Yak

We got a second hand maclaren suitable from birth (oh forum, how I love you) then bought a car seat that you can attach for forward facing time. Seems to work for us!

Not in my experience - yaklet last estimated at 7'10" at 39 wks which was his birth weight @ 41+4 wks. If you search for a thread I started on growth scans at Kings you'll see other's experiences

Yep ditto us!

Wow D that's brilliant news! Many congratulations indeed - and how did you fit 9'+ of baby inside that neat bump?! 23charlie - ow, ow, ow. That is really tough. Hope things are a little easier & we get to meet Freddie soon. I could make a meet up next week; we're busy Tues and Weds but otherwise have no plans & Mr Yak will be back at work so am keen to inflict the gassy Yakling on more unsuspecting forumites. When is good for others?

Earliest for us will be 10.30. Looking forward to it!

Weather looks ok for tomorrow at the moment. So shall we say meet between 10 & 11? Yaklet & I have no routine yet so it rather depends on when we get sorted as to when we turn up!

hmm, so Thurs doesn't look good for many of us - should we postpone til next week? We have no plans apart from on Friday 6th, and I guess the Monday bank hol is out too.

How about a bumps and newborns picnic? I think we will be up for something on Thursday or Friday of next week- are others free then? I am of course assuming that this lovely weather will continue Bb, the yaklet is a boy - 7'10" so totally, totally normal and healthy!

Hooray for the new Bear Cub! The Yaklet made an appearance after 11 days similarly at speed.... born five past midnight after about 3 hours established labour. It's a good job we stuck with our home birth plan....Looking forward to meeting up wih the new arrivals soon, and best of luck for those waiting probably more patiently than I did!

It's in warwick gardens- details here http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,622760

Sorry, I can't make Friday either - but I will be at the wooden circle playgroup this afternoon. Like BB I have rather given up on having a baby. In fact I am just coming round to thinking I'm not pregnant at all, and have just eaten a rather large amount of cheese this winter :) But I could do Monday - again, assuming no Yaklet. If there are newborns around who need cuddling while toddlers are kettled I'm happy to volunteer!

Just to reiterate my earlier endorsement, Amy has continued to work marvels on my neck and shoulders and even managed to get them in a vaguely fit state for the impending breastfeeding I hope to be doing in the near future.... She's also good for "overdue" massages with clary sage oil and knowledge of pressure points to help bring on labour. She's just ace!

So shall we say 10.30? Not been to the new cafe by Peckham Rye but keen to give it a go! Do you know what its called?

Hi Jenni and Alexa, I think the silence might be down to a few people giving birth at the moment or being induced! But subject to any surprises, I should be around this week. I could make Tuesday morning if that's good for others? Looking forward to meeting you, and congratulations Jenni on the new arrival!

So.. shall we say Dulwich Park at 3pm for whoever can make it? Those who need to walk because overdue can do so, and space for toddlers?

I might be able to make in the afternoon, too...if you let me know where you're meeting up, I'll try to make it!

Mrs F, why do I have this feeling that I'll be doing exactly the same as you in a week or two? Hope something works for you... Come on baby F! You can do it!

I was amazed at little William, and really thought he wouldn't make it. Quite, quite incredible. So is that the season over then? For real addicts, there's Lambing Live starting on BBC 1 next Monday....

I also wonder whether the current emphasis on having a birth plan is right. I've just completed an NCT class locally (not with Tess, I should add) and for me the balance between what (i) happens in labour in an ideal situation; (ii) what can happen if there are complications, and (iii) care for, and challenges of, a newborn was too skewed to focus too much on (i) for my liking. I am fully committed to trying - as we all are - for the "best" birth experience I can achieve but I can't help thinking that personally too much time can be spent emphasising it, with the result that one tends to dwell (perhaps a bit unhealthily) on it. I suspect that won't help to manage expectations and keep a pragmatic, flexible and realistic outlook on what can happen. I'm feeding back comments to NCT separately. The closest analogy I've come to in my mind is that labour and parenthood is like standing on top of a springboard over a swimming pool. Labour is what gets you from the top of the springboard into the water of parenthood. There are many, many ways in which you can do it - some are beautiful, some can be breathtaking elegant, some can be pretty awful - but the important point is that once you've done it, you've done it - you're in the water, having to swim, and having to learn how to parent. Given that labour lasts for days, and parenting lasts a lifetime, I wonder do any of us put as much effort into planning for, thinking about, and recording, our "parenting plan" as we do our "birth plan"?

Early is good for me too - and somewhere with outdoor space sounds ideal, particuarly if this gorgeous weather continues.

Hi mrs f, could we make it an early lunch - or even a coffee - on Monday? Have double-booked myself otherwise! Would be lovely to see bumps or babies again.

Anyone remember the name of the stall in the ED warehouse that sold funky babygros that you could put your own slogan on? I am trying to cheer myself up with some fun retail therapy after having bitten the gauntlet and bought some nursing bras - such ugly and expensive things! *Still shuddering at the experience* I think the stall might have the word "creative" in the title, but neither I nor the chap at the Warehouse I spoke to could remember the name. It was there before Christmas but must have moved out some time after that...

Oooh just popping over from the Spring Babies board to say hello again Mirabelle and Audrey - I was at yoga last night too. I was the one with the dodgy hips in the front row also trying not to laugh at the chanting... I'm another Camberwellian and VERY keen to get things happening in SE5. I love it here and have quite a few friends with kids who are 2 / 3 years old, but none who will be having little ones this year. I've volunteered along with another SE5-ite to be the NCT tea host - as I understand it, we host tea at each others' houses for new mums in particular. One of the particular benefits is that you don't necessarily need to be an NCT member to join up! PM me with your email address if you'd like to be added to the mailing list. I'm doing NCT over at Herne Hill and although the girls are a fab group, we are quite spread out geographically. I've met quite a few people through this forum though, and, as mirabelle says, ED is literally just over the hill. But if you wouldn't mind a slightly larger bump gatecrashing any SE5 meet up you organise I'd love to tag along!

Our good friend's kids think the F word is solely to be used to describe dropping a large pan of spaghetti over the kitchen floor.

Shall we say G&B? I hear they are very baby friendly which will be perfect if we have some of the first arrivals of the club in tow! Shall we say be there from 1ish?