Some news...

[feral chile]

fertility drops off after about 35, I don't know whether I had problems after my last baby (I was 34) but I never had to use contraception after that (we initially wanted another one anyway).

[feral chile]

Yes, it definitely counts!

While I was in college, my English tutor used to tell us tales of her 16 year olds causing mayhem - such as the time they shook coke bottles with condoms over the top, so when she turned back from the board she was faced with a sea of inflated condom balloons, and the time they started a small fire at the back of the classroom while her back was turned - I hope yours are a little less creative, Kat!

[Katster]

Nope, that sounds about right! Luckily I only have to support them rather than teach them...I did teacher training but hated that side of working with young people. My job is still to keep them in order though, which is challenging at times!

[bunique]

I'd say it's a close run thing between a determined toddler and a room full of 14 year olds

[bunique]

Have you started using your cloth nappies yet Kat? I've just been sorting through them all and putting them in drawers in preparation!

[Katster]

I'm ashamed to say we have used one so far. One. And about sixty million trillion disposables. I WILL get on it eventually!

[bunique]

One is better than I managed the entire first time around!

[midnight]

And did your sister do AP Midnight?? Willow does seem quite content when awake to play on a mat or sit in her bouncer, I only carry her when she's sleeping for now.

It's my sister-in-law (or something like that, I was never married to my son's father and we are no longer an item, but I get on fine with the extended family on his side and keep in touch).

I can't really say whether she did, tbh, she fluctuates between Lima (where her husband works) and Brussels, where she works, so I only saw them occasionally. She certainly is a loving and attentive mum, but I don't think she would have been able to carry her son around a lot, he was a very big baby and she is quite fragile physically. In Lima, she had a housekeeper to help her whilst she was on maternity leave (her husband was not around much, he had to go off to work in far flung places for extended periods), and despite that she was physically exhausted when we saw her (when baby was 4 months old we visited them). The other thing I can see is that she isn't very talkative, so although she spent a lot of time with her son, his first words were Spanish (the housekeeper spent less time with him, but she talked to him a lot). That may have upset the mum.

The little one seems fine. I don't see why anyone should make a rod for their own back if they have a child who slepps well and plays happily on their own. They become a lot more wakeful and alert after a few months, and there'll be plenty of opportunity to play.

[midnight]

fertility drops off after about 35, I don't know whether I had problems after my last baby (I was 34) but I never had to use contraception after that (we initially wanted another one anyway).

And I fell pregnant at 41 without even trying.

It was the surprise of my life (I'd kind of given up on it), but I was very happy once I had adjusted to the thought. However, I would never recommend anyone to take their chances and "leave it for later" if they had other options.

Where I live (North London), 34 is considered quite young to start a family, and I am by no means the oldest mum at the schoolgate, as I thought I might be (and as for fathers, I am a spring chicken!). Trouble is, there is no way of knowing at 25 or 35 how much time you got left, and all sorts of health conditions can suddenly get in the way too.

[midnight]

While I was in college, my English tutor used to tell us tales of her 16 year olds causing mayhem - such as the time they shook coke bottles with condoms over the top, so when she turned back from the board she was faced with a sea of inflated condom balloons, and the time they started a small fire at the back of the classroom while her back was turned - I hope yours are a little less creative, Kat!

The fire is pretty bad. But the condom joke would have had me in stitches .

I'd say it's a close run thing between a determined toddler and a room full of 14 year olds

My son started school at 4 years and 3 months. A class of 30 pupils. 30 excitable 4 and 5 year olds in one room.

Edited November 16, 2014 by midnight

[Ed209]

Know i don't post here much anymore but just wanted to share the news that my daughter Zoe Isabella was born last Friday, weighing 8lb5oz. She's perfect and doing great. After a 53hrs labour Mum has had some complications with acute mamitis and we're all in hospital (I've been using a wooden chair as my bed the last 3 nights), but hopefully discharged tomorrow and heading back home, this time for good.

It's been an intense but incredible 10 days since contractions started. Child birth really is something else.

[atomised]

Firstly congratulations on your new arrival. I hope she brings you both much joy

Secondly I hope the complications ease and you can get home and enjoy being a family

[Katster]

Congratulations Ed. I hope you are all home safe and well very soon

[bunique]

Congratulations Ed! Hope you all get to go home again soon!

[Katster]

Willow has discovered smiles

[bunique]

Awww I love that stage! Around 9 months was one of my favourites too. I was watching old videos of R the other night and getting all excited to do it again!

[feral chile]

And I fell pregnant at 41 without even trying.

