littleEDfamily

PS I wasn't passing comment on whether it's good or bad that the area is full of 'newer' people, just that the general view seems to be that the ares has changed a lot in the last few years. Can't really comment on what it used to be like, but I like how it is now.

That was my comment: "not too many of the 'original' locals is what I hear" To be honest I am not really sure how substantiated by fact it is - lots of tradesmen I have used have commented about how the area is has changed and is now occupied by 'fancy types!'. I do have to admit that for some reason everyone we know is 'newish' to the area - between 2 and 8 years, but maybe that's just the circles we move in. There are streets with larger houses where I think people may be inclined to settle longterm - our street is mostly small 2 or 3 bedders so there is very high turnover of housing stock as young families (I assume) outgrown their places.

Hi there, We've been here for 5 years and for the time of our lives it has been perfect. I honestly cannot think of a place I would rather have lived. Now our first is a little older and we have another one on the way, the pull to more space and a bigger house outside of London is becoming quite strong though. The parks are wonderful, the local businesses fabulous, and in general, the people very nice (lots of media/ arty types as well as civil servants and city people/ professionals - not too many of the 'original' locals is what I hear - good diverse mix). It's not totally idyllic, but if you want to raise your kids in London I don't think you'd find anywhere better. We're close to both Dulwich Park and Peckham Rye as well as the library, the mini Sainsbury's and only a 5 min walk to Northcross Rd. Our road is full of nice people and quiet. Good luck with your decision!

With the second, has anyone else noticed they seem to move more? There are limbs and bottoms sticking out of me at all angles. Quite disconcerting. My theory is that with the first, I had better stomach muscles to contain her, but nowadays, there aint nothing to stop her doing baby yoga on an extreme scale!

There has been a recent thread on this - you may be able to do a search. But I recommend South London Dance Studios in Herne Hill. Wed and Sat AM classes for nursery ages. Lots of fun.

I had heard that, but I didn't really believe it!!

Hey so, this is weird. After feeling massive the whole pregnancy, I am now just about 36 weeks and suddenly my bump seems to have got smaller.... anyone else had this weird experience, or have I just lost all perspective?

Not sure if she was actually born to it, but straight afterwards, the radio played that lovely version of 'Somewhere over the rainbow' by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (had to google to get spelling). I'm not much of a sap, but even now it makes me feel emotional when I hear it. You've reminded me I need to sort some tunes out....

I watch this too. This week's was especially cringy. But I am always amazed at how lovely the kids on both sides seem to be, and it's cute how they tend to get on. They must screen participants very carefully....

I definitely started showing earlier. Last time was in regular work suits until nearly 5 months, this time, have had a very pronounced bump from around 10 weeks. The most significantly different thing for me this time is that the 'wonder' of being pregnant is gone. I either don't think about it, or find myself getting annoyed by the niggles. Oh and also so so so much more tired. The best part of round 2, though is sharing it with number 1 - her questions make me laugh (when the baby comes out, will she drink milk out of your boobies?) and it's sweet when they say things like 'shall I pick it up for you because you can't bend down very well, can you?' And I love hearing her talk about the baby by name as if she is already on the outside.

Then, I think I am going to have to go try Magic FM (even though deep down I think I am too cool for Magic). Totally benign, feel good music. Lionel Ritchie, Dionne Warwick, Michael Buble........a plethora of grand fromage, but will keep my little one little for a bit longer, I hope. It's got to be better than getting the Tin Pan Annie CDs back out..... My transformation into my parents is gathering alarming pace, I regret to report.

Sorry - can't concentrate on the question - when you say 'pool party' I think of bad US comedy movies with bimbos wearing coconut bikinis and drinking pina coladas. Or the Playboy mansion. It would never have occured to me to have a pool party for a pre-schooler. Are they too young for a slumber party? I used to love those. You'd only need a couple of their best mates and you could let them eat junk and watch DVDs until they fall asleep. And then send them back to their parents exhausted in the morning.

Wikipedia is not fact?

The songs on Absolute have a few interesting lyrics (like the one to which you refer, jalapeno), but the tunes are not as catchy as the R&B and pop on capital, which seems to draw the little ones right in. Rhianna is my new nemesis. She also sings that 'pull the trigger song'. She's a spooky lady who should come with a PG rating.

The other favourite is the (I think) Usher song that goes "baby got a bootie like pow pow pow". She's intrigued by that, and keeps asking me why he is allowed to say 'pow pow' when they get told off at school for saying it. Nothing escapes young ears and curious minds. I think you're right GinaG3, Radio 4 it is from now on. I may need to figure out how to programme it in.

