https://www.bennee.com/~alex/2011-09-13T23:36:00+01:00the wanderings of a supposed digital native2011-09-13T23:36:00+01:002011-09-13T23:36:00+01:00alextag:www.bennee.com,2011-09-13:/~alex/blog/2011/09/13/ministry-of-nanny/

<p>We had our third and final Parent Craft lesson tonight which covered everything from 3rd stage labour to breast feeding and bathing. Most of it was useful stuff and it was nice to be able to ask some questions of the trained midwives. However the section on breast-feeding could do …</p>

<p>We had our third and final Parent Craft lesson tonight which covered everything from 3rd stage labour to breast feeding and bathing. Most of it was useful stuff and it was nice to be able to ask some questions of the trained midwives. However the section on breast-feeding could do with some work. After asking the class how many people intended to breast-feed (answer: everyone raised hands) they still felt the need to go through the regulation list of all the plus points.</p> <p>I quite happily accept all the medical evidence that's out there about the benefits of breast-milk over formula. It was also useful to be fore-warned about potential <em>nipple-confusion</em> if introducing expressed bottles too early. No doubt <a class="reference external" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_of_Clinical_Excellence">NICE</a> has excellent cost-benefit analyses showing how much money can be saved in the long run if 1% more mothers breast-feed their babies.</p> <p>However I can understand why some people might feel bullied into breast feeding when presented with such a forceful party line. I can only imagine it also raises the stress levels on mothers if feeding isn't going so well or they stop for some reason. Given that the whole room was already planning on breast-feeding I did think it would have been more useful to launch straight into the practicalities of feeding than continuing to brow-beat the room with the &quot;breast is best&quot; dictate.</p> 2011-09-13T13:06:00+01:002011-09-13T13:06:00+01:00alextag:www.bennee.com,2011-09-13:/~alex/blog/2011/09/13/well-always-have-paris/

<p>We spent a rather spiffy weekend in Paris on the occasion of Fliss' Mum's birthday. We were a little out of the centre but in a rather plush penthouse flat kitted out with a full projector based home cinema system as well as a hot tub and roof garden wet-room …</p>

<p>We spent a rather spiffy weekend in Paris on the occasion of Fliss' Mum's birthday. We were a little out of the centre but in a rather plush penthouse flat kitted out with a full projector based home cinema system as well as a hot tub and roof garden wet-room. I posted a video of the set-up on <a class="reference external" href="https://plus.google.com/110732415405459842150/posts/G8piZbtfnGB">my Google Plus</a> account for the curious.</p> <p>We didn't really spend that much time straying from the local base but spent a fair amount of time with the family. It was a lovely long weekend and we are both pretty relaxed on our return. I'm hoping it takes a while to wear off.</p> <p>In the meantime preparation for B-Day continues. We are now enrolled in the state supplied [STRIKEOUT:indoctrination]education program known as Parent Craft. So far most of the information has been about what to expect on delivery day so I'm still waiting on the section on keeping them alive and raising responsible well-adjusted kids. I suspect I might be expecting a little too much from them.</p>