It was the surprise of my life (I'd kind of given up on it), but I was very happy once I had adjusted to the thought. However, I would never recommend anyone to take their chances and "leave it for later" if they had other options.

Where I live (North London), 34 is considered quite young to start a family, and I am by no means the oldest mum at the schoolgate, as I thought I might be (and as for fathers, I am a spring chicken!). Trouble is, there is no way of knowing at 25 or 35 how much time you got left, and all sorts of health conditions can suddenly get in the way too.

Yes, I don't think my reproductive bits resumed normal functioning. They gave me a uterus-contracting drug - on someone who never went beyond 2 hour labours, and who already had a foetal distress baby due to over powerful contractions. As a result, I went from 0cm dilated to full delivery in 10 minutes. And yes, it did feel like I got turned inside out (wonder if that's possible?) The drug manufacturer advised it wasn't suitable for my circumstances - I have had gynae problems diagnosed, which I suspect resulted from then.

Edited November 21, 2014 by feral chile

[feral chile]

[Katster]

Yes, I don't think my reproductive bits resumed normal functioning. They gave me a uterus-contracting drug - on someone who never went beyond 2 hour labours, and who already had a foetal distress baby due to over powerful contractions. As a result, I went from 0cm dilated to full delivery in 10 minutes. And yes, it did feel like I got turned inside out (wonder if that's possible?) The drug manufacturer advised it wasn't suitable for my circumstances - I have had gynae problems diagnosed, which I suspect resulted from then.

Sounds horrific! One of the things I am most thankful for was that my labour came on naturally and progressively. I did have a bit of an issue with one midwife who suggested that my refusal of pain relief was down to me being a control freak (?!) and I kept telling her I needed my partner with me as my contractions had been strong and five minutes apart for a good two hours to which she asked was it a 'bit like a bad period pain'. She then went on to wake me up after I had managed to fall asleep after a shower had taken all the pain away to be confronted by me having one extremely huge and painful contraction. At that point I told her I didn't care what she thought I needed examining...she begrudgingly agreed and seemed surprised to find me at 5cm and said that I needed to contact my partner and get him there soon. No shit Sherlock!

Thankfully the midwife on the labour ward was better suited to my needs and in fairness to the other midwife I obviously have a high pain threshold and was dealing with big contractions better than most people would - she wasn't to know that I guess and with it being my first she probably thought I was being dramatic.

[feral chile]

Sounds horrific! One of the things I am most thankful for was that my labour came on naturally and progressively. I did have a bit of an issue with one midwife who suggested that my refusal of pain relief was down to me being a control freak (?!) and I kept telling her I needed my partner with me as my contractions had been strong and five minutes apart for a good two hours to which she asked was it a 'bit like a bad period pain'. She then went on to wake me up after I had managed to fall asleep after a shower had taken all the pain away to be confronted by me having one extremely huge and painful contraction. At that point I told her I didn't care what she thought I needed examining...she begrudgingly agreed and seemed surprised to find me at 5cm and said that I needed to contact my partner and get him there soon. No shit Sherlock!

Thankfully the midwife on the labour ward was better suited to my needs and in fairness to the other midwife I obviously have a high pain threshold and was dealing with big contractions better than most people would - she wasn't to know that I guess and with it being my first she probably thought I was being dramatic.

Yes, I had that issue with another baby, to be fair I hadn't had any pain at all (also think I had a high pain threshold) so she wouldn't accept I was in labour. I was only in because of my blood pressure. When I finally got someone to examine me (I had to get quite stroppy) I was 7cm dilated. They did apologise. Luckily, there were no complications but my husband didn't have time to get to the hospital because our son was born too quickly and nobody had time to contact him. There was no pain at all.

To be fair, I don't think my labours were ever standard, but they could have at least checked my notes on my last one, as I had pre-warned them.

Edited November 21, 2014 by feral chile

[feral chile]

Congratulations to all of you recent parents. It's a wonderful time of your lives.

I don't know how women cope with long painful labours.

[bunique]

Lots of drugs and terrible memories.

[Katster]

Labour is only labour from about 4/5 cm though isn't it? Pretty sure that's what the midwife said and that anything happening before that isn't actually classed as labour? Mine was 8 hours according to my notes but from my waters breaking to Willow arriving it was 28 hours.

[feral chile]

oh good grief! mine were 2 hours from contractions to birth. With my first one, I wasn't even feeling contractions, but the monitor picked up foetal distress, and that I was in labour. So I had to have an emergency C-section.

[bunique]

Labour is labour no matter how far you're dilated. They're just not too interested until you're well established and 4cm+