snowboarder

Could do a friday afternoon if you there is one free!! Prob only good for a toddler mums meet though - I wouldn't inflict the chaos of goose green playground on anyone without little ones yet....

Hehe - nm - saw ruth with her shiny new bike seat yesterday and just mentioned that I have bought 2 bikes in the last 2.5 yrs and each time I have rendered them redundant pretty quickly by getting pregnant....

new mother Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Snowboarder, My sections have involved 48 hours in > hospital, and I was fit enough to leave after 24 > but they prevailed upon me to stay and continue to > enjoy their errr...hospitality. > > (ha unintentional pun!) Yeah I would have left after 12hrs if I could but the baby wasn't in fab shape...hence the long stay...

Yep - usually call you around 10/11 weeks to make appt I think....my booking was post scan (different to last time when saw them at about9/10 weeks). Call the office to hassle a bit?

Thanks again eveyone for comments. It's amazing how emotional an experience birth is!! When it comes down to it the thing I want to avoid at all costs is a lengthy stay in the post natal ward, and feel have better chance of achieving this by having home or at least positive hospital birth. I don't know what the ideal answer is yet, but for now I have a lot of food for thought and am looking into all possibilities!

Hi Ruth - we did the same last year re the cycle show!! I'd sold my last bike when pregnant and so needed baby friendly bike plus carrier that could go on either mine or hubby's bike....looked at front/back and trailers but found same issue re front (wont fit on certain bikes and ultimately an age/weight limit) and got scared of small one being so close to ground in trailer...in the end went for a hamax back seat as mentioned above as it fits via a bracket just below seat stem (good that baby bounces around independently of bike/you), and can buy 2 bracket holders so can easily fit on 2 bikes. Also realised when trialling various bikes if using back carrier it is v difficult to get on bike unless have 'ladies' style frame - as can't swing leg over back wheel when seat/baby in place!! Sorry know not what you asked.....ps don't envy you on single speed around here!! Practically had a seizure cycling to Herne Hill and back the other day and have 18 gears...blaming it on pregnancy rather than complete unfit-ness of course....

Anyone fancy a playground meet sometime? We can do most afternoons post nap time...

Hello - thanks for all comments and names of people at Kings - I will certainly start looking into everything. The problems last time were not with the C section particularly (although it wasn't quite a calm as a regular elective as I ended up bleeding and going into labour 3 days earlier than planned section!), but the post natal ward. I was fine but my baby wasn't really - nothing serious but low blood sugars/not feeding/jaundice - being allowed home then summoned back again for phototherapy - I just don't think they looked after him very well and I barely slept for about a week. Think may have been unclear - I think VBAC is an option (maybe preferred) but I understood any home birth was not (and now scared re risks), and also do not feel very positive about monitored labour at Kings. But who knows I may have another giant baby! I kind of think you can meet all these great consultants who are reassuring, but they are not around when you actually give birth so in reality the carefully made plans go by the wayside and you are at the mercy of overworked labour ward midwives. I might try and talk to other Lanes midwives but not really sure how to contact them and no planned appt for 5/6 weeks. All of this with added complication of a will then be 23 month old to look after - I'm suddenly realising it IS real and I need to plan! I can't help but have negative feelings about Kings but alternatives seem few and potentially expensive...Oh the traumas!!

F - your mail box is full! PM me details? x

He he - excellent all. Am saving these for later - all bribery and corruption tips welcomed. As it is little sb doesn't even seem to get the most basic eat your pasta or there's no pudding theme...or maybe he does and is playing me already....

