sophiechristophy

were people above referring to the breastfeeding workshop at Kings run by Clare Kedves? If so i am really surprised that people were so offended by it! i find the term 'breastfeeding fanatics' ridiculous - what purpose does it serve to vilify those who are actively trying to bring breastfeeding back as the norm when it comes to feeding babies? Look at the breastfeeding rates in the UK as opposed to other European countries such as Sweden and Norway. What can explain this? Breastfeeding Rates Around the World Country % of mothers who start % who continue 6 months or longer Sweden 98 53 Norway 98 50 Poland 93 10 Canada 80 24 Netherlands 68 25 Britain 63 21 United States 57 20 Sources: Baby Milk Action, Cambridge, England; Center for Breastfeeding Information, Schaumburg, IL

Molly - I love that your mum told you that poem. I think it has a wonderful and liberating message :)

Fuschia - I share your frustration. The baby food/formula industry have a lot to answer for, promoting formula and spoon feeding and early weaning to a point where it is generally accepted as the 'normal' way for babies. Then press releases like this inaccurately reinforce these commercially motivated misconceptions.

well said heidihi!

this book has a refreshing section on weaning and first foods: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Food-Mother-Baby-Fertility/dp/1596913940

thanks S x

saffron - also thinking about vaccine for my baby, i was wondering if you had looked into any risks involved?

saila - most basic cereal will also contain salt and sugar.

if iron deficiency is a key reason in advocating weaning earlier than 6 months, why is that not followed by advocating natural sources of iron rich foods for weaning on to? most weaning advice for pre 6 month weaning recommends the whole pureed fruit/pureed veg route - not exactly going to boost the iron supplies unlest it's leafy green veg and dates that is being pureed! i wonder what we would all do in a time before 'advice'. Would we think it made sense to give solids to our babies before they can sit up on their own? Before they can hold the food they are eating?

Ginger is good for settling the stomach and helping against travel sickness.x

we had reward charts growing up, and we loved them! i think it is a great idea, you can always moderate how you use them by the reward that you choose. i think it is definitely worth a try. will probably distract your little one from the negative behaviour for long enough for your 6 month old to get a bit older and more able to defend herself!

hi there ladies, i have a lot of PMs from people that responded to my original thread about this who I know are very keen to meet. Could we perhaps do a Thursday morning? Fuschia - would that suit you? Sophie

- The Florence does a great sunday roast, and they have a specific play area for children! :)

Parents sometimes forget that it isn't their right to have access to their children (after a certain age) and by association their children's children. If your mother in law isn't capable of behaving well and treating you and your feelings respectfully, then why should she be able to come into your home? I am not suggesting disowning her, but boundaries have to be agreed on that respect your feelings and sense of self. Is there anyway that you can be brutally honest with her? Maybe in a group with your husband and another neutral person as a mediator? When these things have been so bottled up, I think it is really hard to move forward until you have confronted the person that has offended you with how their actions have made you feel, and they have acknowledged this. Once that has been done, you can agree a code of conduct on both sides for moving forward.

agree completely with ginag3 and bluesuperted! :) xxx

i have fed my baby without problem at all at the following: Brockwell Lido Cafe Dulwich Park Cafe The Florence Pub (Herne Hill) Pizza Express (Dulwich Village) Crown and Greyhound (Dulwich Village) i suppose though they are just the places I am most of the time, haven't come across anywhere that i have felt that I couldnt' feed her :)

The media is so disappointing when it comes to breastfeeding i think - when was the last time you saw anyone breastfeed on TV? I mean, people have babies in soaps all the time, and you could easily suggest that a character was breastfeeding without them actually doing it, so why doesn't it ever happen??? It's so frustrating!!!!! Have you guys seen this: http://www.bestforbabes.org/

greece! www.sawdays.co.uk

has anyone else come across this on facebook? facebook admin pulled a page that was a troubleshooting/support page for breastfeeding: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Bring-back-The-Leaky-Boob/185706648121870 because of it's 'obscene' contents i believe, aka photos of breastfeeding mums. can you believe it?!!

East Dulwich WI?

I can really really really recommend one of these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fisher-Price-Healthy-Care-Booster/dp/B002YK2WMI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1293797315&sr=1-3 It is AMAZING. Honestly, it is probably the best thing that we have bought since having a baby. It fits onto pretty much any chair, is really easy to take places with you, really easy to clean - you just wipe and the tray can go in the dishwasher if you want. We are doing baby-led weaning with our daughter, and it is also perfect for that as the tray is a really manageable size to act as an eating tray. I love love love it! It is also so space economical - goes on a normal chair, easy to throw in the car/boot/footwell.

I was hoping to have a home birth, and laboured at home from Sunday - tuesday morning when we went into kings because of meconium in the water. my advice would be to plan a home birth, and then go to hospital if you want to when it comes to the time. You can always choose to go - the benefit of planning the home birth is that midwives will come out to see you at home during your labour to assess you. It is a lot easier to plan a home birth, and change your mind at the time and go to hospital than it is to plan for hospital and at the last minute decide you want to be at home. planning a home birth just gives you both options.

Solids won't fill a baby up for the night - if the baby is hungry more milk is preferable before 6 months.

I would say it is most likely teething, and will pass. My baby tends to wake like this when she is having bad teething pain - it's like having a newborn again! maybe suggest to your daughter to give her some baby nurofen when she puts her baby to bed. this might help.

hi sewingmummy, thanks for getting in touch! xxx