kristymac1

God it's so hard isn't it? If it's any consolation (and i'm not sure it is), everyone goes through some trauma going back to work, your little one has known only you during the day to day for the last 9 months and to be honest I think it would be more worrying if he/she wasn't affected at all. My daughter is almost 3, been going to (the most fanstastic) childminder who she loves, since she was 15 months but she still goes through phases of separation anxiety, and I have to say I still find it really hard. Give it 4 weeks (which feels like a lifetime when things are hard) and I'm sure your little one will have settled in much better by then xx

Oh R&A that sounds just dreadful, I do hope you, Mr R&A and the little one are so blissful in your new family that the birth 'care' is well on the way to being a distant memory..... Vangough - My daughter is now nearly 3 and we used an independant midwife Verona Hall, who is now a very good friend and will be part of all our lives for ever (hopefully). Verona does a variety of different 'packages' and if nothing else is well worth a phone call for a chat (she really is lovely) - veronahall.co.uk. Wishing you all the very best xx

This morning I was crossing Rodwell Road when a very pregnant lady looked 'uncomfortable' (to say the least), I asked if she was ok and then it was fairly obvious she'd gone into labour - I feel like I've been bear hugged! A lovely family on the corner of Rodwell/Crystal Palace road took us into their house, a couple of others phoned the ambulance (one was a GP thank goodness!) and I stayed with Bissy until the paramedics took her off to Kings (more bear hugs!) - by that time her contractions were only 2 minutes apart. She did so well, I'm sure she didn't plan to spend those intimate moments with a complete stranger in another stranger's house, but it did make me smile (especially when she was vowing never to have any more children!!) - when I spoke to her husband he was obviously in far more shock than she was. Anyway, just wanted to share, I hope Bissy and KT now have a beautiful baby son (its amazing the conversations you can have inbetween 2min contractions...), and what a lovely community east dulwich is - no-one blinked an eye, eveyone just wanted to do all they could for Bissy and the baby.

Have you tried a TENS machine? TENS has worked for me in the past with lower back pain and ciatica (sp?) and lots of people swear by it during early stages of labour as well. You can get very portable ones from Boots which are very discrete and you can wear it throughout the day - probably best check with someone more qualified to make sure its ok to use one for back pain in your 3rd trimester. Good luck x

Hi snowboarder, I'd really advise giving your little one the antibiotics, ear infections are really painful and can turn quite nasty without medication (I speak as a Mam to a little one who's had recurring ear infections). Antibiotics are fine when prescribed correctly and to be honest most doctors these days are pretty reluctant to give them for wee ones, so if you have been prescribed them, then probably for a very good reason. Hope all the little'uns recover quickly xx snowboarder Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ugh - baby snowboarder has a horrid throat/ear > infection too - the dr gave us antibiotics without > a blink but he's never had them before so for some > reason (why?) am reluctant to give them....But the > coughing is waking him up...

'Ferberizing' is a fairly emotive subject, my understanding is that it's a 'controlled' crying method which I know some parents believe works for them but just isn't right for other babies (or parents!) - my daughter and me, my husband are firmly in the latter camp. My daughter (2.5yrs now) has never been a great sleeper and we've tried all sorts of 'methods' and I honestly believe some kids sleep well, some don't it's as simple as that. Other than providing your child with a healthy routine I'm not sure there's much else you can do and dealing with a 'bad sleeper' is just some parents' 'lot'. That said, you have my every sympathy, I most certainly feel your pain xx

Have you tried Soupdragon? They have a range of lunch boxes by the till - not sure if they have what you're after but worth a look?

Many congratulations Heidi, he's adorable. I hope you have lots of support over the next couple of weeks -it certainly sounds like you need it. Enjoy this time, it's wonderfully special and passes by so quickly xx

That's great news! Hope they're both home soon and enjoying those magical (if tough at times!) first everythings.....

Definitely try the clarks factory shop in Peckham - often really good bargains and the staff (if you can find them) are mostly helpful. As an ex-Clarks childrens fitter (in my youth) I'm always disappointed with the service at John Farmers on Lordship Lane - they aren't good fitters and their attitude is often very poor. I buy shoes from there bacause I fit them myself but otherwise I wouldn't trust the current staff. As an aside, we were always told that if we fitted shoes and they were fitted incorrectly the customer was entitled to a full refund (regardless of sale) - all part of the Clarks service

Our little one was in our room for the first 3 months in a crib and then she moved very happily into her own big cot thereafter. I found I could feed her barely awake while she was in our room (I'd then hand her to Daddy for burping at 2am....). Personally I needed to have her close during those first few weeks, and to be honest her snuffles through the monitor were more disturbing than those right next to me in her crib (oddly the monitors seem to amplify sleepy noise even on a low volume!). However, to repeat lots of people on here - it really is personal choice and the only advice I would give is, don't wed yourself to things you think you may or may not do once the little'un arrives - just go with the flow and what feels right for you. Good luck and happy rest of pregancy x

Done. And Bump.

Hi Monica, I'd really like to help where I can, particularly with Heber. I work part time and look after my 2yr old daughter the rest of the time but she'd be happy to come along for planting - I have some cherry toms and corgette plants going spare if that would also help? x

Totally agree MM, that's why we found this energy survey useful - it gives a rating of your home in its current state and then gives you the optimum that is achievable for your home. Ours is a Victorian terrace and the optimum was not far off what we are currently at and wasnt unrealistic.

