jennyh

Wow I had no idea that was the case, how shocking but I guess they have to draw the line somewhere as their supplies obviously aren't endless. Having been overall underwhelmed by the support offered with breastfeeding perhaps I was very lucky with the one midwife who helped me in this respect. Sounds like it could have been a lot harder. I hope you find what you're looking for, if I see anything in my travels I'll be sure to post!

Hey No advice on where to buy im afraid but I had my daughter at Kings in Feb and found that they were very helpful at providing bottles and teats, so much so that they gave me a load to take home with me to make it easier in the early days. It was all readily available to take from the kitchen bit where the microwave and sinks are and you could really help yourself to sterile bottles and teats. not sure if perhaps they have changed the system?

I'm going to try not to! Been there too many times. I know what my options are but not sure I can be bothered to change it! Hoping it's just a phase!!

Well it isnt ideal...mine will only really sleep in the cot or the pushchair although it was a struggle to get her to sleep in the pushchair and she needs movement plus the slumberbear box. I often thought how lovely to have a dummy to pop in and have instant sleep! If she wakes (which she does frequently) it depends on what she does. If she cries out but is sleepy with it then I remotely turn the lullabies on her monitor on. If that doesnt work I sneak in and try and put her bear and cow back on the sides of her head without her seeing me or smelling me! If that doesnt work then I try and reposition her and turn her on her side. Then I will shush and pat her back or stroke her head to calm her if needs be. If all else fails I pick her up and cuddle her until she has calmed and then put her back and stroke her until she is settled. its a mission to be honest and I am now back at work so the fact she is going through a phase of needing constant reassurance in the night (every hour some nights!) i am a little tired of it!!!

Hi We took away our daughters dummy at this time for exactly the same reason, if you search I started a long thread about it on the forum! It was actually much more pain free than I imagined and we combined it with some sleep training so light controlled crying (weak controlled crying!) and patting, etc. Basically we went cold turkey and over a couple of nights we just concentrated on helping her get to sleep in other ways but were consistent in our approach. She did cry and it was awful but she had a slumberbear and a jellycat cow which are now her comforters. I found she registered very quickly that she no longer had it. From what I've heard it can be harder as they get older and from my experience my daughter was at the peak of her awareness about surroundings/separation anxiety at 6/7/8 months. I had been worried about cot death as they say not to take away but I called te FSiD charity and they talked trough all the other factors and we agreed that the dummy could be removed.

My nearly 9 month old started there recently too and so far have had a good experience. We had childminder dramas and the staff went to great lengths to make me feel secure and happy about our choice. My daughter is quite a sociable baby anyway but she has really warmed to the staff and they seem to make a big fuss over her. They have given me lots of time to discuss my thoughts over the last few weeks and have dealt with my first-time parent paranoias and little things that I thought they might scoff at. They are reassuringly caring and attentive and the children seem happy. Food is quite basic but good, they really push her to develop new skills that I wouldnt do like getting her to feed herself sandwiches. They do rock her to sleep which I dont really like but understand why they do this. Toys all seem in good condition, plenty of things for them to do, lots of variety in playtime. Negatives- my daughter hasnt been able to go for 2 weeks because of a tummy bug followed by a horrendous cold and cough/lost voice etc etc. This is to be expected though, is not just because its nursery and is obviously going to happen as we go into winter...has been very frustrating though as I couldnt go back to work! Also she has ended up with a few bumps and grazes but I really dont see any cause of alarm, she is quite an energetic child and can easily get into scrapes. She did get sat on by one of the other children but I think it is all character building!

Not a huge amount I can add as mine is only 8 months but she is a pretty poor eater and always has been from the day she was born, always been hard to get milk into her and has never willingly opened a nice wide mouth for anything other than yoghurt or fruit puree. We get by on the occasional spoonful of something savoury, a piece of bread or cheese that often ends in gag-enduced vomiting or the failsafe Ella's chicken casserole or beef stew. This is the sort of thread that I really like reading despite the fact it is about older children, I really value knowing what could come next!

