gurgle.com blog

As some of you may have realised I am seven months pregnant and although we are a friendly mummy-filled office, I don't think it would be wise to bring a newborn into gurgle with me! So, I thought I'd mention that we are currently looking for my maternity replacement for the end of March for six months. Bear in mind that this is a full-time position. Our ideal candidate would have journalism experience as well as print and web experience. The candidate would also have to be educated to degree level and obviously a knowledge and understanding of parenting and babies is essential! Technically it would help to have an understanding of online content publishing and basic HTML. If you think you would be suited to this role, please email me on nifa@gurgle.com, attaching your CV and a cover letter. gurgle.com is based in Soho, London.

We apologise to anyone who is having problems registering today. There is a bug on our postcode finder that we are frantically trying to fix. If you are desperate to register on gurgle (we know you must be) you can always try another postcode (any postcode will do) until we have fixed the problem later today. Again, sorry if you are experiencing problems and I hope you can register with us soon!

If you are in a similar situation to me (you are working and pregnant) why not read up about maternity rights and pay and on the types of Maternity leave offered in the UK. Also see Returning to work if you are planning to return after your baby is born.

The Bean has started to hide our things. Over the weekend she hid my wallet in the bags of our weekend guests, who luckily found it before they headed North on the five hour journey home on Sunday night. On Monday morning  we had a panic when my husband couldn't find his office or house keys. We ransacked the house from top to bottom but couldn't find them anywhere. I asked The Bean where she'd put them and she kept pointing and laughing at the front door! This morning I found the keys 'posted' inside the letterbox on the door, so The Bean was obviously trying to copy us and open the door with Daddy's keys! (OK, clever but naughty) Now we're taking extra care not to leave our wallets, money or keys lying around to avoid the morning panics! It did occur to me that if I train her up Oliver Twist style, I could actually get something out of her 'posting' spree, but obviously i'm far too honest for thoughts like that...

I had my glucose test at the antenatal clinic on Friday where you have to drink a bottle of Lucozade in five minutes and wait for an hour as they test your blood glucose levels for the incidence of gestational diabetes. When I was pregnant with The Bean I had this test and the results came back saying I needed more tests as my blood sugar levels were through the roof. I had further tests but I was fine and I think it was due to the fact that I had had a Twix just before the bottle of Lucozade - no wonder my sugar levels were off the scale! This time I had a sensible breakfast of Weetabix so fingers crossed I don't have to have more tests...

Thank-you all for uploading your many photos into our galleries, especially the Grandparents and 'I love my baby' gallery which is proving very popular - it's because we know how much you love your babies!

I am worried about getting stretch marks this time around because,

a) I had The Bean at 34 weeks in my last pregnancy so never got to that 'huge' stage that happens in the last month

b) I have stretch marks on my back from when I grew really fast at 13 years old, so am obviously prone to them

c) My twin sister has them from her first pregnancy which went full term

It's a shame because I did wear a bikini last summer and felt marginally OK in it, but all accounts from my friends with stretch marks say their bikini days are over. Should I invest in some expensive stretch mark creme? Probably not but I will anyway because I know i'll feel miserable if I do get them. If anyone can send me a sure fire remedy i'd be eternally grateful!


Today on gurgle, if you are a registered member you'll have got our new look newsletter. The new look has loads more images and tells you exactly what's been happening that week including popular chats, questions and new photo galleries. Also I want to make an appeal for what YOU would like to see as a poll topic on our daily gurgle poll... just email me with any suggestions!

Now i've hit the seven month (ish) mark in my pregnancy i'm not just uncomfortable at night, but all the time. My baby is breech (as many are at this stage) but since I had to have a C-section with The Bean because she was breech, i've come to the conclusion that it's the way i'm designed! It can be quite painful as the baby is now essentially balancing on my poor bladder! The pain can be quite intense and I usually have to shift positions constantly to stop the pain. If you see a strange pregnant woman wiggling on the train on the way home it's probably me...

The Bean has fully recovered from her illness last week and seems to be eating ferociously. I'm sure she's having a growth spurt - she always has one after i've spent a small fortune on her in Baby Gap!

On gurgle today you'll notice lots of changes to the site including a colour change (we hope you like it) and a new photo gallery called Grandparents so you can upload pictures of your baby with his or her Grandma! Also if you want the chance to win a year's supply of free nappies see our Huggies nappy competition page.

