ae

I used to cycle from ED to CW. Friend introduced me to the off-road (mostly) route from Tower Bridge to the Wharf and it was absolutely lovely. Made it much safer and more pleasant. Used to do it in about 40 minutes, but I was v slow and unfit. I've attached a screenshot of the route (actually a return journey, but it's pretty much the same outbound), because it's quite difficult to try and explain. Usefulness might depend on where in ED you are?

We have a tripp trap and also a Cosatto Noodle (so he can sit upstairs while I do chores, or we can take it to his grandparents because it's easier to pack) and it's great - softer than the tripp trap and more adjustable for a smaller baby.

I got a BabaSling from Jojo Maman Bebe when my wee one was 5 months and I wish I'd got it earlier because it's great, and I was able to breastfeed him in it hands free (for a couple of weeks before he outgrew it). I still use it a lot as it's really easy to get him in and out of it if I need to carry him (he's getting quite heavy now). After getting a Beco Gemini (which I also love), it seemed a very bargainous ?40. http://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/sp+babasling-baby-carriers-in+B7665

Blimey. I thought the banging music I could hear as I fed my wee boy in the early hours was a neighbour. Must have been horrific for those closer?

According to the police officer who knocked at my door to ask if I'd seen anything? Between midnight and 6am. Residents upstairs sleeping. In through unlocked back gate/patio doors. Silent. Pros, most probably. When I asked about abbotswood rd she said there'd been break ins but didn't give me details. Rather worried now. Between break-ins and two muggings (one at shaw rd junction and one in the wee park) its not feeling nearly as safe down here as it once did. :(

Feeling your pain on the nappy rash front? :-/ Teething is just shite. I just bought Metanium and it seems really good. Was previously using sudocrem or waitrose bottom butter but other than providing a bit of a barrier, they didn't seem to help. Have to say I haven't been spreading it very thin, I've been lathering it on, mostly because it's easier and faster and there's less touching/rubbing because every contact makes my wee one cry in pain right now. With any luck, it'll have done its job and he'll be less raw in the morning.

Well, there's currently a riot van parked in one of the streets off Abbotswood Road, and the van has been in there since about 4pm today when I came home. Bit of a worry?

Well, that might explain the copper wandering along Abbotswood Road earlier this afternoon. This is pretty scary though. I really hope your housemate is okay and that they catch the scumbag.

I gave birth via emergency Caesarian at Kings last Thursday morning and was transferred to WG a few hours later. Despite the fact that I was pretty much immobile and in serious pain as well as exhausted from 48 hours of failed induction, my hubby went home at 10 because we thought the trial of dads staying was over. Apparently the family in the next cubicle didn't get the memo. They were incredibly loud all night, waking me and my baby up several times. By lunchtime the next day I was hysterical from pain, lack of sleep and the noise from this family (including a toddler that kept running into my cubicle - with me half naked and with catheter bag and all) and it was affecting my ability to feed my wee one, so eventually I was moved to a side room because despite several midwives asking them to keep the noise down they didn't. Hubby stayed overnight with me from then on, and I couldn't have managed without him. Despite the inconsiderate people next to me at first, I think that it's really important for the option to remain for partners to stay overnight - so long as they're considerate and follow the rules. I'd probably have been in a lot longer than the three days if my hubby hadn't been around to help and encourage me. Oh, and ::o to the couple trying for the next one on the ward!

Hiya, I'm currently pregnant with my first, so can't offer any specific advice, but I can say that I know a few people who have at least had a go at having a VBAC (Vaginal Birth after C-Section) and I'm told that it's something you can talk over with your midwife/consultant and should be available to you, unless you have specific medical issues which would make it inadvisable. Something else you might want to look into is hiring a doula to support you, as there's quite a bit of evidence that having an experienced and knowledgeable birth partner (in addition to your partner) can reduce the likelihood of intervention and c-section by calming you down and acting as an advocate for you, allowing your partner to concentrate on you and you to concentrate on your labour. I've got a couple of names that I'd be happy to give you if you want. I can understand you wanting to have a sense of control - I'm having some of the same issues in the run up to my labour and finding it quite stressful sometimes. Hope you manage to get some reassurance.

Can anyone help? @JacksSE22 Di & Alex Glen CAN ANYBODY HELP???! I need to board Jacks up on Pellatt Road, Alex is in Croydon putting fires out. I have no boards :O( https://twitter.com/#!/jacksse22/status/100958267110457344 Edited to add: Just posting in response to a message I saw a few minutes ago on twitter. Possibly best to contact them directly. Phone no from website is 0207 1839135

Yes. Thanks for all your efforts to keep this place as a source of information, especially when the server gets hammered.

Mrs TP - that's what I was hearing too...