Hello - right - second baby due end feb/beginning of March. I know it seems ages away but am starting to think about where/how to give birth this time. 18m ago ended up with an (unwanted but scared into it) elective c section (giant baby) at Kings followed by 6 hellish days in their post natal ward. Took me about 8m to mentally recover - just all such a shock. I'm now starting to get worried re second birth - especially as my options seem to be limited to either another elective c section or continuously monitored (does this mean strapped to bed?) birth at Kings. Neither sounds very positive - I would love to have a relaxed active VBAC (or HBAC) but my Lanes midwife is not making positive noises. And the thought of being in Kings post natal ward almost makes me cry! Does anyone know of any other options? Have looked at the Birth Centre in Tooting website which looks amazing but it is v expensive. A private midwife would presumably help re actual birth but not re post natal ward horrors (and am lucky to be with the Lanes - so they offer similar service themselves to some extent). Hmm. Any ideas? Or am I hoping for too much and should just accept the fact the price of a busy but medically great hospital is a post natal ward where you're pretty much left to sort yourself out? Maybe as am prepared for worst would be not so bad second time?

I'd forgotten about this thread!! Amazingly looking back I think 15 months compared favourably with 18 months and the escalating tantrums and scarily strong will that is developing. Shoes on? NO!!!!! Coat? NO!!!! All meals involve some sort of battle and kitchen needs industrial clean afterwards. Bath? Won't get in then won't get out...etc... Truly exhausting.

Pasta. That's not bad in itself obv, but we eat pasta at least once every single day. Try to vary the sauce. Seriously - potato waffles are bad? Here we would consider them to be vegetables and welcome them, as it is they (and chips) are only nice if there's a nice dollop of mayo you can dip them in and lick off. Supper is always sthg 'bad' like sausages/fish fingers/beans/spaghetti hoops etc. 5 a day comprises a humzinger or 2, maybe a fruit pot, ellas smoothie and maybe just maybe some pear. Milk is minimal and chocolate flavoured. Hmm - Jamie Oliver/Annabel Karmel - you try battling with my 18m old... (And we share 2 hobnobs in bed every morning and try and hide the crumbs so husband doesn't notice....)

How about mud? Esp on cord baby blue trousers....(yeah I know stupic colour for an 18 month old boy...)...

Have seen at least one around in ED - looked nice and neat - but just thought seat unit might not last a sturdy toddler v long? Looked quite small, and no foot rest? (might have that wrong). Where sells them?

What's 'general swim'? I was thinking this would be ok? So therefore 9.30 - 11.30 on tuesdays (women only for part!), wed and fridays? No? Is 'general swim' sthg else? Can you take babies into 'general swim'?? Babies lessons on wed morning only - but would have though booked up by now.

GGG - it was weird how long they took with everyone wasn't it. It only took a couple of mins for me to be served - not sure what everyone else was doing. I was one of the harrassed ones with a rampaging toddler....but by arriving only about 10 mins earlier than you seemed to have got away with a much shorter wait. There was a max of 10 people in front of me and it took 50 mins!

Don't know - there was a big queue but hard to say what age group lessons everyone was booking for. There are only a very few parent and child lessons. Call them to see?

East Dulwich.....

OH I've never before had to cope with queuing for an hour and controlling (well, sort of) a toddler! Happy to have signed him up for lessons though. Although apparently the water is v cold, so we'll be getting his wetsuit out I suppose. Has anyone been yet? Hoping to try out soon.

American apparel is pretty much all plain stuff....

'Cook' (one in in W Dulwich) do vouchers you can get online for pre prepared meals. I got bath stuff etc too and lovely though it was it has never been used - and spa day thingies not great for b/feeding mums IMO as it's ages before you can leave the baby for any length of time - but you will know what she is like and whether she would love that kind of thing! How about a night nanny for a couple of nights so she can sleep....Ahhhh!

Will psyche self up to have a look. I'm not sure a diet of shreddies, cheese, pasta, baked beans and sausages with an ample helping of marmite rice cakes on the side will go down too well though....shudders...

Oh GOD seriously F I don't dare even try the tot it up calculator. There are pictures of toddlers looking happy eating fruit and vegetables.....oh DEAR.

prdarling do you have any details re JAGS? And ages? Little snowboarder actually DOES think he is DB, but at 18months too small for little kickers (unless want to travel to Croydon, umm, no).