Possetting and other delights

It always gives me a small chuckle to see which parts of a post seem to excite the most commentary.  Disposable knickers- who knew?  Truth be told, I hadn't really thought past rigorously following the lists of "What to Pack in the Hospital Bag" (to be found on various websites and in books about, ah, what to expect). So it hadn't really dawned on me that normal knickknacks (though crummy old ones, possibly in the granny pant style) could also suffice.  But then I realised that, in any event, my box of "older undies" is somewhere in the loft, amongst the pre-pregnancy clothing- where it will have to stay until I eventually get a chance to sort through things properly.  I anticipate getting to that chore in, say, four or five years time.  So disposables it is. And my word, having opened the pack for a little sneak preview, they are hideous.

Oh, and someone mentioned the muslin cloths and queried the uses thereof. I guess it may be a UK thing, but everyone here is nigh on obsessed with muslin.  Forget about worrying if you have the right pram, crib or nursing bra- it's woe betide you if you haven't laid in a supply of about 4,000 muslin cloths.  As if, OH MY GOD, honey!  Make sure you stop en route to the hospital at the Baby-o-rama store, because I am not sure we have sufficient provision of muslins. 

Yes, but what are they for, you may be asking? Well, everything, apparently.  Bibs, draping around self during feeding, cleaning up spills, possetting.  Etc. D'you know, by way of demonstrating my total ignorance of the practicalities of dealing with an actual baby, I had never heard the word "possetting" before a couple of weeks ago?  I still think it sounds like a dessert item. As in, "I'd like the apple crumble with some possetting on the side, please." 

In other news, the cot bed arrived today and I had an amusing two hours putting it together. It wasn't actually that difficult to do, but there is something about assembling a piece of furniture which is intended to house an infant- it demands a certain amount of attention to detail.  Unlike my usual laissez-faire attitude to those little IKEA projects (la, la, la, so what if there is an extra screw or bracket or three- or else not enough?), I must have checked the cot over about four hundred times to be sure that nothing would come apart/topple over/snag the wee one's clothes or limbs and so on. But it's solid, looks delicious, and I only swore like a salty pirate four or five times in the process (cover your ears, Botany.) 

Anyway, it's quarter past two in the morning, and of course, I'm awake, as usual.  I think I may dust the skirting boards and the underside of the television with a spare muslin for half an hour or so, and see if I can perhaps finally fall asleep before dawn.

Comments

[Margaret]

Dear BM

I've been lurking since way before you became pregnant and feel I need to ask these questions before the long awaited plant lady arrives.
What age are you? (I haven’t succeeded in finding this info on your site).
How did you get pregnant, aside from the obvious? I know you’ve tried to address this before but I need to ask again, what changed in your life, what crazy-assed idea springs to mind? Was it focusing on the newly acquired Little Guy? Or changing department? I’m seriously considering buying a Little Guy too or changing job!!!! I want to spontaneously combust with child!
I’m 40 and have been trying for 3 years (my very hesitant next step is IVF with donor eggs).

Anyway – kind fertile mare, you are fabulous, thank you for sharing so much.

Forever lurking Margaret

“A horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about themselves - strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence. ~Pam Brown”

[laughing mommy]

I have two kids... a 5 year old and a 20 month old and I had to look up possetting in the dictionary. And you know what, it wasn't in the www.m-w.com dictionary I usually use. I had to GOOGLE it. Can you believe?

[swissmiss]

I had to google possetting, too. I think in the US it's called "cheesing", but then again that could just be a weird term my family uses.

[Jenn]

I had to look up possetting too and I have twins that will be one in a few days. I've always heard it called it spitting up.

[Pamplemousse]

Hey you! It is all about the muslins over this side of the pond ;) They are as bad as net curtains.

I see your pregnancy twin has given birth so now we are just waiting on you. No pressure!

PS I left you a message on your mobile. Please respondez.

[Lut C.]

The word muslin just makes me think of costume drama's, like Pride & Prejudice. I think here we just use bibs for all of the uses you mention. :-)

[katie]

I already said this on Thalia's blog - I have no clue why muslins are white. Surely coloured cloths would be more practical, and patterned ones wouldn't show milk vomit at least?

Every time I've been in hospital (3 times for 2 miscarriages, and a lap and dye) they've given me disposable knickers and special huge pads, so as not to destroy my own knickers. They have container-loads of them stored somewhere.

[Sam]

Disposable knickers and muslim and the "p" word? I am completely lost. I must ask Google to explain these things to me. In small, simple words that even an American (still in America) can understand.

[pjg]

Thanks for the explanation on muslins, I guess my English blood came through after all. When I was pregnant I used an old flannel sheet to make double thickness rags of varying sizes for spit-up (possetting). I started using them for general cleaning over the years and still have a stack in the kitchen at all times. Hope you are doing well, I have been subscribing to you blog for a while now and I very much enjoy your writing.

[anon]

Dude, you forgot the most important muslin use - SWADDLING.

Those yanks have no idea with their tteny tiny flannel jobbies. What you really need is a couple of metres of muslin to really burritto that baby.

Oh, and draping over the pram to keep bugs and old ladies out.

Muslins are white becaus eit only comes in one colour (unless you buy them at a cool and trendy baby shop). Oh, and you guys don't call muslin muslin, you call it cheesecloth. You call calico muslin for some bizarro reason probably associated with why you call nappies dipaers (the french word for high quality linen).

[seepi]

I know you've already got them now, but really cheap undies from Target will probably cost less than the disposable ones, and be more comfortable...

[seepi]

ps - I'm in australia - muslin is big here too - usually in colours, but never in prints.

[seepi]

ps - I'm in australia - muslin is big here too - usually in colours, but never in prints.

[mcb]

You're completely right about the word 'possetting'. It suggests something lovely, as you say, when it's really not that nice at all. The only term that's even more misleading is 'the show' (ie: when the mucous plug drops out). I'd feel ripped off if I bought tickets to that.

I also panicked about muslins, bought to many, ended up giving lots away, unused.

[sheilah]

I also (vapid American that I am) did not know what 'possetting' was. To me it conjured up visions of loneliness and separateness as, "She was in the corner of the room, possetted with her favorite novel..."

[Brandy]

I love the idea of muslin - especially for swaddling. My little guy is not a tiny baby - he was 8 lbs 8 oz at birth and is 18 pounds at almost 5 months old. Those tiny pieces of flannel termed "receiving blankets" here in the US did very little receiving for me. They're more of a burp cloth than anything else. I use a large, thin blanket from the hospital because my guy's nickname is "baby burrito" and he LOVES to be swaddled.

Oh and I only used the hospital disposable undies and giant pads. I wanted nothing of what was going on to get on any undies of mine - even old yucky ones.

Good luck!!