I wasn't exaggerating. I walked past three or four people at the tills whose kids were screaming as people pushed past them to get out. The majority of the shutters were already down while I was in there, other than the front door ones.

I was in Sainsbury's on Dog Kennel Hill about 50 minutes ago. One of the main door panels had been smashed and was being boarded up and the whole of Starbucks and the far exit had shutters down. Had been there maybe 10 minutes when a store announcement came over tannoy asking customers to leave all shopping and evacuate immediately. Cue mild panic. Staff rushing to empty and secure tills. Parents looking worried. Kids screaming. Second announcement to reassure people that there wasn't a situation out front, but that they were closing early (at 1.50ish pm) as a precaution. Cue tutting and eye-rolling and few people trying to go back in to finish their shopping. As I left, I heard three (separate, unrelated) people say it was in response to reports of a large mob headed to the store. No idea if that bit's true, but the staff and security at the door looked very twitchy and clearly wanted to get everyone out sharpish.

I'm with Pickle. Having had my ears pierced with a gun in Claire's when I was about 14 and then again in later life (because they closed over when I didn't wear earrings for a while) along with a bunch of other piercings, at a proper piercing place, please please please, if you're going to get pierced at any age, don't get it done with a gun. A clean, sterile, very sharp needle used by a professional doesn't hurt for long, and creates a clean wound which heals easily and quickly, and the choice of fitting (usually a closed ball hoop) promotes healing. With a gun, a blunt stud is fired through the tissue and tears it, creating a bigger lump of scar tissue, and it is much more painful and slower to heal, particularly because the butterfly commonly used to hold the stud in place doesn't allow air to the wound. Yes, it may be a bit more expensive, but I think it's worth the extra cost, especially where children are concerned. I got all of my needle piercings done at a place in Camden, and they were fantastic, but I have a feeling that for insurance reasons, you won't find any piercing places in London who will work on such a small baby, so your only option may be to have it done in your home country.

The guerilla gardening across the whole car park (and extending down the steps that lead away from it at the bottom) has made me smile for months now. I've seen some of the girls who work at the car wash watering and weeding around the plants on occasion. It's so lovely. Long may it continue.

I've always found GMs Hair on Melbourne Grove fantastic. Everyone who I've come into contact with there has been really lovely and I've always left feeling fantastic. In addition to the ace hairdo I always get, if you book an appointment with one of their more senior stylists, you get a free hand and arm massage while your hair is being cut too. A really nice touch! On the subject of colour during pregnancy (a subject close to my heart - I have far too many greys to make it to October without doing *something*), I was advised to go for highlights, semi-perm colour or one of those 10 minute jobs for permanent colour, so the dye isn't on your scalp for very long if you do decide to go for full colour.

I can't express how much of a relief it is to read this thread. I'm booked in at Kings for my first the end of September and I've been dreading it because I've been worried about the level of care I'd get and having heard a few poor reports about Kings. Thank you so much for posting all your positive stories. It's really taken a load off my mind.

Mine didn't really stop until about 16-17 weeks and it still pops by to say hello when I get too tired, hungry or dehydrated. Horrible. Hope you feel better soon.

I got my makeup done by a Laura Mercier makeup artist in advance of my wedding last year. He recommended a combo of their Secret Concealer and Secret Brightening Powder. I was a bit skeptical until I looked in the mirror. The bags under my eyes had completely disappeared! Actually, the whole experience was a revelation - I looked the best I've ever looked. Like me, but better - not like some clown/harlot version of me which was my fear when I sat down. But anyway? The Secret Camouflage (square palette with two shades of concealer in it) is apparently a different formulation for other areas of the face. I know it seems really expensive to buy a cream and a powder, but you hardly use any of either each time, so they last for ages. I have a feeling that it'll expire before I've used it all. I wouldn't normally have gone for it, but because it was for my wedding I thought I'd give it a go. Now, I don't think I'd go back to what I used before (Touche Eclat - before I knew it was a highlighter and not a concealer) or some cheapy concealer.

A summer sunday in the park sounds fab to me! :)

I'm pregnant with my first which is due Sept 29th/Oct 2nd (depending whether you believe scans or own dates). Definitely up for meeting up with some other local mums/mums to be.

Hello! Hoping I'm not the only one in the Autumn babies club? anyone else out there? ae

Hi, Can anyone recommend a (reasonably) local birth doula? I'm pregnant for the first time - due end of September - and a bit concerned that the midwives I'm seeing just now won't be the midwives who'll be with me when I go into labour. I'd like to have someone independent with me who I've been able to build up a bit of a relationship with beforehand, and just can't stretch to paying for an independent midwife. I've looked on the Doula UK website, but would like to find someone who comes with a good recommendation and the EDF has never let me down in this area. Many thanks, ae