Saffron

Ask Pearson to lay a trap and some poison for 'em.

How big is your budget? Get your friend a post-natal doula, or a cleaner for a few weeks. Food is a great gift, as is your time. Deliveries are nice too, but can be a hassle. They say 'Sleep when the baby sleeps'. But it seemed that just as my head hit the pillow for some much needed late morning naptime, a signal went out to every delivery man within a mile to arrive at my door. So if you can arrange deliveries for a time when someone else will be there to accept them, that could be helpful too. x Saff x

BCG is not a universal immunization, eg not routinely given elsewhere like the States. It's also a controversial vaccine because of low efficacy, not because of intrinsic problems with the immunization against TB. The site of BCG injection can be prone to local infection. Despite GPs insistence to leave the site uncovered, advice from a dermatologist was to use blister plasters. These keep out bacteria and help protect the wound from abrasion. The advice to keep wounds uncovered is really a holdover from Victorian times when bandages themselves were not sterile and could cause infection. If suspect your little one's BCG has become infected, you may need to see a specialist. Typical oral antibiotics may not clear the infection due to the nature of the scar tissue that forms with the BCG. If you're not in a high-risk group, the BCG is not really necessary. But if it would put your mind at ease to have your Little One immunised, then by all means have it done on the NHS before the offer expires. As to having the MMR so soon afterwards, I would personally wait a little while (it does seem like a lot at once, poor little nippers!). However, I don't know of any hard evidence that having then consecutively is harmful.

I think drs tend to discourage omeprazole/ranitidine in early pregnancy, simply being overly cautious (and rightly so!). Once you're out of those first few crucial weeks, they should be just fine. You can also get an H. Pylori test, if heartburn is suspected stomach ulcer. Antibiotics for this should be safe in later pregnancy too.

Rennie and Gaviscon gave me rebound heartburn making my dyspepsia worse in my pregnancy. Omeprazole was more helpful, but you can only get it on prescription. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Instead of using dryer sheets, try dryer balls for a no-chemi approach. http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/ecozone/dryer-balls/ I bought similar at the eco shop on LL. They work well, except for sometimes getting lost in the bottom corners of duvet covers.

Save money... use your own poo.

I find that biological washing powder (Ecover is a good one) washes better, but for newborn clothes I just gave them an extra rinse cycle. Oh how blessed we are these days, just to be able to turn the machine over to an extra cycle. My mother was reminding me of her days growing up. Her mother made their own soap on their farm, and their washer was the manual crank-handle type with a ringer over the basin!

Vinegar is pretty much sterile too, but I don't go around spraying it on people either!

There are higher levels of fat-soluble vitamins in fullfat milk, especially vit D, without which calcium is not fully absorbed/metabolised.

bawdy-nan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > do you mean a dietician? Yes, the two are often confused! From wikiP: "In many countries only people who have specified educational credentials can call themselves "dietitians" ? the title is legally protected. The term "nutritionist" is also widely used; however, the term nutritionist is not regulated as dietitian is and is not an accurate term to give to a dietitian. People may call themselves nutritionists without the educational and professional requirements of registered dietitians. A nutritionist is not a dietitian, as a dietitian is registered to a national board and accredited and a nutritionist is neither."

Wow! AMY, you sold me, and I don't even have a headache today!! GINAG3, have you talked with your GP about trying Tegretol (carbamazepine) for your headache? This is an epilepsy drug that can also be used to treat certain types of persistent pain. It has a different mechanism of action compared to standard analgesics. It is also considered safe for breastfeeding. It has been used for many decades to treat epilepsy and other conditions, so a lot is known about side effects etc. You should be able to find a lot of info about it. I would also recommend acupuncture for pain. Giles Davies on Barry Road is very good. x really hoping you find something that helps x

Have you tried giving smaller feeds more often? Some people believe teething coincides with development changes to the gastrointestinal tract... which seems odd until you realise that teeth are part of the digestive system ... it may also go some way to explaining why many babies have diarrhea with teething.

Have you tried using a TENS machine?

My baby is a great eater, and we started weaning around 5 mo when she started grabbing food off me... no improvement with sleep though! Now at 8 mo, I can count on one hand the number of times she has slept more than 3 hrs. Also, she's been teething since 3 mo, but still no sign of teeth. I'm convinced that when a little pearly tooth does finally 'foink' through, her sleep will improve dramatically (at least that's what I tell myself). Sorry I can't offer any advice, but I have LOADS and LOADS of sympathy!!!! We've been suggested to try cranial osteopathy by Fabiano da Sliva on Barry Road, but with everything else on at the moment haven't had a chance. If you give it a try and it helps, lemme know :-) x Saff x

Sounds fine :-)

Hi- We'd be happy to meet up and share experiences. Little Saff is 8 months and loves to feed herself! Monday\Wednesday\Friday are best for us... x Saff x

I second the Woodhouse, and also recommend the Herne http://www.theherne.net/home ...you will definitely need reservations at the Herne.

My clean socks were on, lipbalm touched-up, the doornob was almost within my grasp: Cue vomiting episode from Husband and Baby! Not gonna make it tonight... have fun, and I'll see you all at the next one!! x Saff x

Hold your belly, grimace, and shout wildly, 'I need to sit down, I'm having contractions!' Followed by, 'Oh, false alarm', when you get the seat. Hahahaha!! Just kidding... but seriously... I agreed with R_B... asking for a seat is a matter of safety for your baby, not just a personal convenience. Have clearly in your mind what you will say. Ie, Can anyone in a Priority Seat please let me sit down, because I am not able to stand safely on this bus/train/tube. Like you, I used to travel on public transport when I was heavily pregnant. There was no mistaking my bump for anything other than a pregnancy. I was like a beachball with sticks attached! Still people occasionally failed to notice. I'm sure it's just that people are zoned out, and not intentionally rude. x Saff x

My LO likes chewing on a clean, damp face flannel. "Sophie the Giraffe" teether from NCT is also quite popular. You can try offering her other things from around the house too, like a large plastic spoon or cold fruit. I notice that my LO often gets bored with things and I have to rotate them. And sometimes, she likes to chew on unexpected things... today it was the buttons on my mac!

trevone Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > has anyone taken out their white sheets out of the > wash to find small brownish dots that wont come > out under any circumstances...what are they If you try some rust-remover solution on them, and they resolve, then you'll know for sure... and unfortunately this will likely confirm that a (rusty) washing machine is to blame!

If you're ever short of ideas for a good deed, I need a foot massage! x Saff x

Good luck all. My LO (8 months) still wakes 3 or 4 times a night. So I'll send you positive vibes at 3AM, when I'm up too! Honestly, I think a lot of the whole 'babies should sleep through by X months' is just marketing. REAL babies are awake A LOT!! x

linzkg Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > had heard that formula has more calories or > something so babies sleep better Formula has less calories per mL than breastmilk, but formula takes longer to digest. This may or may not help some babies to sleep longer.