose to be an estate agent instead just because they can earn more? I doubt such people would go into teaching however much it paid. Surely no one goes into teaching for the money? It'd be great if the highest paid members of our society were teachers and others who's jobs help others, sadly that's just never going to happen. I do my job because I enjoy it and hope that I may contribute to curing some pretty horrible diseases, I'd actually be earning more by now if I'd gone into teaching!

Thanks fascia, never been there, is it in he park and do you know what time it finishes?

Any suggestions? I don't want to have to commit to a whole term though as little brother/ sister will be arriving half way through! Thanks!