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Hi Benjaminty, I've never had a pregnancy massage, but I've had all sorts of massages and alternative treatments over the years (osteo, chiro, accupuncture . . . ). I can't say for certain, but I'm willing to bet that a pregnancy massage is more for relaxation and light muscle fatigue rather than the more serious suffering your wife seems to be enduring. It sound to me like she should go through your GP or midwife to get a proper diagnosis and treatment, which may very well be physiso. Additionally, it sounds like there is an issue that needs to be addressed at her work place. Her employer is legally obligated to perform a safety risk assessment for risks to preganant women, and such risks include standing on your feet for long hours. They should find a temporary alternative assignment for her and if that's not possible, she can be relieved from her duties on full pay. See the following and go from there: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/WorkAndFamilies/DG_10026556 I hope this gets resolved for her ASAP. She shouldn't have to spend everyday in agony and tears, jeaopardising her and the baby's health! Best wishes, -A

Not sure about toddlers, but the Wagamama's in Covent Garden was brilliant with my baby who was 7 months at the time. -A

There's Gabriel's Wharf where there are a few touristy overpriced places, but on the upside the area is like a courtyard so minikatsu can run around outside in your field of view. Giraffe or Wagamama's are always good comprimises - though maybe not Wagamama's if you truely are a Katsu Queen! -A

Hi David, You mentioned fruit trees and berry plants this year. Any suggestions on where to source them? Thanks, -A

Agree with posts above on growbags for newborns. They're jsut so much easier than doing all those poppers up! Also, do you have a lot of family and friends who will be getting you gifts? I found that I got a lot of receiving blankets as gifts and never even opened the one blanket I bought. Since it will be summer, I wouldn't go too crazy on buying blankets, especially as you have a swaddle. Then as it gets colder you can always get more if you don't have enough. -A

I have nearly full box of 500g of fondant icing sugar if anyone is intersted. -A

Thanks for this. Good article!

A friend of mine in the States had twins with colic. Her mother-in-law hired a night nurse for her to help out 2 nights a week. No idea how you would go about finding one here, or what it would cost. Did a quick search but this was all I could find: http://www.whatprice.co.uk/advice/parent/baby-nurse-hire.html Anyone out there that could recommend one? -A

ESPH does both. You can buy a block of 5 classes and use them for either class, so a great way to try both! -A

I've got an 8 month old. He's never slept "through" yet. Granted, I'm breastfeeding, but it doesn't really bother me because when he wakes up for a comfort feed he goes right back to sleep and so do I. Perhaps I'm being lazy by just giving in, but I don't feel sleep deprived so I guess I don't have the motivation to do anything different. I decided a while back that rather than "fight" his habits, I would just go with them. We all seem to get more sleep this way. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is be careful not to stress yourself out with a goal of getting him to sleep through by a particular date. It may work for you (and I hope it does!), but it's not the only way to get a decent night of sleep. Sorry, that's more of a comment about our experience than advice on CC. I guess I'm a pushover, but I just couldn't do it. Also, my son still took 3-4 hr naps until he was about 4 months old, so I don't think this is necessarily abnormal. It didn't seem to affect how much he slept at night. Good luck! -A

I started with a Bjorn that I borrowed from a friend, so great value! :) I thought it was fine for about up to an hour. You definitely need to have it adjusted properly with the diamond joint in the right spot between your shoulder blades for maximum comfort. My son grew rather quickly, however so I got an Ergo on a recommendation from a friend and because they can go up to 40lbs. It took a little while to get used to it after the Bjorn, but now I love it - particularly the fact that you can wear it on front, back, or side. I tend to wear him in the front when going out and on the back or side around the house, depending on the chore. He almost undoubtedly falls asleep when my husband or I wear him on our back. I have also breastfed him when wearing him on the front. Only annoying thing is that you can't really wear a bag with it as it slides off your shoulder. When out and about a snug fitting backpack does the trick while wearing him on my front. About to see how the coordinating backpack works! -A

You can also use food coloring to tint the icing. -A

Not sure if they do, but I reckon if anywhere would, Crystal Palace Natn'l Sports Ctr would. You can search for courses here: https://www.sportscourses.org/Home/Default.aspx

I'm making a birthday cake for my mother-in-law's 60th. Is Putney the closest shop that sells cake decorating equipment? I don't have a car. Please let me know if anyone knows of anything closer. Thanks, -A

With regard to questions 3 and 4, this gets to that old debate about nature vs nurture. The issue that needs to be addressed is that regardless of where you stand on these questions there should be equality of opportunity for all genders for all jobs and types of work. The role of government (question 8) is to create and regulate an environment that enables this. Not an enviable task! With regard to Brum's post above - fully support the general message of your post, however it could be argued that since men traditionlly hold the "power" in our society, it is men that have pigeonholed themselves into their roles and women's roles are "inflicted" upon them. (Please don't take this too literally!) Men can choose to stay at home (albeit with society generally looking sceptically at their choice). Often if one parent is going to stay at home, the man returns to work because he was earning more. And why is that? Mother's who want to work can face a lot of obstacles getting into or back into the workplace. I think what it comes down to for both genders is the need for - here it comes - good work-life balance. -A

