devsdev

I was wondering if anyone can recommend any good online food stores to buy organic/health food products - for instance spelt flour or pearled spelt, chia seeds, coconut oil, dry pulses etc. Google has thrown up sites like Goodness Direct, Real Foods, Planet Organic, Natural Grocery. Just wanted to see if anyone has any personal experience with any sites (or indeed shops). I looked at Suma, but you have to buy a minimum of ?250 worth of products at a time. Obviously if there can be a balance with quality/provenance and price then that would be great! Thanks!

Moments of misery love company :) http://www.reasonsmysoniscrying.com/ We're still at pretty compliant baby stage (15 months), but I can see changes already. However, the persons who need to change the most are my husband and I - we need to become more patient and accept that our daughter is her own person who we can guide but not control. I have no doubt I'll be back on this board seeking advice when all this resolve goes to pot in however many months!!! In the meantime I'm reading ToddlerCalm and Toddler Taming. There are also Toddlercalm workshops in the area if anyone is interested (you can check through the website).

I'm proud of my child no matter what she does - so yes, I was also proud when my LO started walking. Probably silly to feel that, but equally not very nice to put someone down for being proud of their own child. It's not a question of achievement or reflected glory, it's just something you feel (at least some people do). Am sure some parents whose little ones were very ill at birth were also proud (and grateful) of their LO breathing...

What Mima said - get ones that are the easiest to put together and clean etc. and consider what your LO will take to. We used Avent as I had a couple to start with and they've been great (the "natural" range) for the last year. My friend had a couple of Dr. Browns bottles and I found them to be really faffy - but as Esme's post shows, it's entirely up to personal preference! Go into Mothercare or JL if you can and have a look at the different bottles/teats so you have an idea. (I also just looked up the Medala Calma - I would definitely not want to deal with cleaning that on a daily basis!) Edited to ad: someone is selling MAM bottles on the Classifieds for very cheap - that may answer your question!

As it's something that definitely concerns you, are you able to change your date for the section to post 39 weeks? Would then hopefully remove any need for steroids at all.

I got referred via the women's physio (in the ureogyny team) - Emily Nellist, who is amazing (but possibly still on Mat leave herself). I had my debrief with Teresa Arias who is a consultant midwife at Kings and was very kind and helpful. I doubt anything happened/was conveyed to the midwives who I believe compromised my care, but at the very least it provided catharsis for me (though I'm getting a bit upset thinking about it now!). A friend of mine who had an even harder time didn't get that support and tried to have a debrief through PALS and was really given the run around (in an incredibly fragile emotional state). I would ask the maternity helpline and if you end up getting the run around contact someone like Teresa Arias directly. If you want a debrief then there's obviously a reason and that needs to be acknowledged by the "powers that be". Good luck!

Go to a really great restaurant together (assuming your eldest - and everyone else - enjoys good food) - a lot of the top restaurants have very reasonable set menus at lunchtime(?30 or less for 3 courses sometimes). And bubbly, of course!

Mine was mixed fed till 5 weeks and then exclusively formula fed. She had really bad rashes in the those early months as well, but definitely doesn't have any allergies to milk. Bad milk spots and cradle cap (cradle cap stayed mainly on the head but definitely went onto ears and behind ears). Also, as you've said yourself, with an actual milk allergy there would a lot more symptoms. Oil baby with olive or almond oil and then use a comb (John Lewis type with the little balls so that the comb isn't sharp - ) to loosen the cradle cap. It then flakes off (very satisfying to pick it off the loose bits too, as gross as that sounds). Obviously harder to do this if it's on her face a bit as well, but reducing on the head may help stop the spread. Don't leave cradle cap on as it just multiplies and thickens (from experience with my nieces). We used Hipp Organic infant milk throughout (due to my personal aversion to Aptimil for a number of reasons). As someone already said, if you prepare according to the guidance using at least 70C water then any probiotics would be killed anyway. Hipp is cheaper, but harder to source (most smaller shops don't have it), so you need to ensure you always have enough in. You can order from Amazon (Hipp official shop is on there) and they deliver it for free. But if BF is working, then keep going for it. As someone also said - growth-spurts=constant feeding, so don't worry that you don't have enough so long as she's growing, pooing/peeing and generally happy. I hope the new mom anxiousness is less now and you're able to enjoy being now. I remember feeling like I couldn't breathe for about 6 weeks - it's not very fun.

