buggie

We are selling through Keatings and were lucky enough to go under offer after a week on the market - have found them v good so far (full excellent rating unavailable until all is finished and sitting in our new home :)) On the looking for houses front, haven't been hugely impressed by winkworths or KFH dulwich branch.

Fuschia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > let's not mention the twin mistaking sibling's poo > for chocolate raisins... .... guessing that's a mistake only made once :-S!!

You can't by chloramphenical over the counter for babies but it can be prescribed by GP. Would def advise trying br/milk first as well as cleaning the eyes with boiled & cooled water using fresh cotton wool ball for each sweep (& sweeping from inner corner outwards). Be careful after bathing/cleaning that you don't dry the eyes with the same towel/bit of towel to avoid cross infection.

Really sorry to hear of your friends loss Saffron - having dealt with infant deaths in A&E it is by no means something I take lightly. I agree my statement can be reversed as well, and having opened up the discussion it has made me consider my own thoughts on immunisations. Think it all comes down to your own perspective/experiences. Having nursed though the low uptake of the MMR I have seen lots of bad cases of measles, babies being admitted for treatment and needing high levels of care. In the same time (and with I'd guess below 5% of children immunised against it) I've seen < 5 children with severe symptoms of chickenpox (normally badly infected pox and a couple of pneumonia's) all of which were treated and recovered well. While understanding the difficulties faced by working parents (my mat leave is whizzing by at a rate of knots!) I have an uneasy feeling about immunising to prevent needing to take time off work/use holiday to care for sick children - we already see lots of cases in A&E where parents get a call from school saying their child is sick and head straight to us (occasionally stopping for McDonalds on the way - I wish I was joking) expecting us to have some sort of magic medicine to cure gastroenteritis/tonsillitis/cold or flu... when told it will take 24/48hrs and they shouldn't return to nursery/school/other contact with children until the symptoms have resolved we're looked at with horror as if caring for a sick child was a point snuck into their parenting contract in the v v small print at the bottom of the form, which when I've helped families living with a child with cancer or even life long conditions such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell makes me feel a bit churlish. I'm guessing for most of these parents it is due to them for whatever reason not being in jobs that enable them to take adequate carers leave/be in such low paid work or on agency contract whereby no sick/carers leave is paid, if this is the case, is an immunisation really the answer - or should there be more pressure on employers to offer proper paid carers leave for parents (Dad's as well as Mum's). My worry is that if it is seen that parents would rather look to prevent their children ever becoming ill, then it would be claimed that this sort of provision isn't wanted and so would slip further down the political agenda. No matter how many immunisations are offered, children will become ill at some point or another, chickenpox isn't the worst that can happen by a long stretch.

I postponed my daughter's jab until she was nearly 4 mths old, but purely because she was low birth weight and her arms were so so tiny (she was only just over 5.5lbs at 4wks) I was concerned it would be problematic (potentially turn into an abcess). She instead had it begining of January, and in the last few weeks it has come up as a lump and pink/purple-ish mark - am expecting it to pop at somepoint and be a bit gunky - nearly all of my NCT group's babies have had the jab already (before bugglet did) and all seem to have healed well and not caused any bother. The jab doesn't cause any bother immediately as it's done just under the skin rather than into the muscle so is absorbed slower and they apparently don't notice it even when it comes up - bugglet doesn't seem to mind me touching/pushing on the site which indicates it isn't painful. We had problems establishing br/feeding, but haven't noticed any change/problems with feeding after any of the jabs.

Just to reassure, I've never seen babies in A&E with complications from chickenpox, I've heard if mums being keen fir them to have it early as they don't scratch as much = less scarring. One of my best friends has a 2.5yr & 2 mths, the 2.5yr has it at the moment but the baby hasn't been affected - my guess is that it's due to a 2mth old not being so exciting a playmate so unlikely to be in line of fire for sneezes/being breathed on by the 2.5yr for long enough to pass the virus on. Still unsure about the reasoning behind national immunisation campaigns in the countries mentioned... Could understand it being beneficial once teenage/adult if not had chickenpox as it does seem to affect adults more, but not seen anything to convince me yet.

Nearly asked this on the MMR thread but then realised it would either send it off at a tangent or be ignored! As a paeds nurse I've seen a few cases of "when chickenpox go bad" but literally no more than the fingers of one hand over 10yrs and all of which made good recoverys and wouldn't make me leap to pay for a vaccination for the bugglet. I find it especially surprising to see that some who worry about giving the regular immunisations are then seeming happy to consider giving/give their child this. IIRC chickenpox immunity is something that's checked on the first set of blood tests you have when pregnant - I could imagine it being useful to check this pre-conception (fate allowing) and then having the jab, but can't understand why giving it to a baby/young child is beneficial...

Have you tried calling HV's (their number should be in the front of your red book) and checking with them - can't believe they've left you provision-less. Wouldn't recommend trying Forest Hill Grp Practice - often 2hr wait for just a weight, I ended up writing a complaint to Southwark PCT PALS from the waiting room one morning!!