Hi My 8 month old seems to try and strain to lie on her side at night but ends up twisted over and wakes herself up. Any idea on how I could prop her, have tried a rolledup blanket but she just flops back over and is then uncomfortable lying on top of it so wakes up! (plus not keen on leaving a blanket loose in the cot). Tried and tested methods if you have any please! Thanks Jenny

mrs f Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Unzipping the sleeping bag, wow that's impressive, > she really will do anything to fight sleep! Yep I know! Just enough to stick her foot out the end and then play with that instead :)

I was supposed to be back at work this week but thanks to the germy nursery by baby picked up a stomach bug and hasnt been well enough to go back! Just another one of those things to deal with, I keep reminding myself that the more bugs they get now the better in the long run...apparently! Just an update on mine - she is now being rocked to sleep by the nursery staff which gave me a small heart attack but I have since relaxed. I am hoping that she makes the distinction that she goes to sleep like that at nursery and on her own at home! I feel better that she is being soothed in their arms than being left upset of course. It does also mean that they are rocking her back to sleep if she wakes during her nap and still seems tired which is good. I think I had imagined that they would just get her up and crack on with the day even if she needed more sleep but so far she gets every opportunity to nap throughout the day as and when she needs which is great. Have had good days and bad days with feeding but she does seem happy to take bottles and food from them. I am not sure if it is because she is younger but her separation from me isnt so horrendous at the moment. Started badly with tears etc but she seemingly loves the nursery staff and is often happy to go to them and occasionally when I spy on her through the crack in the door she is happily playing with the others, I can tell there have been tears during the day though when I pick her up thanks to the puffy eyes! I miss her terribly when we are apart and hating the horrendously rushed hour from picking up to bedtime. Fabian's ma - what sort of issues are you facing with the settling in and have they suggested anything in particular to help? I remember when I asked my nursery how they would deal with a permanently crying baby who wouldnt settle and they said that they work with the parents to find the most enjoyable things to stimulate and distract, go outside, be taken away from the the group if too stressful etc or they would simply carry the baby around for however long it took, smother with kindness and hope for the best!

We also moved our daughter into her own room around this point I think, and we took away her dummy shortly after as she was waking for it to be replaced every 45 minutes through the night. Quite a lot of change for her but she actually slept better in her big cot as she could spread out a bit more and I wasnt disturbing her every 2 minutes. I think just go with your gut instinct really, sleep training isnt for everyone but you will know if it is something that you want to try. Unfortunately you really do have to stick with it though. We did a very loose version of controlled crying and as I learnt to distinguish between her cries of trying to go to sleep and her cries for food/wet nappy etc it became easier, I would return to the room every 5 minutes to try and soothe her and quickly knew if there was something else wrong with her. As mrs f says, she got the hang of it really quickly and mainly goes off to sleep on her own now although at 8 months the issue is more babbling, rolling around the cot, unzipping her sleeping bag, throwing toys out of the cot etc etc! All things to stay awake for!

Yes I know, I suppose that is my question really...babies do get sick for reasons other than a contagious bug so in future do I just use my judgement on whether she is actually poorly or just a one off as the last few have been. At this rate she will never be there and i will never get back to work!

Yep this rings a bell fuschia, she is a very mucousy baby which could account for something. Bed is permanently propped up, she has often hacked up globs of phlegmy jelly along with some milk. And good to know that these sick episodes can occur quite randomly and not hlbe a full on bug. my mother in law is a GP too and she seemed to think after 5 days my daughter shouldn't pose a risk if contagion to other children at nursery which was my other concern but better to be safe I guess. Have now postponed my return to work till next week! Whoopee! Grateful for your input! Thank you.

Hey Have read the post about the GP recommendation and am seeking opinion but just to ask the lovely people of the forum too.... As I posted before, my 8mo baby had tummy upset on Friday, bringing up all meals and milk feeds from the morning until the evening. Otherwise seemed happy and fine but a bit clingy, no runny nappies etc. Saturday - no sick, she kept milk feeds down but refused any solids Sunday she brought up the first milk feed but then kept smallish milk feeds down and dabbled in a little yoghurt and fruit Monday she was fine, had all milk feeds and 3 decent solid meals. Nappies by this point are wet and runny, im thinking because she hasnt had solid food for a few days?? Today - took first milk feed of 150ml/5oz and then brought it up after an hour. Fine for the rest of the day, ate all meals as normal. Bedtime milk...took full bottle fine but then went she sat up to burp the entire lot came out again plus more from her stomach. So...I am wondering what people think. Is this just a weird bug that seems to rear its head every other day for one feed or is it perhaps connected to something else. The milk feed vomits are usually burp enduced but not sure why an entire feed would come up unless it was something disagreeable. In the past she has brought up full feeds when she burps but it is by no means a regular thing. To be honest I am not hugely fussed as I know she will get over whatever it is but I was due back at work today and had to stay home as I couldnt take her to nursery having been ill. Im just questionning whether she is very ill or whether it is something else. Spoke to doc and they said that it is prob a viral thing and to just carry on day by day which I know we will have to do but I am a bit weirded out by the whole thing as its been 5 days now. of course if worried I will go straight to the doc! Edited to say that she is also coldy at the moment and has a cough/is phlegmy. Any opinion welcome as always! Thanks for reading!