This is the one we have . A bit pricey, but totally worth it to me. It's got lots of annoying noises, but the fan noise is perfect and you can adjust the volume. It also plays music and my LO loves to play with this during the day. You can also download a white noise app (I use White Noise by TMI - the fan noise is great).

Agree about the level of noise. I used to be petrified about the slightest noise waking my LO when she was small - and I think till they're about 3-4 months they're likely to wake. But then started using white noise and being generally less worried about the level of noise and actually it was much better. She slept through our loft being done - crashing loud noises, machines whirring, Robin Thicke playing for the thousandth time (how I hate that song!) and loud yelling - never woke up at nap time. I like the sleep association that the white noise creates too - she'll fall asleep without it, but in a strange environment it really helps make clear that it's nap/sleep time. I have an app on my phone for when we're on the go.

A solution that really works with our LO (sample size of 1, can't promise it'll work for everyone) - white noise machine. Definitely smooths over any sudden loud noises and generally works a charm!

You can also try simplychildcare - it's a classifieds board and you pay to access the contact details, but the owners manage the process quite closely. Ultimately selecting someone will be down to the same two things whether you use ads or an agency - your own chemistry with the potential nanny and the references. I spoke with Carla at length when I first signed up and she was really helpful/knowledgeable. Ultimately we found our nanny through the forum though!

AllyMcB - my husband definitely stayed there (after the first night when he didn't and I had a bit of a meltdown - clearly hadn't taken into account just how traumatic the birth had been!) for 2 nights. I'm presuming nothing has changed, but definitely ask about this. Also, and I don't want to open up a can of worms here, but it's good to have a buffer/liaison with the night midwives. We were at Kings for 3 nights and at Lewisham for 4 nights (failure to thrive, won't go into details) and I found that the night midwives seemed to be far less pleasant and helpful and, most relevantly, kind, than the day midwives. Maybe I was extra vulnerable and have a clouded memory, but this was my experience. Having someone with you is really good - especially as you're not supposed to pick up the baby yourself for at least the first 24 hours!

Thank you all for the responses - it's so useful to hear from people who've had experience of the process. AllyMcB - not a problem. I really hope you're healing well and that the planned section goes well. I realise it may not be possible with 3 other little ones, but if you can have your partner stay with you at Kings for the first night or two on the post-natal ward then that may also be a great help (and allow you to feel more confident about pain management and taking care of the little one). I would choose Kings over Lewisham for a number of reasons, but one of the most important is the fact that your partner can stay with you at night.

Hi all, Just looking for some advice on having a c-section at Kings Hospital whenever we have our second child ? am curious and can?t find any similar threads on here (unless I?m not searching properly). I had a very difficult recovery after my first child last year and I am definitely not risking another ?natural? delivery when we have the next because of the potential lasting damage I could suffer. I?d much rather take on the known risks of a c-section (and I hope I'm not tempting fate!). I wanted to check how it works at Kings ? are you assigned a consultant who will operate on you and do you get to meet them before hand? Or is it pot luck on the day that is chosen (and I know that emergency sections will always go ahead of you, which is why a friend actually had to wait for hours during which her waters broke!)? Do you have any recommendations or any consultants you had not-positive experiences with (again, I know I probably can?t request anyone, but it would be great to get an idea). PM me if you prefer of course ? no libel! Any suggestions on how best to navigate the system? I?m now in Lewisham, but still under the care of Kings for post-birth follow up (a year later!) and also had a Kings midwife last time which I plan to do again. Did you request a c-section from the midwife? Any personal experiences to demystify the process would be really appreciated. Any other advice/thoughts on c-sections themselves would be very gratefully received so I can store up the information! Thanks!

Yes. When anything masquerading as culture is blatantly violent, unfair, unkind and harmful, then everyone should speak out against it. Some things are very clear, like FGM.

Presuming you didn't mean 2008 GinaG3?! There's something on that website about a prohibition notice being issued against the preparation of raw placenta products (http://placentanetwork.com/dbc-vs-ipen-environmental-health-office-prohibition-notice/). General question - would making capsules be possible after a c-section? Presumably not since the placenta will have to be cut open, but thought I'd ask.