The smoke was completely fluffed up by the media (and a lack of decent science journalists who can properly critique/analyse scientific papers). Google Ben Goldacre + MMR x

Donra21 - I've got the icandy cherry and really like it - when carrycot/carseat are on the base they sit higher than in the bugaboo's which I liked (especially when really tiny). We're in a 1st floor flat so appreciate how light it is to carry in and (while not one-handed)it's easy to fold up. Only pain now is that she's big enough (and nosy enough!) to use the buggie bit on it, if she falls asleep we have to lift her out and she wakes up :( that said, it'd be an issue no matter which buggie we had.

Saffron Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Emla's UK website says it is for use in fullterm > babies, children and adults. GP said Emla cream > was fine for babies if there was no family history > of allergy to the active ingredient. And it is > available without a prescription. I ordered mine > online b/c my local pharmacy didn't have it in > stock. xx ...interesting, as in A&E we don't use it on babies due to the reasons stated & never heard it being recommended pre-jabs. We use it pre blood tests and as the effect of it is vaso-constriction it makes taking bloods even more difficult/more likely to lead to needing multiple attempts at it :'( Even with emla cream, the baby will still cry at having the injection due to being held/being in a strange environment/picking up stress from parent. There could potentially be an effect for the BCG as it is sub-cut (just under the skin), but there is no way that regular jabs will be helped as these go into the muscle and the cream can't numb that far.

The jab isn't bothersome at the time - Bugglet had her's first week of January and it's just coming up as a mark/?blister now. It's done just under the skin rather than into the muscle so the affects are slower. Is fine to have inbetween regular jabs. Emla cream (aka magic cream - used before blood tests) isn't licenced for use in babies under a year and wouldn't advise using it beforehand (pretty sure it isn't available over the counter).

There's alot of stuff on at the Southbank Centre for children this half term - Imagine Children's Festival

Think bit of paranoia is healthy for a parent!! 8% is prob about right but far more skewed to girls than boys (lucky us ;)!!)

If you do get a urine in advance, keep it in the fridge tonight so that it's preserved... didn't mean the post to sound like a dig at you (know you know your stuff!). Sometimes can be throat/upper resp tract infection even with complaining of tummy ache/vomits - in boys over 6mths UTI's are nearly as rare as hen's teeth. Don't think anyone can blame you for having difficulty being able to time catching the sample... I have trouble getting things done with one baby!!

Fuschia's right I'm afraid - in A&E there are urine pots with funnels attached, but it is a case of patience and perseverance & encouraging lots of drinks... difficult when their not feeling 100% I know, but the dipstick can immediately indicate signs of infection (blood/white blood cells/nitrites) and when combined with the Dr examining them determines if it's a viral/bacterial infection, if further tests are required or even if the urine is a red herring and the infection is elsewhere. Just to add, the Drs won't delay seeing a child just because they haven't done a urine yet (is often mistakenly thought that they won't be seen until the urine is produced). Hope she feels better soon, would suggest A&E for this so that they can do urine dip asap.

Sounds like she's good to go back, especially as she's now got the w/e to get fully back up to speed. She is likely to get more tired/cranky than normal towards the end of the day (as any of us would be after being ill/as we're getting better). Maybe OH should take the day off to look after her if he thinks she's still too poorly (might help change his opinion!!:))).

Is there anything that can be done regarding streetcars being left badly parked? The space on Goodrich Road often has the car left half in the bay/half out taking up twice as much space - am sure the council would be quick to ticket anyone in a private car breaching the border, but can action be taken for this (especially as it must be completely traceable who the last driver was).

Just a warning not to just rely on the EHIC when travelling in Europe - it only covers for treatment not repatriation/extended time aboard etc. There was a case a few months back of a woman stranded after falling and breaking her back (?in Ibiza) who hadn't taken out travel insurance as thought the EHIC would be enough & was having to have family/friends fundraise to pay to get her home.

Don't know about DMC but know Forest Hill Rd surgery can fit them x

Even being a paediatric nurse, I found when it came to having my own baby some help/advice was useful/reassuring. On recommendation of friends I used the baby whisperer which I have found v helpful and has enabled me to trust my instincts and rather than dictate a routine to me, has allowed me to help identify what would work for Bugglet and me.... and (unlike some books) reassurance/suggestions of what to do when we go 'off piste'!. Was also v helpful for hubbie when he kept asking me "well why's this happening/what are you trying to do" and with new mum brain I couldn't answer/didn't know... he could look up bits and let me know what it said!

...ok, couldn't resist doing the genotype!! X = regular chromosome x = chromosome with colour blindness: X Y X XX XY x Xx xY Sooo, 50% chance your daughters are carriers of the colour blindness gene, and your son's had a 50% chance of being colour blind.

Think colour blindness is similar to haemaophilia - carried on the 'x' chromosome, as girls have two x chromosomes (one from each parent) both parents would need to carry the dodgy x chromosome and pass that one on to affect a girl - chances are hugely unlikely. Boys get hit by it as they have an x and y chromosome so any dodgy bits on the x can't be corrected by the y. Hope this makes sense - resisting the urge to do a table!!

Just saw an ad on TV about becoming a Body Shop at home advisor - could be good (never have to buy shower gel/body cream again!!)

...surely that's common sense Fuschia!!