Thanks everyone! Pleased to say that she kept down her bedtime milk and other than some cough-enduced wakings we had no drama in the night, she has had around 8oz of milk today in 2 separate feeds but refusing solids so we are sticking with the milk and i'm grateful she seems to be taking that ok,touch wood! very snotty, gloopy gungy and phlegmy but then she has just started nursery so I guess its the start of things to come!

Some of the pubs in the area should be nice places, The Palmerston, Bishop, Franklins or the Dog in the village. Im not in your age range but my parents are and when they come to visit we always go to a pub and I really think that Dulwich is full of different aged people all milling around together, that is why it is such a nice place to live!

Me and my 'yummy mummy' friends often go to pubs during the day because they are quiet and have lots of space. Other than a few people sitting in the window of the Bishop, the entire back section is empty so what is the problem with customers being there, eating a bit, drinking a bit, feeding their kids etc. Mums and dads also have social lives you see and the weekend means getting together with family and friends or should all kids be confined to the home, the park etc? I understand your issue if it was the night-time and agree that often it is not the right environment for children but an afternoon is surely not so bad, if that fed up you could try getting there earlier and leaving no space for the kids to arrive later on. I have to admit that I find it irritating going to the pub in the middle of the afternoon and finding I cant have an audible chat because there are so many spirited men having enthusiastic conversations with all manner of back-slapping and rowdy cheering. I would never dream of saying that they shouldnt be there as a pub is a pub, anyone can go and it all adds to the variety!

Thanks everyone. Ok an update...she had 120ml of milk just after 7 and whilst it is tempting fate to say it, so far nothing has come up. Now do we think we should try and offer a little more milk as a dreamfeed later just to up the intake a bit or just leave it and see what happens when she wakes up/feed if she seems hungry?

Thanks, its the first tummy thing she has had so I am just a bit unsure! She seems pretty tired now anyway so I am hoping that exhaustion helps get her there.

Hi Firstly sorry for repetition as I know there was a recent thread but I cant find it! My 8mo has a tummy bug I think. Her general mood is pretty good if not a bit more clingy and tearful but she hasnt been able to keep down any meals or milk today. She wants to eat and clearly has an appetite and is hungry as her tummy is empty! I tried to give her a little scrambled egg just now but that came straight up as she was eating it! So far she hasn't been sick other than after feeding so it seems to happen when there is something in her stomach to reject. She hasn't had any diarrhea but other than a full dirty nappy this morning she hasn't had any wet or dirty nappies...I guess because she has nothing to pee out! So...any advice on how I can put her to bed hungry?? I dont see the point in giving her the usual bedtime milk because she wont be able to keep it down but surely I can't expect her to go to sleep hungry??? I will prob offer her some water but other than that I am not sure what to do. Any advice appreciated. Thank you! Jenny

When you're off on maternity leave do loads of cooking as you wont really have the energy or the time to eat properly which is so important to keep up your strength and ability to feed for your baby etc. Go to AJ Farmers and buy packs of the tin foil boxes with cardboard lids. You can then mark them up in different sized portions and pop in the freezer, they can then be defrosted and popped straight into the oven in the foil dish. I found chicken pie filling was good and I just added potato or filo pastry to the top before putting in the oven, or shepherds pie filling and then add some mash to the top. Curry is good, loads of different pasta recipes, lasagne etc. We lived on this food for 3 weeks by which point I felt a little more human and could move onto making very basic stuff! I really struggled and failed to breastfeed so whichever route you are going down perhaps consider getting some ready made formula milk and a bottle or 2 for emergencies if you have any issues. Kings wouldnt let me leave until I had agreed to formula feed as we hadn't successfully established b'feeding, if that happens you want to have milk to hand so you can go straight home rather than negotiating the shops! Although as already said - whilst in hospital then will provide the milk and feeding equipment. get yourself some lactulose - they sell it behind the counter in the chemist on northcross road. Its a fairly yukky liquid that softens your stools (delightful but wholly necessary!) and it works a treat. Really helped my healing process and made the scary toilet times much easier! Ooh also - when you leave hospital see if they can give you a stash of syringes to take with you, we had ours primarily for feeding but then we've kept them and they are brilliant for giving calpol!