I like that reminder Curmudgeon, that children are natural believers - I am certainly an atheist and so is my husband. We don't intend to bring up our children with any specific religion, but there are cultural reasons for having religion in our lives on some instances. But as a child - even as a teenager until about 14-15, I remember praying to a notion of a "god" and being concerned about my parents not being too overly religious - another exploratory phase I presume. My parents dealt with it similarly - just being open about it. I need to remember to do that! Except one side of our family is very Christian and I imagine there's going to be a lot of questions raised by the young cousins...anyone have any books they could recommend that would prepare me for those sorts of conversations?

I would say definitely wear it - I would similarly have moments when I had to sit down or else I would feel very faint. In fact I finally got the badge when I was in month 3-4 and almost fainted in a crowded train from ED. Was quite scary! I must also say that I recently have found myself being unsure about whether to give someone a seat as I wasn't sure if she was pregnant or if I was going to cause a massive faux pas by assuming she was! No matter how pregnant you think you look, it may not be apparent. If people aren't being polite the badge also allows you to ask someone to let you sit on a priority seat (or other passengers might speak up on your behalf). I took the badge off as soon as I got off the train though, as I felt silly wearing it into the office...

A solicitor is obliged to clearly explain his/her fees to you, including the fact that any rates are always quoted exclusive of VAT. Did you sign an engagement letter of any sort with him? Were the fees clearly explained i.e. that any in-person meeting would be followed up with additional work (did you request he write down his advice to you)? If he didn't explain things to you adequately, then you certainly can challenge the invoice. There should also always be a grace period for payment. Solicitors' Code of Conduct: http://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/handbook/code/part2/ This might be helpful (as might contacting the SRA (Solicitors' Regulation Authority) if you really think you weren't advised properly): http://www.sra.org.uk/faqs/contact-centre/public/04-using-a-solicitor/How-can-I-find-out-how-much-it-will-cost-to-use-a-solicitor-.page Good luck!

Not sure whether you can use video monitors as "sound only" as well. There were times when I wished we had a video monitor (especially in the days when my LO would wake up if I so much as breathed near her door!). Think about what kind of house/flat you have as well - some houses have really thick walls and the monitor may not have the range you need. Our BT one is doing well so far (no display on it), but think the battery is starting to give up. We've been happy with it generally, but it doesn't have a holster/clip if you want to carry it with you and the two-way-talk function can be activated way too easily (button on the side of the monitor).

While we were having our messy loft conversion I'd sometimes take my daughter (much younger, just a year now) to the Horniman and just hang out in different rooms or the atrium for a few hours. Obviously also the cafe. Am sure it'll be rammed over half term though. Other options could be to come into town and do that in museum spaces like the Tate Modern or the museums in South Ken. If the weather is good like today you can combine that with walking along South Bank or in Kensington Gardens. Hang in there - I almost lost my mind with the loft conversion, but it will definitely end at some point. We had leaks during the August thunderstorms and it was added stress that wasn't needed! We also made a complete sanctuary of our living room (I don't know if you can shut your door) - no shoes in there, kept it as clean as possible so you could actually hang out there. Enjoy the week!

Hi, Now that our daughter is nearly walking I'm finally getting stairgates, but am utterly confused about what size to get. I know we need the width to fit about 85cm. However none of the gates focus on height, which seems really important! In order to get to the "flat part" of the banister, the height from the floor is about 84-94cm, but stairgates either seem to be 73-76cm high or else over 95cm high. Am I being silly about this (we want screw fixed ones) - would a 75cm one fit because the gate wouldn't touch the floor and because the fittings are not at the very edges of the gate? Any advice welcome before I order something online! If you know of one which is taller without being too tall, would love to hear about it. Thank you very much Dev

We saw Simon at the Vale practice too. Took LO twice and didn't go back, but I believe those 2 sessions made a difference.

Follow up question - does anyone know if the old Bugaboo Bee footmuff will fit the Bee+? Or if Chameleon footmuffs will fit the Bee+? Bexy - I agree, I wish I'd just bought the Bee+ footmuff now. This is such a faff!