I was woken up this morning with breakfast in bed, which quite frankly was the best Valentines present ever, since my mornings are spent rushing around trying to get The Bean ready and to look respectable for a day at gurgle.com! I ignored the fact that The Bean ate most of my croissant and that the crumbs went in my bed. I also loved the fact that my husband bought me a bottle of champagne from the Napa valley where we went on our honeymoon - never mind that I am too pregnant to drink it! ( OK, one glass...)

If like us you have a boisterous toddler running around you'll probably be staying in tonight because:

a) There is a distinct lack of babysitters tonight as most people who don't have children are out paying too much for a mediocre meal

b) The thought of going out on a Thursday night is less appealing than sitting on the sofa watching Grand Designs, Sky-plussed from last night

c) I've got to stay in and decide which books I am going to buy with my Valentines book tokens - (romance isn't dead, I asked for them - can't imagine anything better than a whole glorious lunch hour choosing books to read in Waterstones).

If you want to share your 'Valentines with a toddler' stories please do!

You'll all be getting your Valentines newsletter today and we have also set up a new gallery called I Love My Baby for you to upload images of you adoring your baby! The amount of pictures I have of me kissing The Bean - she's definitely going to be embarrassed when she's 18 and I bring them out to show her unsuitable boyfriend...

I had a few comments after yesterdays blog on potty training and how I've decided to wait until the warmer months to potty-train The Bean, based on the advice of plenty of gurgle mums. Here is a round up of what they are saying:

1) Wait till the warmer months when your toddler is wearing less and can easily get undressed in a hurry (toddler's don't tell you they need a wee in five minutes, they need a wee NOW).

2) Forget pull-ups, they are confusingly too much like a nappy. Buy cheap packets of toddler pants (supermarkets seem to do reasonably priced ones) which probably will end up being thrown away. This way when your toddler has wet her pants, she'll feel wet and uncomfortable and more inclined to use the potty or toilet.

3)The other advice is to use stickers as rewards for using the potty or toilet, so your toddler gets a little treat for getting it right.

4) Read this thread on gurgle about potty training called My carpets need you - and then throw away the books!

5) Take it slowly and if it isn't working, your child may need a break and you can try again in a month or so.

6) Once you have started potty training and you have had a few good results - so your toddler has used the potty or toilet successfully don't revert back to nappies at any cost. no matter how awkward, pack a spare pair of clothes and keep on doing what you are doing!

See gurgle's video on potty training, our article on potty training and our toddler chat forum for valuable real-life advice on the subject. Don't forget it's Valentines Day tomorrow so get your toddler to make Daddy something special from both of you!

Last night at about 3.30am I was sleeping away and my husband suddenly kicked me really hard on the bottom! I was pretty annoyed and yelped in pain, but went back to sleep. In the morning I asked him about it and he told me he was having the most awesome dream about football where he was about to score the winning goal... I thought men stopped dreaming about football when they passed puberty and started to dream about girls, but clearly not with my husband. (And there was I dreaming about happy families, The Bean and my new baby). I've possibly hit upon the fundamental difference between men and women - he dreams of the premier league and I dream of happy families!

I haven't given up on potty-training The Bean, but i've decided to wait until the warmer months. This is after visiting gurgle's toddler chat forum and asking lots of mums about their experience of potty training. Most of them say, move straight on to pants, use pull-ups at night and wait until the summer! This is great because I would much rather ask other parents their advice than read a whole heap of books and feel none the wiser! don't forget you can use gurgle in this way too and ask questions or just chat about what is going on in your life and other gurgle parents will respond!

What a beautiful weekend - and what an awful weekend to be sick! When I arrived home from work on Friday night The Bean had just been sick. The sickness carried on all night (she couldn't even keep a few sips of water down) and most of Saturday. I was pretty wiped out on Saturday because of being sleep deprived, nursing The Bean, changing our sheets many times after she was sick on them and being restless from my growing bump! The Bean slept well on Saturday night and by Sunday we thought she was over the worst and we went to the park - no such luck, the sickness started again! This time I started to become worried that The Bean was getting dehydrated. Again she couldn't keep any fluids down and hadn't really had a proper meal since Friday lunchtime. The worst thing of all was that she was obviously thirsty and kept repeating the word 'juice' over and over again. As I was going by the rule of 'little and often' and not letting her gulp water down, she was becoming very thirsty and frustrated.