hellosailor Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > zeban Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > So it is a fashion accessory then?! You've just > > admitted as much although you got immediately > > upset when someone else suggested it, because > they > > were judging you! I guess they were judging you > > right, maybe it's that that bothers you all so > > much > > > > I think I've come to the conclusion now from > > reading this thread though that many Mum's with > > bugaboos are just frustrated, unhappy, and > bored > > middle class stay at home Mum's who wish they > > could buy a pair of really expensive shoes and > go > > back to their old lives but buy a really > expensive > > buggy instead because they can no longer jusify > > buying the shoes to their husbands and to the > > other Mum's ;-) > > > Zeban, > > I don't think I'd previously grasped that you > actually don't have any children. The fact that > you always seem to talk such piffle about > parenthood always used to baffle me, as I presumed > you did have children, but were simply bringing > them up on a different planet to the rest of us. I > suspect that someone who harbours such bile > towards mothers may have some personal sadness > that we aren't privy too (if not, your frequent > vitriol towards mothers on this discussion board > and yes amyw - this would be what we call trolling > - is pretty pitiful) > I would like to extend a invitation to you to come > to my flat, I shall ask some friends with a > variety of different buggies to come too, and then > you can try to get up my narrow flight of stairs > with each buggy, including my bee, and then you > can say which one you'd buy if you lived in my > flat and if you ever, heaven forfend, have > children. Are you game? Into the bargain you could > disprove my suspicion that you are in fact a 5 > foot 2" computer programmer called Colin who still > lives with his mum and spends all his time playing > with conkers in a room papered with superman > wallpaper? ;-) Ah, the best. Thanks for making me actually snort with laughter.

I would simply say that if you are lacking in first-hand experience you shouldnt really comment with such a black and white viewpoint, it isnt helpful. If however you are bored enough to post with the intention of getting people irate then knock yourself out, we will gloss over it. Good luck with the buggy hunt nabz, I am sure that the lovely mums of east dulwich would be very happy if you stopped them in the street to ask about their pushchair or to have a go! We really are not snobby, flashy and middle-class as zeban thinks! I understand your concern about the cocoon but despite finding it less favourable than a carrycot, I do think it did a good job and my girl was very snug and warm as it literally does cocoon her unlike carry cots where you have to wrap them up more. Depends on what you want but the fact that you care so much about the pushchair no doubt means that your baby will have the best start for sure!

sillywoman Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Or very practical bit of equipment that will help > you get out & about knowing that your baby is > comfortable and that you aren't damaging your back > with a too heavy pushchair? > > That's the option I'll go for. Yep that's the view I would take. Bit simplistic to say it is a status symbol, I drive an old car and live in a tiny flat with only 4 rooms, I don't think having a Bugaboo pushchair qualifies me as flashy, it just means I invested my money in something I thought was worth paying out for.

HI My daughter was born in February and we used the Bee from birth so I know how it worked for us in that temperature. I would say that like most pushchairs it has its pros and cons. The cocoon is super snug and warm but in my opinion it doesnt give the same secure hold as a carry cot, the wind can whistle around the baby a bit but if you do the cocoon up completely and put the hood up it isnt far off. I liked that we could strap her into it rather than just placing baby into a carrycot, felt a bit more secure when tipping up and down to go on stairs etc. Our daughter didnt use the cocoon for more than 2-3 months though so it was expensive for what it is, she outgrew it plus the weather didn't warrant something that warm. We have just had to shell out masses for the footmuff (but I understand you can get other brands that will fit the bee for less money). I like it is lightweight and even with a 20lb baby I can lift it up a flight of stairs and I am pretty small myself. It is nippy and squeezes between everyday obstacles like the poles on buses, or roadworks, narrow doorframes etc. The basket underneath is a bit awkward to access but you can get a fair amount in it. We had a problem with the front wheels which I understand is common and is called 'shimmying'. Was very irritating but Bugaboo sent us the bits we needed to fix and we've not had any issues. I like that the seat extends upwards and outwards so that it can grow with the child but I do wonder whether the frame will still feel sturdy when carrying a toddler! To sum up I am happy with it now that my daughter can sit up easily by herself, when she was tiny I still liked it but felt that a carrycot might be better. We didnt have space in our small flat for a carrycot/travel system so the Bee was our perfect choice as it folds down easily and doesnt take up much room when up. Any questions you have i am happy to answer!