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FYI - baby drank scalded milk that I defrosted quickly in hot water. Thanks!

I think that is a bit of conspiracy theory New Mother! The only money-saving agenda is the saving in long - term health care costs associated with breast-fed babies. The literature supplied to employers informing them of their legal obligations to pregant women and mothers the point is made that parents of breastfed children have less absenteeism due to caring for sick children.* Employers are legally obliged to provide facilities for brestfeeding mothers to express, and maternity leave laws ensure that women can come back to work. Employers who deny these rights should be challenged - the laws are on a mothers' side - but I don't think it's fair to blame the government. *PLEASE don't bombard me with posts saying that I'm accusing mothers who use formula of making their kids sick or any related nonsense. To be frank, I find all of the overly defensive posts about formula on here mundane. I cannot ever recall seeing a post where a breastfeeding mother accused a mother using formula of being a bad mother or failing in any way. I think Sillywoman's Eleanor Roosevelt quote is quite poignant. OK. I'll stop boring people now. This is my last post on the matter. -A

Please bear in mind that the origin of such guidance is based on previous very bad behaviour by formula manufacturers, e.g. promotion of formula as better than breastmilk, especially in poor communities. Nestle is an infamous perpetrator of this in poor countries and motivated many breastmilk - action campaigns. Also, bear in mind that there was a time when breastfeeding was actively discouraged by doctors and women were given injections to dry up their milk and go straight to forumula. I'm not making this up - my grandmother did this. The codes and subsequent regulations are meant to protect vulnerable groups from misleading information, not to stop people who have made informed choices from getting BOGOF's on formula! I think the mother's in the ED Forum community are quite lucky to be so well informed and make the best choices for them and their babies, be it breastmilk, forumula, or a combination of both. You wouldn't think it from our community here, but according to the NCT, the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. In the States the rates are dismal. I say this not because I think people who make informed choices that include formula are in any way inferior, but because I think there many women who do not have access to good information and don't actually make informed choices. Again, I will site a family example. My sister (lives in the US and has a graduate degree in social work) thought that some people need to give their babies formula because some babies don't like the taste of breastmilk. Sorry to wax on about this, but I think that the WHO code and national regulations are actually quite important. It is annoying that you don't get the points since I'm sure that quite a lot of money is spent on formula, but the reasons behind it really aren't an affront to people who purchase forumula. -A

Poppy, I don't know if I would really characterise your baby as a "bad" sleeper. There seem to be all these ideas out there that your baby should be feeding only once at night by a certain stage, sleeping "through" at another . . . (And I think it's important to note that when most people refer to sleeping "thorugh" they're really talking about the period between about 11PM - 5AM.) All babies are different and from what I've heard (and based on the posts above), I sounds like your baby falls into the range of - perfectly normal! My son is currently 9 months old. When he was 6 months I started to worry because he only fell asleep at the breast or when rocked. My mom said I needed to get him off those habits. I started to try different methods to get him to sleep on his own because I felt I "should." They all cause all of us to get less sleep, so I gave in and decided to just do whatever seemed to settle him the fastest - and that usually meant a comfort feed. Now that he's older he still wakes up a few times in the night, but I don't usually have to feed him each time to resettle him. Sometimes he still needs some rocking. I'm not bothered that he still wakes or feeds because he's settling back down and I still feel I get enough sleep (or at least - I would if I went to bed earlier and didn't stay up to watch bad TV!). Anyway, this method might not work for you, but what I'm trying to say is don't worry too much about what you think you should be doing because of books, health visitors, and even friends. Do what works for you, your baby, and your situation, and whatever gets you all the most sleep. Things will fall into place and evolve, and you will develop different strategies to deal with all the changing patters and habits - and his sleep habits will continue to change! I just keep reminding myself - he's not going to be 15 years old and still need a feed at night! I hope that's the kind of reassurance you were looking for! Best wishes, -A

This is awesome. Thanks for posting Fuschia. Wasn't aware of the exhibit either - definitely going. -A

I did the one at Kings and thought it was OK. It's really focused on labour and not so much on the first few weeks after you have your baby. There were some nice couples there that I could have seen keeping in touch with, but to my knowledge no one did. I've heard that the nice thing about the NCT classes is that it's a closer knit group that meets up afterward and a good source of post-birth support. However, if the class your taking is only 3 couples I would think that aspect would be negated - unless of course you get on really well with those other 2 couples. Seems like a lot of money to spend to make friends!

I've used this service before and they have always shown up with the requested seat. Sometimes instead of sending a car with a seat they send a minivan that has one of those built in child seats. And sometimes when they send the car seat it's not installed and the driver doesn't know how to do it. It really depends on which driver you get. -A http://www.englandtransfers.com/

Thanks for the tip LI. Will try that too. I was defrosting in the fridge . . .