We had a survey done by these guys and they were really good - didn't cost us a thing though (we must be have been one of the lucky ones in the first 6 streets). They do a full assessment of the property and rate each aspect according to Government set guidelines and scales. To be honest our survey didn't throw up any suprises, we know we should use more enery-saving light bulbs and that the loft insulation could probably be better, but we still found the comprehensive survey useful. They were professional, turned up when they said they would and were pleasant and polite. I think the idea is that if there are enough properties getting the survey done and if enough properties require the same work then a deal can be done with a local contractor to carry out the work for cheaper.

I think this is one of the most useful threads for ages on the forum - how brilliant it is for you to respond so quickly and positively to the issues raised - great job, big thanks.

Glad to hear it wont affect business for you legalbeagle - you've not had the best run of luck the last 12 months, glad the tide has turned....

Brendan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Yes it happens but it?s not okay. It is definitely > not okay. > > I?ve lived in a place where the crime rate was out > of control and all this, ?I?m ?ard me I?ve grown > up with crime and who are you to say anything > about it?, bullshit and then trying to put some > stupid class spin on it is just stupid. > > Believe me no matter how tough your London Veneer > is it will be reduced to nothing if you witness > first hand what can happen if you let violent > crime get out of control. Couldn't agree more. Personally I'm not sure whether crime has changed much in ED over the last 10 years - I felt pretty safe then (even with the 'This is an anti-social behaviour blackspot area' yellow signs at each end of my road) and I feel pretty safe now too. We did have trouble with gangs of youths for the first year we moved in but we dealt with it, by contacting the police regularly and on occasion dealing with it directly. We all have a responsibility to address crime in our local area and if we do we can prevent it spiraling out of control.

Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- many people from said class like to mock the working/underclass for their lack of education by refering to them as 'CHAVS'. In a post on another thread Louisa referred to working class people as poor, now we have them down as uneducated. If you are trying to fight the corner of all working class people, you're failing miserably. I am from solid working class stock - I am neither poor or uneducated. Perhaps I am one that 'should know better' when it comes to Louisa and her half-baked opinions, but today is a slow day at work and I felt the need to respond. On topic - I've had some pretty awful service from Mrs Robinson (the houseware shop - never been in the boutique) and told them at the time, to which they were fairly indifferent. I don't tend to go in their very often now as a result.

you'd be hard pushed to find a Victorian terrace in the area which hasn't suffered subsidence! Having the property underpinned is usually only for the most severe cases, we had work done on the house because of subsidence caused by close proximity vegetation - it was over and above the normal plaster cracks that you get with 100 years of movement but not bad enough to be underpinned. Our front door dropped by an inch and half during the very dry summer two years ago and internal doors dropped too, we had the work done and there was no noticeable movement last summer. My guess would be that if there is nothing stated in your purchasers pack about there having been work carried out because of subsidence then I would declare 'no' to the question posed.

matthew123 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Does it cost the British tax payer more in revenue > lost because of Alleyn's charitable status - or > does it cost the tax payer more to fund another > public school of same number of pupils? Not sure this argument stands up really - I would rather pay more taxes to support a new state school delivering good, sound education and learning - providing immediate benefit to the hundreds of kids (all non fee paying) that would go there rather than the handful of bursaries awarded through the private sector..

Amelie Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The schools exist primarily for the benefit of > their pupils, if they choose to make their > facilities available to non-pupils they should do > so voluntarily not because they have been either > forced or subjected to threats. The only threat fee paying schools face in this case is the loss of charitable status - I can assure you this is worth a great deal in monetary value to a school like Alleyns - and that monetary value is funded by the tax payer. I have nothing against fee paying schools per se (although in my education utopia, all state schools would deliver the best education and there would be no need for fee paying schools - sadly not the case). For what its worth I agree totally with Bawdy-Nan.

We had one of the guys round today and we have accepted a free energy survey (we're on Jennings) - don't get me wrong we're of the suspicious nature (especially of those that come cold calling)....but I have been thinking of getting an energy survey done for a while and the guy was pretty up front in that him and his business partner recently set up CO2census.com, they're offering free energy surveys and in the likelyhood that a number of properties would benefit from extra loft insulation (for example) they'll do a deal with a supplier and fitter for a large job. There's no commitment and seemingly no pressure, so we're not worried - can't think of a reason why a free energy survey would be a bad thing really - will let you know if it turns out otherwise...

You could always start on the London Loop - a series of walks which takes you (yes you guessed it) in a total loop of London, all walks are inside the M25 - I have the book detailing all the walks which you are welcome to borrow - the walks are of varying length (but plenty of the distance you require) and difficulty and its a great way of seeing parts of outer London you wouldn't otherwise encounter - googling local hosteleries for the end of the walk is also a good idea!

red devil Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You must remember this then...'Why aye man, Tudor > crisps, I'll climb a mountain!' > > Ahhh very very Happy days, bring back Tudor! Actually I seem to remember Tudor crips not being very crispy and the bags were too small, still happy days......