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Infant feeding

HV recommended I stop BF

10 replies

itsonlysubterfuge · 22/04/2014 17:42

My DD is 21 months old. She hasn't eaten a proper meal in about 7 weeks. About 7 weeks ago I think she had a virus, just with a fever and a rash, no other symptoms. She was only eating yogurt and having cream, occasionally eating cheese, this happened for about 5 weeks and then I spoke to the health visitor and she suggested I stop feeding her yogurt so she would eat other things.

I decided I would also reduce breastfeeding during the day because I could see that she was breastfeeding instead of eating. So I stopped feeding her yogurt and BF her during the day, except for nap time. It's been 2 weeks and now the only thing she will eat is bread. She will drink smoothies and does still eat cheese sometimes, but everything else I have offered her has been refused. So we called up a health visitor again today and she recommended that I stop giving her breastmilk altogether.

I really do not want to stop breastfeeding. Both my DD and I enjoy it so much and I know it would upset her quite a lot. She is so happy when she asks for "boob" and I give it to her. It has been very upsetting for us both for me to refuse her just during the day, I can't imagine stopping altogether. On the other hand I don't want her to have lasting problems with food and I do believe that she really needs to eat a balanced diet.

DD has only gain 1.5 pounds in 6 months so she isn't really putting on weight. I don't know what to do and guess I'm just asking for advice, thoughts, etc. Before I decide what to do. Oh also, she did use to eat a good variety of things and would usually eat what I put in front of her.

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ManateeEquineOHara · 22/04/2014 17:49

She is probably still recovering from the virus so is not that hungry. I have been talking with a few mins recently in the course of some research I am doing who has toddlers who ate v. Little. Hv advice to them tended to be go with what they do eat and gradually increase the range. While this hv is kind of saying the opposite - stop what she will have in case that is holding her back from eating more? I would see if you can talk to a more pro breast feeding hv, I think stopping sounds unnecessary IMO.

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ManateeEquineOHara · 22/04/2014 17:49

Mums not mins! (On phone!)

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Happydaze247 · 22/04/2014 20:47

I'm not a health visitor but I would have thought that breastfeeding her during a phase like this would be the best thing to do, as at least she is getting some nutrients.

It also seems a shame to stop now when she is going through a rough time.

Was her diet ok before her illness?

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Happydaze247 · 22/04/2014 20:50

Also, how often was she weighed? Just wondering, as it may be that she was actually putting on weight just fine, but has lost some due to her recent illness, iyswim?

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DrownedGirl · 22/04/2014 20:55

I think while it can be true that too much (ff) milk can reduce the appetite for other foods, this situation is more complex than that and a HV shouldn't be recommending stopping bf rather than referring you for proper advice

If there is concern about her current appetite And growth then a gp check or referral to paediatrician or dietician sounds like a sensible move, before proposing that you stop the main current source of her nutrients!

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itsonlysubterfuge · 22/04/2014 20:59

manatee She does seems hungry to me and when she gets something she actually wants to eat, for example a piece of bread, she eats it with gusto and asks for more a lot of the time. She does seem to be very cuddly, but I think part of that is that she misses BF during the day.

happydaze She ate pretty well, I think. She usually had a piece of toast for breakfast, skipped lunch, had a snack of dried fruits or similar, and then a helping of meat/veg type meal (chilli con carne was her favourite thing) and yogurt with fruit puree as a dessert.

The health visitor said she thinks she isn't eating anything because she is getting enough calories from the breast milk to sustain her so that if I stop BF her she'll be so hungry she'll be forced to eat whatever I put in front of her.

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itsonlysubterfuge · 24/04/2014 06:48

She wasn't weighed very much, and I do see what you mean.

I think we will probably have a chat with the GP and see what she recommends, she is pro BF so I think it's probably best to get her opinion as well.

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jaynebxl · 24/04/2014 07:00

Surely if she has been ill and off food but is getting plenty of calories through bf then that's what she needs? There's so much goodness in bf I would give her as much as she wants for now and keep trying to tempt her with solid food in between, safe in the knowledge she is getting lots of good stuff already.

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MoominsAreScary · 24/04/2014 07:06

It doesn't sound like she was ever a big eater, from your description of what she was eating. My dn is the same.

I wouldn't stop bf and I'd talk to the good, some hv have odd ideas. Mine thinks I should give my toddler food he doesn't like (and has gagged at the taste of) instead of things I know he will eat to stop him being fussy because apparently. No child ever starved.

She's been quite poorly and that can put them off food for sometime, I would have thought getting some calories from the bf would be important, and it's not like she's bf all day instead of eating