This morning she seemed a lot better and managed to keep some water down. However, we took her to the doctors so they could check her over and apparently there is a baby and toddler sickness bug going around where I live! It's highly contagious but only to children (I'll believe this in a few days if I haven't got it!)

The Doc said The Bean was mildly dehydrated and that we were doing the right things - giving her sips of water slowly throughout the day and she also said we could give her some scrambled egg and toast if she was  hungry and kept a bit more food down. (Apparently egg is 'binding' so can help with Diarrhoea). Just in case the dreaded sickness works it's way around the UK, here are the top signs that your toddler or baby is dehydrated:

No wet nappies for more than six to eight hours
No tears while crying
A dry parched mouth
Lethargy
The urine looks darker than normal in nappy

Here are the signs that your baby or toddler is seriously dehydrated:

Lightheadedness, unresponsive behaviour or delirium
Excessive sleepiness or fussiness
sunken eyes
Hands that feel cold and blotchy
In small babies the fontenelle (the soft spots on their heads) and sunken in

The key is to keep giving as many fluids as possible in small doses - even if they are vomiting, some will be absorbed by the body. Take your child to see a GP if the symptoms persist for more than 24 hours...


I have made it into work today, I asked The Bean if she minded and she said no! Today on gurgle you may notice the site being a little slower than usual and that there are some broken links - on the poll for instance. We know about these and our crack team are working on them as I type! gurgle will be restored to the gurgle that you love very shortly and there will be a few new additions!

I'm not sleeping too well! This is definitely down to the fact that I am 25 weeks pregnant, but here are my top five reasons why sleeping in pregnancy doesn't really work:

1) My growing belly
So the experts say it's best to sleep on your left side during pregnancy, but I miss sleeping on my tummy - something which is way too impossible now. I'm finding it really hard to get comfortable during the night and toss and turn until I find a position that is good for the bump and me. That and the kicking - my baby loves to give me a kick and a thump as i'm finally drifting off into the land of nod...

2) Cramp
I have never had cramp apart from during both pregnancies. Last night was a mixture of having intense cramp in my toes and in my calf muscles and stopped me from sleeping as I had to pace around the room to get rid of it. I think pregnancy yoga helps and stretching before you go to bed, not much help at 3am.

3) Heat
During pregnancy your body temperature is slightly raised so this explains why you're kicking off the covers on a cold winter's night. If you are pregnant in the hot summer, then sleeping my become a serious issue and it may be time to invest in a fan for your bedroom.

4) A toddler in my bed...
This of course won't happen to first-time pregnant mums, but The Bean has taken to coming into our bed at between 5-6am and sleeping until 7.30am in our bed. She sleeps straight away as soon as she comes in so we've fallen into the habit of letting it happen. Problem is, she spreads her arms out, finds my ear to fondle (a favourite pastime of hers) and generally steals all the space in the bed. Think it might be time to give The Bean her marching orders!

5) Worry
Whether it's worrying about your pregnancy, the baby inside you, which school your toddler will go to, your finances or whether you'll get stretch marks, midnight worries seems to accelerate during pregnancy. A combination of all of the above, needing a wee and having worries, basically means that most pregnant women get very little 'deep' sleep. Puffy eyes in the morning anyone?

I also know that in  a month or so the heartburn starts - something to look forward too!

I shouldn't complain, poor gurgle never sleeps! We're loving seeing all the pictures of twins popping up in our twins gallery. Today is the last day of the Mothercare maternity cardigan competition so don't forget to enter for your chance to win.

At what stage do children learn tact? A quick chat around the gurgle office reveals that a six year old can be untactful but a ten year old probably understands about hurting someone's feelings. As for a toddler, not wanting to kiss Grandma or throwing away a present they have just received is a common occurrence. Last night an old friend turned up with a present for The Bean. Unfortunately the present was one she already has. As my husband walked in as The Bean opened her present I pleaded with my eyes to both of them to keep quiet. Luckily although The Bean's language is coming on in leaps and bounds she can't quite reveal all yet and was probably trying to say she had already got one, but it came out sounding like endearing gratitude!  Just the husband to worry about then, never really know when he is going to be tactful or not...

