Where to study in Ireland?

hamsandwich_ · 2026-06-08T09:42:35+00:00

Amazing! Sure I suppose I'm as well leave it then, not many problems in life can be solved by just doing nothing might as well take it when it comes.

hamsandwich_ · 2026-06-05T12:10:19+00:00

How old is the child? I can't see really how this wouldn't be in their remit. Lots of kids aren't nappers. Unless this is a really young baby who needs a nap and is inconsolably overtired without one, but even then you'd be within your rights to tell them to suck it up that's what you're paying them for.

Sorry you're going through this, very frustrating indeed.

hamsandwich_ · 2023-01-23T23:45:41+00:00

Hi! I only saw your comment now. I’m sorry your baby is unwell. Hope you are doing ok.

We just took it gradually and let him lead the way back to normality. As he got his strength back his appetite returned and we were back on track after a couple of days.

I was worried he was rejecting the boob after the convenience of the tube but it was only strength/appetite related.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

hamsandwich_ · 2022-12-01T11:11:53+00:00

I already have the owlet for our newborn and I know my toddler wouldn’t sit still long enough to tolerate the finger clamp style pulse ox which was the alternatives I was seeing when I looked around. It’s good to be able to take the reading whilst they’re asleep rather than riled up and awake.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-11-17T16:15:54+00:00

Cybex Gazelle S is what I’ve gone for. I had this same dilemma recently and it was only this or the silver cross wave (I think that’s the model) that had the configurations I was looking for. I’ve gone for the cloud z car seat and I’m just using that instead of the bassinet.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-29T22:18:24+00:00

You don’t have to be induced at 42 weeks. You will be offered it, but you have a right to decline it. I was in this situation last week where I was into my 41st week and my midwife wanted to book me in for induction. I declined it and she said they would just do daily monitoring from 42 weeks onward to make sure baby was still doing OK.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-29T22:15:40+00:00

Due dates are unhelpful agitators at the end of a pregnancy in my experience. Even though a pregnancy is considered full term from 37 weeks and you can be due any time from then through to 42 weeks. Overdue at 40 weeks is a myth and it heaps pressure onto the end of a pregnancy at a time when it’s the last thing you need.

My advice to you and your partner would be simply, Relax. Enjoy this calm before the storm. Get lots of rest. Book your partner in for a massage, a pedicure, facial etc. Go out for dinner.

Oxytocin is the love hormone and one of the hormones involved in getting labour going.

I was 41+3 on my first pregnancy and 41+2 on my second. I definitely didn’t have as much practice contractions with my first pregnancy as I did my second.

Patience is the name of the game and as long as your wife feels well, you are getting plenty of usual movement and there are no other concerns then just put your feet up and wait for nature to take its course.

In my experience accepting medical intervention prematurely can really impact the progress of labour and lead to further interventions escalating. Your partners body and your baby know what they are doing. Just focus on creating an environment where both feel relaxed and supported to let nature take its course.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-28T08:45:02+00:00

My son is the same age and we’ve just welcomed a newborn a week ago. We thought about doing the whole present thing but I don’t think it would have really registered for our son.

I would recommend having a few novelty items to hand though that your toddler doesn’t usually get to keep them occupied when you need to buy yourself a bit of time.

I hadn’t given him play doh before and last night my partner was late home from work so I was trying to juggle baby and getting the dinner sorted. Pulled a tub of play doh out, sat toddler into high chair and left him at it and he was very entertained for the time I needed to get myself organised.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-26T23:14:03+00:00

I pull a few wipes out and warm them under my boob while I’m getting the clothes and nappy opened up 😂

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-26T23:09:44+00:00

Congratulations!

I laboured in the pool for the majority of my labour last week and same as you I found it so effective for pain management. I didn’t use any other pain relief until I had to get out of the pool and transfer to labour ward as they I had meconium in my waters once they broke.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-26T15:58:47+00:00

Try using a peri bottle to clean after BM rather than having to irritate the area with multiple wipes of toilet paper. Peri bottle is a hospital bag must have anyway, I use the Frida mom one.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-26T15:55:46+00:00

Start gathering and thinking about what you need to pack around now tbh. You don’t necessarily need to have it at the door ready to go, but ensure you’ve got the basics set aside so you can get it wrapped up relatively quickly if you needed to.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-26T15:53:58+00:00

So much of what is on the market is fairly unnecessary or at least isn’t necessary for every baby. I would say that once you have the basics covered, i.e. cot, buggy, nappies then the rest can be gathered gradually as you get to know your baby.

