Moos

Ha ha, I did!

New phone, MM? ;-)

I'm classy. I eat peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon, not with my fingers.

Apparently not hpsaucey... see page 2 of this thread - I was shocked. All those sciencey catalogues selling 'em at Christmas... could they be fibbing?

Awww, that's really sweet of BBW. Sydenham forum looks as though it's full of nice people.

Yes, Mondays at 10. Calendar of ChristChurch, Barry Rd I never went to this one, but the one I did go to (Deptford, not sure if it's still running) was brilliant - not so much for the advice, although that was perfectly good, but for the really nice, pragmatic, funny women that used to go. Scary baby concerns lose all their power when shared with a sympathetic, informed and interested audience... and one day you get to be the one that says 'Oh yeah, mine did that' and suddenly you feel as though you know something at last.

crystal7 and snowboarder, my baby was exactly the same as a young baby - poor naps and therefore poor night sleeping. Everyone said it would get better when he was crawling. Didn't. Better when he was on solids. Didn't. At 7-8 months, started to do some sleep training and focused on both night and day - initially used the baby whisperer technique of pick-up / put-down and some other no-cry solutions. These involve a considerable investment of your time and energy at night, so will need some pre-preparation and help from partner, and many people swear by them. If your baby only sleeps for 40 minutes at a time he or she hasn't learned how to get through more than one sleep cycle and is coming into a light sleep and then waking when he or she really still needs to sleep. As it happened for us these didn't work, and after much soul-searching we tried controlled crying. It's not for everyone, but it did work for us. I personally wouldn't do it on a baby under 6 months though. 3 horrible days later he had learned to go through a full sleep cycle of 40 minutes and settle himself back down. Now and ever since he's a reliable sleeper and loves his naps - though he still gets up early. Molly - hurrah for you.

During the day, Scarface Claw is cooooooooooooooool. At night.. ah well. It may be that Papi has overdone the drama in the reading... Thank you, qbx. *smiles at Ted*

Yes, sorry ladies. Ahem. One other thing that I have previously hesitated to mention, as there's plenty of (as PGC would say) Effective Contraception tips already is that I suffered from mild anxiety attacks when my son was very small, and I gather it's not uncommon and partly to do with natural and genuine anxiety and partly those self-same lovely hormones. It meant a racing, thudding pulse with blood roaring in the ears and feeling really panicky for some minutes at a time, and would come over me unexpectedly at otherwise uneventful moments. I bring it up now in case anyone also experiences the same, that it's really OK and you haven't gone bananas, and it helps to sit down and just gently breathe in and out and wait for it to pass. Preferably with a cup of tea that a sympathetic person has given you.

Yes, sorry Charlotte I think you may have to let the morning nap / cup of tea bow out gracefully. Looking on the bright side, at least you can take him for mornings out or classes with fewer restrictions.

Thanks PGC. I do find the stories of the way parents solve these problems really funny and sweet - I love your wolf tale, and am imagining a letter beginning:- 'Dear Mr. Wolf Please be advised...' Back in the day, my mum with a completely straight face gave me an invisible magic sword to fight off monsters, and it turned out to be very effective. It's rather like kissing-and-making-it-better - I can never quite believe it when I kiss a small bashed thumb to make it better, but it really seems to take the pain (or at least the fuss..) away.

Seems this is a topical discussion: "Glass Ceiling for top jobs"

The sweating is very normal, especially at night, and yes it is hormonal - it's related to your body settling down after having had the baby. Most unpleasant but fortunately temporary. This is what www.babycentre.co.uk has to say:- Why am I peeing all the time? Your weight loss on giving birth is breathtaking. Subtracting the weight of your baby, plus the placenta and some blood and amniotic fluid leaves most women instantly 5kg / 11lb lighter. The weight keeps coming off, too. Throughout pregnancy, your body?s cells were hard at work retaining water, and now all that extra fluid will start seeping out in the form of sweat and urine. New mothers perspire a lot, and they often produce an astounding 3.4l / 6pt of urine a day -- twice the usual amount. Nice.

...oh yeah, and we love our excellent not-at-all-new Bosch. Those of you who know me know why we rely on German technology! ;-)

Careful, she might squash Anna.

Very elegant, Hal!

Try subscribing to Which. I think they usually give you a free trial period of a few days - plenty of time to research your washing machine and then cancel before you have to cough up.

Wise words, Molly.

Moosling is now twoannabit, and has recently started waking in the night from time to time very upset and clearly scared. He needs to have the light on and to be held for a good few minutes before he stops trembling and starts to feel calm enough to be ready to go back to sleep. Poor little mite, it breaks my heart though I know it's completely normal. On Monday night he woke three times, and I think I worked out what he was scared of (Scarface Claw, for any 'Hairy McLairy' fans out there!) so on Tuesday night before bed I firmly told I had taken Scarface Claw away and he wasn't going to dream about him that night. Seems to have worked, at least for now. But really he's too little to be able to tell me what frightens him, so it's difficult to address it directly. Anyway, we've always kept his room very dark to discourage his tendency to early waking, but I wonder whether a nightlight might be useful. Has anyone else gone through this, and what techniques did you use to reassure your child?

And this one for HAL9000 and his contributions to this thread Cannon to right of him, Cannon to left of him, Cannon in front of him Volley'd & thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell...

Laughter! good one PGC

annaj Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > *Disclaimer: I am *whispers* not a parent so > nothing I say counts at all ;-) You won't draw me into the debate on the other page that way, you cheeky minx! I'm wise to your cunning ways..

Oh Nero, how could you.

Good to see the same old characters taking up the same old poses. My take is that if you are silly enough to take surreptitious photographs of strangers' children, then you need someone to set you straight. It's just not on, however innocent your intent.

Belle, just want to echo the sentiment expressed by Fuschia and Woof - you're doing alone what brings couples to their knees with tiredness. Well done you. Would you be able to organise any swaps with nearby mothers who have babies of similar age? They're so portable when little - if you'd consider going to a friend's house and looking after two babies for a few hours one evening, perhaps another mother would do the same for you? Also really agree with Fuschia about the 12-week change - obviously, it doesn't happen overnight, but around that time, babies often do become a little steadier and are able to sleep for longer, so you might be able to get a little time back in the evening. Best of luck, and let us know how you get on.