espelli

Hooray am at a table outside by the door!

I've just got here and am at the sofas - will keep an eye out for an outside table ;)

Nabz, it's definitely not too late! We meet up on Tuesday, not Thursday - Everyone is very friendly and I always have a good laugh, it's now a highlight of my week. Looking forward to meeting you and your little girl. Anna - I'll pm you my details thank you! Very excited about the prospect of sunshine! See you Tuesday!

I agree, Kings A&E are fantastic. I have also had excellent care from Haematology Outpatients. And I can thank their new policy of scanning all women at 32 weeks for saving my baby's life. All the staff in Harris Birthright centre, antenatal and labour wards were so wonderful, and reassured me at an incredibly stressful time. I hope they find out about this thread!

I wondered about this too, my baby looked too cramped and uncomfortable in the cabriofix at 3 months. I took out the foam wedge that is part of the headhugger and that seemed to do the trick - I also moved the shoulder straps up to the next setting because his head was on the headhugger. We still have the headhugger in because his head would wobble without it when cornering!

Have PM'd you x

I'm planning to be there - will aim for 2 but may well be closer to half past judging by my recent timekeeping!

Twoish at the gardens will be great - see you there! x Elli

See you tomorrow! Elli

I'm on a mac too!

Is anyone else having trouble opening the attachment on the original thread? I seem to get stuck in a loop when clicking on the link to the pdf. Any ideas?! I'd love to see where to buy clothes for my little longshanks - also with big feet!

Yay for Ganapati! So glad Jonah was accommodating. Happy Birthday and see you next week.

Your post made me smile and while my own little superhero is a bit young for playing, your predicament made me think of something a friend created some time ago. Batman and Superman

Hi there, I'm planing to be there too. See you tomorrow x Elli

Yes - a bicycle pump works with a schrader valve.

Sorry I couldn't make it but glad it's going to be a regular thing - see you on Tuesday! Elli

Fiona, I'm glad your back is better! I'm up for going tomorrow, see you there same time? Pippa, I may see you at the gym equipment soon! Elli

Mooncake, I would love to meet up on Tuesday afternoon, but I'll be away visiting the in laws this week! I haven't been able to make the Monday meet ups, so if there are enough of us who can make Tuesday afternoon could we make it a regular thing?

Legalbeagle, I was going to PM you the contact details but Gina was happy for me to put them on here in case anyone else wanted them. Her number is 020 8299 1135 and her email is [email protected]. Am sure she will be able to answer your questions!

There is a largish group who use the Scout Hut in Sydenham Hill woods - I'll see if I can find a contact for them.

I have been reading this thread and I think much of my difficulty with the original post and subsequent discussion is how it is framed and who is asking the question. I am assuming (and I am deeply sorry if I am wrong) that the OP successfully fed her child/children past the magic 6 months, so the question comes across as "I have managed to do this so why can't others?" I am sure this is unintentional but it has the effect of making people feel they have to defend their choices and decisions. As Helena Handbasket has pointed out, several women have now posted their stories and they should illustrate how it is not always a decision that is easily taken. I am mixed feeding my baby, he is 14 weeks old. I am currently very happy with the way we are doing things, but it has taken a while for me to accept it. When I was pregnant I had full intention to exclusively breastfeed until 6 months and had even planned to express once I went back to work beyond the 6 months. I had read threads on here about breastfeeding vs formula and of all the difficulties women had had in trying to feed their babies so I was expecting to have problems but could see that there was support out there that others had accessed. I was determined that not a drop of formula would pass my child's lips. Towards the end of my pregnancy I read a comment from someone - I can't remember who - who said something along the lines of after all formula isn't poison. That stuck with me because I realised that in my determination to become a good mother and do my best for my child-to-be I was demonising formula and if formula was so bad then what was I thinking about those women who chose to give it to their children? I am so glad now that I read that because it brought me peace when my baby was born at 32 weeks by emergency cs and spent 3 weeks in hospital. I stayed in hospital all the time he was in SCBU and then in the last week, had him up on the postnatal ward with me. I had been transferred from Kings to Tunbridge Wells as there were no SCBU cots in London, and he was delivered there. I was given wonderful support for breastfeeding from the midwives on the postnatal ward and the nurses in SCBU, I was shown how to express and encouraged every step of the way. Sadly it wasn't enough. Even though I was expressing almost all the time, I wouldn't get enough to feed him. I was prescribed medication to boost my supply but it made no difference. In many ways the amount of support and the number of strategies that were suggested to me made me feel more of a failure when they didn't make a difference. I was desperate to make it work, but whether it was due to the stress I was under, or whether it was expressing that was just something I couldn't do I don't know, but without formula I couldn't feed my baby enough and it broke my heart. Sopiechristophy you have asked a question about an emotive issue, several women have told you of their struggle to feed which took an emotional toll on them and yet you suggest to the very people who are trying to give you an inkling into what those statistics really mean that they may be too emotional to comment. Read these stories - they give you the reasons why women struggle to breastfeed and stop before 6 months, but you somehow sympathise with the individual but do not see that they make up the statistic that you quote. There are women who choose not to breastfeed at all and there are those who try but don't succeed, there are also those lucky ones who breeze through it. In many ways I think the pressure to breastfeed is counter-productive, and perhaps a better way of looking at the issue would be to ask what would have reduced stress around feeding in the early days. I think hellosailor's example of a woman refusing cancer treatment shows that in many ways we have got the balance wrong. Sorry this has been such a long post - it didn't start out as one! But just as a last point, I found the comparison with Rwanda deeply unhelpful in the debate - because if I had been in Rwanda my baby would have been on the wrong side of the infant mortality statistics, along with far too many other babies who if they had had the access to medical care, clean water and affordable formula that we have, may not have died.

Looking forward to the session tomorrow - and am intrigued to find out what Grace did! See you at the cafe!

I also love the wrap slings - I have a kari me which is amazing - very comfy and the tying it does get easier! Worth having a go with it before buying one though.

Hi Louise have PM'd you my details Elli

There is nothing to stop any new school for ED opening as an all-through school with additional places from Year 7 upwards. That way an additional two forms of entry can be created for the immediate primary need in the area by the school opening Reception classes and Year 7 classes in it's first year and growing from there. I don't know the figures for demand on secondary places in this area so I don't know if it would be feasible, but technically it is possible. I would be interested in this from a personal and professional point of view as I live in the educational back hole in Peckham Rye and my son will need a Primary place in 2016 (there's nothing like planning ahead!). I also have experience putting together a bid for a new Free School (Primary) in a different part of SE London. It takes a lot of work (as it should, this is public money and children's life chances) and the team putting together the application should have financial, educational project management and legal skills as a minimum. The school's curriculum, ethos and financial viability are all examined. Our application was over 100 pages long when we submitted it and included two very detailed spreadsheets. However I think simonethebeaver is right, there are bound to be many people in this area with the necessary skills to do this very successfully. To clarify on a previous comment earlier in the thread - the Local Authority may look benignly on a new Free School opening in Southwark but they do not provide support for the application, setting up or running of the school as the school would be independent of LA control but state funded. I hope this helps, I think it's a great idea.