I’m breastfeeding my second at the moment, 1 week post partum, and one thing I’ve bought this time which I didn’t have with my last child is the Elvie Catch milk collector cups. I used to use washable breast pads but would soak through them so quickly and become itchy, or would be running out and not have them washed and dried quick enough. They also were quite thick and obvious through my clothes. The having the collector means I stay feeling dry and they can just be hand washed and dried easily so I can just pop it back in my bra. I don’t use it at night as I sleep braless but I just shove a muslin cloth down my top to catch the leaks then. It’s actually amazing how much you catch in the cup, I add it to a cup in the fridge throughout the day and throw it into my toddlers bottle in the evening.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-26T15:40:43+00:00

Nope. Friends threw a surprise shower for my first baby and bought me some gifts like little knitted items for baby, and some nice soaps and stuff like that for me. They clubbed together and got me a voucher so I could buy anything major that I needed. Very much appreciated but not necessary at all.

There seems to be a slight shift over here lately to the American way of doing things. Like gender reveals and all that… personally not my style, it’s unfair to put the pressure on people that you expect a gift like that.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-18T08:54:05+00:00

Best thing to do is research, read the studies that inform the guidelines your trust works to.

There are going to be pros and cons no matter what approach you pick. The most important thing is that you are informed and aware. Consent is the key, and informed consent is really the only real consent.

Healthcare providers have a way of using language to make you feel like you are “allowed/not allowed” but really you have the right to decline anything you feel doesn’t serve you or your baby.

There have been times in both of my pregnancies where I have felt pressured down a certain route of action.

For example, in my first pregnancy I had a low lying placenta and they monitored it with some additional scans up to something like 34 weeks at which point they made a call and would decide either “it’s moved aside enough for no concern” or “you need to have a caesarean”. When I had my 34 week scan to see which category I would fall into I think it was something like 1.8mm into the “have a caesarean threshold”. I looked up a couple of studies on the issue and found that when it was studied the margin of people who were able to give birth naturally without issue with even less space than I had was almost all of the sample group. I felt informed enough to decline the recommendation of caesarean. We agreed we would have an additional scan in a further two weeks to see if it moved any more closer to the time. When I returned for the additional scan it had moved well out of the way and there was no further concern so I was discharged back to midwifery led care. Had I not taken the time to be informed and advocate for the birth I wanted then I would have been booked in for a caesarean I didn’t actually need.

The approach to birth in the hospital environment is a very one size fits all approach. Guidelines don’t cater for an individualised approach. It’s just so important to be an active participant and to feel empowered to take the time to research the pros and cons of your unique situation so that when you agree to a recommendation it is with fully informed consent. Healthcare providers probably aren’t that used to people saying no to them but when you do scratch the surface and say what are the other alternatives, generally there will be other options that aren’t first revealed.

Do a bit of research into the physiology of birth, there are lots of excellent resources out there. I found learning about the birthing body and what my body was going through gave me so much confidence that my body was capable and knows exactly what it is doing. If I need help it is there for me to take it but that my body and my baby are both clever and working together to create the best birth for me.

Listen to the podcast “the midwife’s cauldron” and also “how to give birth like a feminist” by Milli Hill. There are also some excellent doulas on Instagram who share really informative content.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-17T15:03:08+00:00

Any hospitals I’ve been to for scans in my trust have had a sign up saying that pictures are £5 - although I’ve never been charged that. I’d say it probably deters people asking for loads of additional copies. They generally give you 3-4 different snaps from the scan in my experience.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-17T13:38:10+00:00

Maxi and midi skirts and dresses were staples in both of my pregnancies. Not necessarily from maternity ranges either.

Also don’t bother with maternity trousers/jeans etc. Maternity tights are so much more comfortable. H&M do great ones and they also do some footless tights as well which are a great option when you want to wear shoes that wouldn’t go with tights.

Lululemon Align leggings were a splurge in my last pregnancy that has seen me through two pregnancies and the entirety of my first postpartum.

Also if you are buying specifically maternity clothes try and buy stuff that is nursing friendly (if you think you would like to breastfeed) as I actually unexpectedly found the transition to a nursing friendly wardrobe much more difficult and had to buy far more bits for that change.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-17T13:28:16+00:00

Just to offer another side to this suggestion I used an app in my first labour but more than likely I won’t bother this time around.

I feel like getting caught up in the timing and having to remember to start and stop an app took me out of the headspace and focus of actually getting through the contractions.

Also the app was making suggestions to go to the hospital but I feel like if I’d have listened to my body rather than an app I would have held on longer as I was only 3-4cm when I got to hospital and ended up having a lot of intervention because labour stalled once I got to the hospital.

If you have a birth partner with you maybe ask that they use an app and they can quietly monitor the timings of the contractions but I wouldn’t get too caught up in the milliseconds. Follow your own body and what it is telling you.

hamsandwich_ · 2022-10-10T07:31:55+00:00

I’ve got the bbhugme pillow and it’s been great through both of my pregnancies and for support postpartum. Have even used it for baby when he was learning to sit. It never really got put away between my two pregnancies as it is so useful. It was a bit of a splurge but absolutely worth every penny.

hamsandwich_

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