If you go with baby-led weaning (which saves time on cooking special things, on pureeing, and on having to feed your child before you eat, but takes time in cleaning up) I found the Tiny Diner Placemat that Jojo Maman Bebe sells to be great. Bibs with sleeves are a MUST (the ones from Sainsbury's are pretty decent)! Also, if you want to steam food, you don't need a separate steamer on your countertop. You can just use a steaming basket in your regular pots: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kitchen-Craft-Stainless-Collapsible-Steaming/dp/B0001IWW4S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1269920629&sr=1-1-spell These little gadgets are great! -A

For the breastfeeding peer support counselors: After my (home) birth the midwife had me lay on my side for the first breastfeed. I think this was great because otherwise I probably would not have had the confidence to try this position right away. Feeding on my side enabled me to get much more sleep at night than I would have if I sat up for every feed. I think all midwives/health visitors should help new mothers with this! Also, agree that validation and correction from the midwives visiting in the early days was very helpful. -A

A friend of mine with a similar problem said that nipple guards really helped. Only problem was that she got used to sucking on the plastic and then had to readjust to real skin after a while. -A

Many thanks, Ladies. I also had a look on the BLW website forums and there were several posts on the same topic. I never thought of "drip feeding" because the book gave me the impression that there should always be a selection in front of him, but I put fewer things out last night and he definitely put less in at once. Again, thanks to all! -A

Hi Sophie, I don't think you'll have a problem with the car seat. Am currently in the US and the car seat that my folks have straps in using the seat belt. They have one that can be strapped in facing the seat or facing the front. Be aware that if you are using a car that has side airbags, the car seat will need to be strapped in the middle and not lay flush on the seat. You can use towels to even it out better. -A

I'm back! This time asking for help. Is there anyone out there who has toddlers or older children now that were weaned this way? A la the "Others dissaproving of home birth" thread, I'm am currently in the midst of controvery with my mother over baby led weaning. I feel pretty confident about it, but there is one issue for which I did not have a good answer. My son puts quite a lot of food in his mouth at once, and just keeps piling it in. I don't thin it's an issue becuase he evenutally spits most of it out and has never choked, but do they just eventally stop doing this on thier own and figure out to eat one piece at a time? Thanks, -A

Reren, I feel your pain. Not only did I opt to have a home birth, but I'm from the States where when you say "midwife" to someone you may as well be saying "witch doctor." I tried to do a little persuiding using as many facts as I could about the safety of home births, but in the end sometimes you just have to draw a line and say this is the decision I've taken, discussion over. My mother-in-law (British), who is a nurse, was very supportive though and her nursing friends were all very impressed and wanted to know all about it. Of course, I understand that our parents feel this way only out of love and concern for us. I think in some ways it must be quite hard for parents to see their children become parents. I also wanted to pick up on buggies comment. I don't think that there is any correlation between the type of birth your parents had and the one you may have. I was induced, my sister was late, and my husband's mother had quite a long labour. My son was born two weeks before his due date with about 2 hrs of established labor. In fact, he would have been born at home regardless of whether we had planned it or not! To katgod - granted my labour was short, but the "mess" was not terrible and mostly taken care of by the midwives before they left. There was a bit of laundry to do, but that's been the case pretty much ever since! -A

I love when social/political theory comes full circle. I thought that I would find having a baby a complete ball and chain and that I would be itching to get back to work and keep up as much as possible my previously "normal" life. Much to my surpise, however, I don't mind it in the least. If there is any baby tyranny, then I would put it in large part to the modern nuclear family social construction. If we still lived with or had much closer access to our extended families, and if the older generations of our families were not compelled to retire at older ages, then there would be much less of an intense burden on the mother, or mother and father. "It takes a village" and all that. Of course in my case I don't have the luxury of blaming society at large - I'm an expat and chose to live in a country where I would not have my family network available. Luckily for you, dear reader, my little wriggling tyrant will not permit me to comment at any further legnth! -A

I should preface this by saying that I've never used formula and have very little experience with bottles, but . . . I read in a book (So That's What They're For that you don't actually need to heat formula. It's just done because it's closer to a breastfeed experience. If your baby will accept the formula cold or at room temp, apparently this is fine. The book even recommended that if you can get your baby to accept it this way all the better since it will make life easier. Don't know if there are any mums out there who've done this? Regarding breasfeeding cafes, there is also one on Barry Rd on Mondays (never been). Here's a link to the breasfeeding support sheet I received from my workshop at Kings with details for all the local cafes and helpline numbers: http://www.southwarkpct.nhs.uk/documents/5333.pdf And looks like all the same info on the NCT website: http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/in-your-area/southwark/slbfeed/support Best, -A

With regard to pool and softplay facilities, the following is from the consultation results paper for the Dulwich Leisure Ctr (http://planningonline.southwarksites.com/planningonline2/) ? Children and Cr?che It is vital that children are encouraged to exercise from the earliest age and the Centre will provide dedicated classes and staff to work with children. We are considering how best to adapt the pool in order to provide a teaching area. Additionally, we would hope to provide soft play facilities and create a centre that is welcoming to children. We are also looking at the provision of a cr?che with extended hours so that parents and carers of younger children can take part in activities, knowing that their children are safe and usefully engaged. I don't know what was included in the final design, but apparently this is available in the centre itself if anyone is interested. -A