While driving about town, I surf the various radio stations for the the best tunes at that time. My 3 year old shows a strong preference for Capital. I was always only mildly concerned by this. But...... today she has started singing that foul, but catchy Rhianna song to herself, which goes along the lines of "come here rude boy, can you get it up". It's wrong, wrong, wrong. Surely one shouldn't need to censor daytime radio stations from children on the basis of song lyrics!? It's filth, I tell ya!!

The forum can be a double edged sword. It can be completely addictive, which can't be a good thing, but it is just such a wonderful resource (for info and stuff if you need it), that it doesn't make sense to completely stay away. On balance (except for feeling quite irritated by a couple of posts over the years - I am sure I have irritated others too), the forum has made me feel so supported as a parent, from knowing what groups are on, to getting personal advice, to just being a place to let off steam from time to time. And I have learnt a lot as, you are right, there are some very informed people on here. It's definitely not as dangerous as Google! You just need to self censor from time to time.

Thanks for the info re: tax credits etc, BN!!

I have to say, I would feel a bit like I had opted out if I went for a c-section instead of an 'optimal' breech birth. That's the flipside of the 'natural childbirth' movement (of which I am mostly a big fan), you do feel you need to be courageous, and on balance I think that is a good thing as for much of the 20th century the medical profession in general made women lose confidence in their bodies, irrationally fearful of pain (dare I say it, a bit wimpish) and too reliant on doctors' (often wrong) advice. However, I think we are getting to the point though where we need to be careful that women do not, as Saila suggests, feel they have 'failed' for opting for a C-section if there are complications. Just to add - I was much more gung ho about labour and birth when I wasn't actually pregnant - 5 weeks out from actually having to go through it all again, it does put a different perspective on things somewhat, and you do have to keep telling yourself to be brave (but not always feeling it).

Yep - the ?100 or so we save a month via Childcare vouchers is a very much needed bit of relief. Didn't know about working tax credits for the self employed.... must investigate....

Yep - agreed. It's not perfect, they have always been great when I have freaked out with feverish vomiting baby (they invite you straight down) and all the doctors I've had have been good/ great.

I'm not sure it is that straightforward. Medical professionals frequently have contradictory opinions as to the relative risks. My midwife, I suspect would be quite supportive of me attempting a natural breech birth provided the baby were in the optimal breech position (and the other criteria had been met), whereas, for me knowing that the position is anything but head down would be a step too far - I would never forgive myself if something went wrong. And thankfully, it seems the professionals around here are mostly supportive of the mother's decision. And I am sure there are still many doctors who believe the choice to birth at home is completely irresponsible in terms of the risk to babies, and that anything other than a medicalised hospital birth is 'crossing the line'. Whereas, in the absence of any obvious complications, homebirthing would be my preference (based on my assessment of the risks and benefits). There seem to be very few aspects of pregnancy, birth and childrearing that are black and white, and I am certainly not in favour of completely abdicating responsibility for my health and that of my children to health professionals who are fallible. I am constantly grateful that I am having babies here in England where the attitude is so progressive, but with that comes greater responsibility on the parents' part to choose the right path, and that can be tricky.

Thanks so much everyone for your insights into the world of breech birth. We're so lucky around here with the attitude of (most) of the health professionals around natural, intervention free birth, but sometimes there comes a point where I guess it makes sense to hand yourself over to modern medecine - it's just so hard to know where that line is.

Relatively unfamous they may be, they are still the most famous people I have seen in ED so far..... But I guess to be pedantic, if the thread is about the single most famous person, I would say Jo Brand. And yes, I agree, it is sad, we deserve a better quality of celeb (not that there is anything wrong with old Jo Jo)! For the record, I don't think I would recognise Donald Sutherland... cate Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > This is supposed to be a Famous people thread. > Famous is someone like Clint Eastwood, Robert > Redford, Donald Sutherland, and Bill Clinton. A > sighting of Clint was reported when he was filming > in Nunhead. Most of the people reported on here > are repetitively listed. That is because they > either live in ED or environs. It's sad.

Luckily, I've now been told our baby is head down, but given the fact that I was a breech baby (delivered by C section), I have always had the 'what would I do?' question in the back of my mind. For me, the deciding factor is that I think you need to be confident in your ability to birth a baby naturally to give you and it the best chance of a good birth, and for me, knowing we would be at a considerable disadvantage would mean I wouldn't have the right mindset, and it would be c section all the way!