EastdulwichNewbie

Hi, My son did the various levels of Baby Swimming and I would love to find some local classes on Saturday morning for my husband to take him to. He is 2. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks!

Hi I am really sorry to hear about your failed cycle. That is really tough. We went with Zita West. We decided to go private as we knew the NHS would take a while longer and it seemed like a 'one size fits all' approach, based on our friends' experience (this may not be the case, it was just our perception at the time). With Zita West we really liked the fact they were so positive and seemed to tailor their treatment and take a holistic approach. We did look at lifestyle factors before we even got into discussions about whether IVF was right. In our case, these didn't help and we needed ICSI. After the first failed cycle (ended in missed miscarriage), they did a thorough review and we made some changes before the next successful frozen cycle. We felt really supported throughout the whole process and that we were throwing everything at it (as a result of some tests I needed blood thinners, thyroxine and progesterone injections too). I also had the controversial intralipid infusion and acupuncture. I have no idea whether the extras helped or not but we felt positive doing them and that was important to us. We liked the fact we were under the care of a male fertility specialist (Dr Rofena - a lovely Dr - highly recommended), and that they used the facilities/specialists at Care London and the location was handy for our places of work too. Perhaps the most important factor was the speed of being able to go through a cycle - it was so much quicker than it would have been through the NHS, but privately the NHS may be comparable. A couple of counselling sessions were included and I found this really useful, especially after the missed miscarriage and when I was an emotional wreck during our most recent frozen cycle. This may be a standard feature of fertility treatment though. We didn't do a comparison but I imagine that ZW are at the more expensive end of things. ZW use the facilities at Care London who also run full cycles but with less emphasis on the extras (as far as I'm aware). I'm pretty sure they offer fertility packages which may be worth looking into. As another poster suggested, forums are a good place to start. I'd also recommend attending open evenings so you can ask questions and get a feel for their approach and prices. Best of luck for whichever route you go for.

We used F&B last time. Beautiful colours and finish but not great for general living. Someone recently told us about Mylands. They have marble in their paints and apparently this makes them very child-friendly. They're not that well known but do have a royal warrant so they're not doing too badly. Similar prices to F&B. Smaller range but they do colour match too. They're based ish locally.

Thanks - good to know. And I won't. :-)

Thank you. That's really helpful and reassuring! Good luck with number 3. X

Hi, My first son arrived by emergency c-section and this time I've been advised that it is sensible to elect for one. I will have a 2.5 year old when baby number 2 arrives. Does anyone have any advice around the following: - how to breastfeed & encourage milk to come in after a CS (last time it was fine but I want to do what I can) - how to manage with a toddler, specifically picking him up and getting him to nursery - will I *need* help & if so, for how long - anything else that may be useful. Thank you!! X

Hi! Congrats all. I'm due in December and have a two year old. Would be keen to meet up. Bx

Thanks you! We went to look around today and we're sold!

Hi, My son has been offered a place at the Herne Hill kindergarten. I'd love to hear from other parents with children there. Are your children happy there? Thank you!

Hi, You may be aware of this already but there are companies that help with paperwork e.g. Nannytax. After sorting the contract, we found that payslips & tax have been pretty straightforward.

Hi! Do come and see us at Grace Church Dulwich if you have a spare Sunday. We meet at Rosendale Primary School and are holding lots of Christmas services in the coming weeks. Please see the link for details : http://www.gracechurchdulwich.org It is an open invitation. We would love to see some new faces and celebrate Christmas with you.

Hi, We've just moved in to a place with an outbuilding. It's not huge but is a small room which is fully wired with bi-folding doors. We want to get rid of it and ideally sell it. Does anyone have any experience of taking one down/selling one? Thanks!!

Thank you

Hi, After deciding we were definitely going to go down the nursery route, I've found that we are too low down our preferred nursery lists and so we may look to hire a nanny after all! I am still quite nervous about this though having seen some nannies in action and hearing about some of the things that can go wrong. So, I would love to get some advice about how to find a good nanny! We're looking for someone to start in June for 3-3.5 days per week to look after our 1 year old son. We're new to this game but looking for someone with the right qualifications who will really care for our son and look to aid his development. Would people mind sharing experiences about agencies they used/how they found using the forum? Any advice is really appreciated!! Thank you.

I just wanted to say that although I've found it tricky to get appointments at times, when I've needed to take my baby to see a doctor urgently, they have always managed to see us. Other mums I know have had a similar experience.

We used Brenda (http://brendathenanny.co.uk) - day 2 our baby slept through apart from one 15minute wake up. It was really hard (involved crying) but her methods work.

Thanks all!

Hi, i have a newborn and at a visit last week, the health visitor said babies in this area should have a BCG vaccination but apparently the NHS have run out. Does anyone know where I could get this done privately? Locally, if possible. Many thanks, Rebecca

Thank you!!

Hi, my due date is fast approaching and I've realised I have enough clothes for triplets! Does anyone know of a local charity that needs baby clothes? Other baby items? Thanks!

I agree about parking on corners. I think we need double yellows to prevent parking or mirrors placed at junctions. I frequently drive down Underhill Road and even though I'm really careful, am always thankful I'm not involved in an accident. Perhaps a local councillor could help with this?

Thank you for the messages. I've had a couple of PMs from people who haven't had great experiences so perhaps it's a good thing that I've not heard back!

Hi, I've been trying to contact Piplings nursery. Between my husband and I we'be emailed via their website 4 times in the last couple of months but have yet to hear back. Has anyone else had this experience or any advice about contacting them? Thanks!

Hi, I'm looking for a local venue to host a baby shower for 10. Do you know of any local spaces that have a private room and be able to provide tea (that are reasonable)? Thank you!! Xx