EmmaG

Bookmarking this page - such wonderful accounts of good births. Thank you for taking the time to share these lovely stories and tips. I don't think I'll get to the point where I actually look forward to birth, but I am definitely looking forward to meeting the baby. Thank God the forum's back up. I didn't know I was so reliant on it.

Once you're not breastfeeding you can do the Cambridge Diet http://www.cambridge-diet.co.uk/ which is quick IF YOU STICK TO IT

Thank you Cupcake. That's what I want!! Met Linda Pullinger from Oakwood last week and she was lovely. Have met Morag twice but not the other midwife but I'm only 25 weeks so plenty of time.

Maki - I frequently feel like I'm going to die from pain in commuter traffic, but I think it might be something different to what you were experiencing!! Tee hee. What you describe with the water on your feet etc is exactly what my Mum said. She said she just ended up "seeing" the contractions like waves breaking and then receding from the shore and found it all very do-able. Ditto my sister actually. She had a whopping first baby in 7 hrs with no stitches and nothing but a tens machine.

Hanstands - thank you for such an encouraging post. I've just looked at Ina May on Amazon so that's another one to go for. Your childbirth sounds amazing! Many thanks.

What Leaglebeagle said - that's exactly how Supernanny does it! And the Baby Whisperer does a baby version in her book. Sounds very effective.

Thanks so much for all this information and encouragement. I'm always very pleased to read positive - if rare - accounts of good births as I'm dreading the process.

Hi Clare Is it the cervix measurement test you're referring to? My midwife warned me that King's is doing a research study into this and said I'd be offered the additional internal scan. If so, it is a scan to see what the chances of early delivery are based on your cervix length. Emma

Thank you v much. All encouraging :-)

My experience is that yes, boys struggle to get organised and write down the salient information. They'll soon identify an organised boy whom they will rely on for information.

Very dishy instructor

Bless him - he needs to go to one of his chums (or ring them up) and ask what they were meant to do. If he regularly gets long and complicated instructions that won't fit in the planner, he needs to start writing it in the back of his exercise book where there will unlimited space, and keep the planner jsut for a reminder. He could always go back to the teacher the next day at breaktime and ask for details again. All these things are teething problems and staff do make allowances - promise!

I'm a secondary school teacher and completely agree wth you about h/w being a pain after a long day at school. However, I've found many parents complain if their kids don't get lots!! Once they've settled in, the school should issue a h/w timetable. Each subject gets a different night of the week to set h/w. It's not the night it's set that matters, but the day it's due. I'd tell your boy to write the h/w in his planner under the day it's due, then he can plan ahead and do a bit a night. The other thing to consider is joining the school h/w club where they stay and do an hour after school before coming home. It's done and dusted then and they can relax when they finally get home.

Oh dear, just read poor HeidiHi's account of birth and it's exactly what I am nervous about. My first baby is due in early January and I'm busy reading Marie Mongan's Hypnobirthing book. My main aim is to have a healthy baby with no distress to him/her or myself. It seems to me that there are a couple of ways to achieve this: drugs/epidural or a hypnobirth/waterbirth. I don't care which - I just don't want an experience like poor HeidiHi. I'm lucky enough to have midwives from the Oakwood practice, who are happy to accompany us into King's for the birth. My friend Sharon has lent me her birthpool-in-a-box and I'm ready to start preparing for all this stuff. Who would you recommend for Hypnobirth training? Have done some research on the forum and come up with Christine Neillands and Verona Hall, who are both accredited Marie Mongan Hypnobirth therapists, and Katharine Graves who trained with Mongan but is no longer accredited. I've read reviews of the latter and the majority are really glowing but with one or two disgruntled attendees. I really don't want to suffer! I'm a pathetic wimp (and quite old - 42). I dread being induced and I dread being cut. My mother and sister both have fairly positive accounts of childbirth but many aquaintances have volunteered horror stories. I'd REALLY appreciate some positive stories about hypnobirthing!! Many thanks Emma

Being "most improved" school doesn't mean the school is good. It could mean that the starting point was so low that any improvement is magnificent. My school never improves (it's hard to improve on 88% As and A*s) but there were still 1400 kids applying for 120 places last year.

Oh God, I hope our baby isn't a screamer when it's born. However, I guess we'll get what we're given ... I'm currently reading the Baby Whisperer and the author suggests putting on your iPod when the baby's screaming so you don't have to listen to it. No good in public I guess (unless you have lots of iPods to share out).

Congratulations - wonderful news and a beautiful name. I do hope everything continues to go well.

Look, a top tip from ME and I haven't even got a baby http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Oriental-Baby-Carrier

Fuschia is so right - a paid extra pair of hands in the pm so that a new mother can have an uninterrupted nap or to pop round and make some casseroles for the freezer and do a load of washing, etc. A bit like a cleaner but with a wider remit. What a good idea.

Someone mentioned the possibility of guilt at money buying privilege - it depends on how you look at it. You could say parents who pay for private education are subbing the state sector by paying for it and not taking anything from it. Witness the problems some boroughs are having accommodating the kids now leaving the private sector and needing state education. Second, has anyone thought about the Steiner schools? There's one in Streatham. http://www.steinerwaldorf.org/ Third, you could do worse than move out Kingston/Sutton way. Great state schools round there, especially secondary provision for able kids (not so good for the less able, unfortunately).

Sherwick - here's an example of the midwife practice at Forest Hill Road surgery. Hope it clarifies http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/may/18/health.medicineandhealth1

Yet again I repair to bed giggling like a loon! Thank you ladies :-)

AHAAHAHAAH oh Fuschia ... poor caretaker and postman. Jeepers that's just too funny. Nappy Lady I shall look forward to it all. Wonder how much an au pair costs.

I know! It's the efficient-looking paperwork PLUS the bottles on the breasts that are just getting me. Night night QBF!

OK here are the funniest links from this thread: Mellors' "If you have had a C-section (or even if not), I really recommend these: http://www.nctshop.co.uk/Stretch-Briefs-3-Pack/productinfo/2015/ Ok, they look really rank (and lets face it they are) but they are so comfy cause they sit really high up and are super stretchy, and you can gve them a quick rinse through and stick them back on cause they dry straight away. I went down the cheap pack of cotton knickers 1st time, but these were loads better." And here's Fuschia's which is still just setting me off ... "http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HANDS-FREE-EASY-EXPRESSION-BRA-BRAND-NEW-Large_W0QQitemZ190314766797QQcmdZViewItemQQptZWomen_s_Clothing?hash=item2c4fa4e1cd&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1683%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50"