I wanted to remind you all again, if you are going off on maternity leave to send me your new email addresses so that I can change your details (send to info@gurgle.com)  -  this way you will still receive your weekly email telling you all about your pregnancy or new baby's development. Can I also remind you all that we will not approve pictures of naked babies in baths (or in any other circumstance). We have had a few and in order to protect babies and children on our site we feel that these photos are inappropriate for use on the web. We hope you understand. In the meantime, we have added a new gallery called Twins for all parents of two or more babies...

Being pregnant again is totally different this time around to when I was pregnant with The Bean. I'm definitely more relaxed. With my first pregnancy I scoured books, looked forward to my weekly updates from websites like gurgle and knew exactly what stage my growing baby was at, what was developing and how big my bump should be at each step. This time I've forgotten what week I am in, (luckily when I log on to gurgle it tells me I am in week 24) I haven't had time to look through a baby book or go baby shopping - although I have bought a maternity tankini and some maternity jeans from Topshop this time. If it wasn't for my baby kicking away I think I would forget I was pregnant - this isn't to say that I don't care as much about this pregnancy, just that as a working mum with a toddler on-the-go it's hard to think of this little person somersaulting inside me...

If this is your second pregnancy and you feel the same, register with gurgle and sign up to receive our weekly newsletters about each stage in your baby's or your development. That way if life is too hectic around you to read any books, gurgle can do the work for you!

Today we've added a new baby gallery called Twins so don't forget to add all pictures of your terrible twos.

Like Christmas and The Bean's first birthday, I get more excited about these events than she does. I know I'm making a rod for my own back by saying this because in a few years she'll be obsessed with Christmas or with events that focus around consuming sugar (pancake day and Easter??). This morning I got up and made homemade pancakes which, as a working mum, I thought was quite an achievement, but does explain why I was ten minutes late for work! Thinking The Bean would love pancakes I gave her one with the classic filling of lemon and sugar. Unfortunately The Bean found me tossing the pancake funnier than actually eating it and she turned her little nose up at my handy work. Well, sorry Beanie but that means more for mummy! I'll definitely be having pancakes for tea tonight - You can grow up and have babies but the eight year old child lives in all of us still...

You may notice that our 'today on gurgle' has gone through a series of changes, but we hope that now you are able to see what new articles, videos and chat and answers might interest you daily. Today's videos to watch are: Cleaning your baby's teeth, foods to avoid in pregnancy and cravings. Don't forget to upload your photos into our baby galleries - we love seeing all your new pics appearing every day!

At my Stepfather's 60th at the weekend we decided to bring The Bean with us. This was basically because all the would-be babysitters were at the party. I worried about it initially as The Bean always goes to bed at 8pm and although i'm not particularly strict, I always seem to put her down at the same time each night.

I needn't have worried. Dressed in our best frocks (me in some hideous maternity ensemble and The Bean in a skirt) we arrived at the party. The Bean was immediately happy because there was another little girl there slightly older than her, which meant she had a playmate. It also meant I could leave her too it! I had to keep an eye on her because my mother had decorated the venue with candles - not the best idea with two two year olds dashing around. As soon as the band started playing I realised The Bean was in her element. She danced and she danced and she danced. At one point she was the only person on the dancefloor and had NO inhibitions (Toddlers rarely have any - think public poo-ing!) People were complementing me on The Bean and her dancing skills all night and she even managed to stay up till 11.30pm. Better than her sober pregnant mummy who was feeling the tiredness by 10! The only problem was my husband. As he watched The Bean twirl around the dancefloor all he could see was TROUBLE.
"The Bean is going to be the last one to leave the disco in her teens," he commented. "Just like her mum when I met her..." He added with a grin. (Which quickly turned into a grimace) "I've got trouble ahead of me," he sighed knocking back a Vodka shot.

Oh dear - it seems history is destined to repeat itself. How easy it is to forget our wild days when we are being self-righteous and not drinking. God help us when she discovers Tequila!

Today on gurgle we're looking forward to pancake day tomorrow and introducing the concept to our children. Don't forget to enter our brilliant competition to win a maternity cardigan from Mothercare. Look out for our new gallery in our baby photos area which will appear on Wednesday. More features to keep your eye on are taking your child out in public and baby-proof your home and babyproof your garden to keep your children safe and happy!