Thanks for the advice ladies, and for the links Fuschia. I haven't notice a soapy smell, but I do suspect that my milk goes off somewhat quickly. I have stored milk both in the fridge and freezer in Lansinoh storage bags, so I don't think the storate method can be what is affecting it. Luckily it's not a necessity at the moment, but I will try scalding to see if it makes a difference and it's a lipase issue. Thanks again! -A

I bought one at an NCT nearly new sale that I absolutely LOVE. Best ?10 I ever spent. Unfortunately, because it didn't come in any packaging I have no idea what brand it is. It's a long, cylindrical bean bag. You can move and squash the beans to accomodate your head, bump, and between your legs. Afterwards I used it for breastfeeding, after that I used it to support my son before he could sit on his own, and after that I used it around him to cushion him when he fell. Needless to say, I'm not giving it up, but maybe you can find a similar one. Likewise, you are welcome to borrow mine to try to see if it's the right kind for you. -A

Hmm. I had quite a different experience. Certainly there were days when I felt I didn't "get enough done," and days I didn't feel confident in the decisions I was making, but overall I'd say in the beginning I was on a babymoon! I just couldn't get over how perfect he was and how full of love and emotion I was for him. Perhaps that's because I wasn't really gagging to have a baby in the first place, so the wonderment of it all was quite a lovely surprise. I'm pretty sure hormones had a lot to do with it too. The shocking bit was the sort of "post-trauma" of labour. I had a fairly quick and easy one relatively speaking (and I emphasise the relative bit of that statement), but images of the worst bits of the experience kept flashing though my mind for several weeks afterward - maybe up to about 3 or 4 months. I can't remember now. I couldn't get it out of my mind. -A

Washable. The cotton or whatever filling in the disposables ones gets rucked up. Also cheaper in the long run. Might want to have a few around though as the washables are thicker and you can sometimes see the outline depending on your shirt material. Very flattering to walk around with two circles on your chest! -A

I don't know Jud. As the requests for homebirth are growing rapidly, around here it is recommended that you request it as soon as possible so you can get on the community midwives' list. I would contact your midwifery unit ASAP to discuss it with them and clear up any confusion, and make sure you are on the right list. -A

If you haven't been referred to community midwives by your hospital, how have you been planning to have a home birth? Are they going to send a hospital based midwife to your home? I would have thought that if there are community midwives affiliated with your hospital that you would have been referred from the start. At Kings, they refer you at your booking appt. -A

Has anyone else had the experience of a baby who will drink fresh (refridgerated) expressed breastmilk but refused to take frozen and then defrosted milk? I can only surmuse that it must change the taste or some other property. -A

I look back so fondly of those early days of just sitting around breastfeeding all day. I didn't have any DVD box sets, but luckily there was 3 hrs of Star Trek on every day on Virgin 1. Sweet times! -A

Hi Joella, Of course it's up to you, but my 9 month old son loves using his doidy cup. So far I've only given him water in it. I don't think I would be too keen to put anything else in it when it gets banged around. I would love him to take a sippy cup but he just doesn't get it . . . Anyway, I remember reading on the doidy cup package that for breastfed babies it's OK to go straight to a cup and never bother with a bottle. (They would say that though.) Also, don't know what type of bottle you are using, but I have Tommee Tippee ones that are supposed to be good for combining breast with bottle. You're welcome to bororow one to see if it makes any difference. -A

Hi LI, I have a 9 month old who also still breastfeeds a lot. I went into work for a keep in touch day on Monday and was very nervous about the milk situation. I had some fresh expressed milk from Sunday and that morning - but only enough for one bottle. I also defrosted bunch of frozen milk. While I was away he had one bottle after breakfast, and then refused the defrosted milk for the rest of the day - but he was fine! I had a feeling he would reject the defrosted milk as he has done this before. My little epicurean. He even napped twice without my breasts or a bottle. I was pleasantly surprise and now am feeling much more confident about returning to work this summer. Anyway, the moral of this story is that I think when you are not around, they don't want it as much and they deal quite well with the situation. And from 1 year - you could give cow's milk during the day. I doubt he'll go hungry/thirsty. Hope this is somewhat reassuring! -A

I started my maternity leave 2 weeks before my EDD thinking that would be plenty of time to get organised for the baby and to unwind and relax in preparation for labour. Much to my surprise, my son was born 2 days after I started my leave - and yes, it was my first! We didn't even have nappies in the house. Next time I'm definitely taking from 36 weeks. As for being bored, I suppose it really depends on your personality. I was kind of hoping for some quiet personal time before such a big life change. As many people told me afterward - the early arrival and dealing with not being as prepared as I would have like was the first lesson in parenthood. As for the commute, the bus rides in the hot weather were rather trying toward the end and despite my hugely obvious late-term pregnancy, seats were not always forthcoming. I couldn't possibly imagine how horrible the tube would have been. But at least there is a simple solution - demand your seat! Anyway, I'm sure whatever you decide will work! Best of luck, -A

I live closer to Forest Hill station and have often wondered why the London Br - Victoria service is not more frequest and does not run during rush hour. There must be a demand for it - it's rediculous. I therefore wouldn't assume that demand dictates service! -A

http://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/pregnancy/3rd_trimester/article/could_be_anytime

I've also been searching for a nanny share and have been quoted ?6-?7/hr per family. -A

Using Calgel or a similar product can help with teething pain. And agree with Fuschia above - sleep habits change a lot. As they become more aware of their surroundings, they seem less eager to settle down. At least, this has also been my experience thus far. As soon as you think you have a routine down - PRESTO - time for a change in habits. -A

Thanks Barrybrains - I didn't know that. Good thing my husband stopped breastfeeding. ;-)

My husband sometimes suffers from insomnia. I bought his some Dr. Stuarts valerian tea and the stuff works a treat. There are lots of sleepytime teas out there, but I think Dr. Stuarts has the highest valerian content. I'm sure you can also find valerian tablets. -A