BLW: reassurance needed after seeing Health Visitor

[SpawnChorus]

DS is just over 6 months old, and I started offering him solid food about 3 weeks ago. Read Aitch's fantastic BLW blog and decided to give it ago (couldn't be arsed with tussling over the spoon with DS).

Anyway, I've been feeling pretty chuffed with myself over the whole BLW thing so far. It's a million miles away from the faff of Karmelesque pureeing etc that I did for DD. Weaning was a struggle with DD, partly because HV advised me to start weaning DD too early (IMO) at just over 5 months. She wasn't following the 'correct' centile line, and HV thought solid food would make her put on more weight . Needless to say it didn't.

But I digress - DS seems to really really enjoy his food, and makes valiant efforts to get as much of the stuff into his mouth as possible. His hand-to-mouth coordination isn't that great yet though....so I do sometimes wonder if he's managing to eat enough to satiate his hunger. But I have been repeating the 'food's for fun until they're one' mantra, and he's still having plenty of breatmilk.

So I went off to get DD and DS weighed last week, and DS (who was originally on the 91st centile) is now on approx 60th centile. I've only had him weighed a few times since he was born, and he's been gradually 'falling down' the centiles...it's certainly not something that's suddenly happened now that he's starting eating solids. As an aside, DD was 50th centile at birth and ended up on 4th centile for a long while, so I shouldn;t be fazed by this, but I think I'm just a bit neurotic. [chewed nails]

I was so determined to remain confident in the face of those flipping centile charts, but can now feel myself getting a bit edgy again. Not helped by the HV blathering on about how babies who are not weaned til they are 6 months should be encouraged to be on 3 square meals a day asap (like some sort of fast-track weaning...lol!).

I really didn't want to get into a 'calendar-driven panic' as another MNer brilliantly described it, but the HV laid it on thick about iron levels running out at 6 months ('especially breast-fed babies').

I suppose there's just a wee bit of me that's wavering and wondering if I should dust off the mouli and start wrestling with DS over the spoon to make sure he eats 'enough'.

Should I have more faith in DS's ability to stuff his face?

[colditz]

Iron levels don't 'run out at 6 months'

they start to deplete

I should think one baby mouthful of broccoli (ideal BLW food BTW) would contain enough iron for the day!

[harpsichordcarrier]

Spawn Chorus did you see the thread I started recently about the growth charts? I will try and find a link....
can't stop for long (am supposed to be working but can I just say that iron levels do NOT RUN OUT AT SIX MONTHS that's just phooey frankly and anyone who says that deserves a smack in the chops. iron stores BEGIN TO DEPLETE but your baby's health is NOT at risk if you carry on giving him as much milk as he wants for the time being

[harpsichordcarrier]

oh yes goo dpoint colditz, offer broccoli florets
another thing I used to do was cook some dried apricots and puree them us, them spread the apricot goo on bread or toast or rice cake or offer it as a dip
loads of iron in that

[MrsBadger]

the only things I can suggest are

1. iron stores start going down from 6mo - there's normally enough stockpiled to last them longer - usu till about a year.

1. So long as he's bfing as much as ever, don't worry about how much food goes in his mouth as he's getting everything he needs from the milk.

1. [dons tin hat] Stop getting him weighed. If he's ill or something's wrong wrong, go to the GP, but avoid the HV like mad in the meantime...

[BuffysMum]

do not worry my love - birth weight has little to do with their weight at a year old! My youngest 3 were all whopper babies they were all on diff centiles at a year old and diff again now they are older!

If he's hungry he'll eat unless there is something seriously wrong with him which I think you would probaby notice!

HTH

[harpsichordcarrier]

thread about growth charts &c with some useful stuff from clever people like tiktok and mears and lots of ranting from me :)

[harpsichordcarrier]

oh yes good idea, stop taking him to get weighed unless you are otherwise worried about his health. I have never had dd2 weighed.

[DizzyBint]

were you happy with the way things were and how your baby was BEFORE you saw the HV?? then don't go back to see the HV!

[motherinferior]

Those fecking scales. I got DD2 weighed twice, for some stupid reason, and her weight was 'dipping' and they all got their knickers twisted and I cried and cried.

She's now coming up for four and small but solid.

[SpawnChorus]

Thank you all! Just what I wanted to hear (read). I've actually only had him weighed a couple of times, and only took him in this time because I was getting DD weighed (she's not putting any weight on at the mo, despite eating like a horse...but that's another story).

I will revert to avoiding the HV like the plague.

[chirpygirl]

If it helps DD is BLW'd and was on the 75th centile until she was 6 months, and then at 7-8 months was suddenly on the 30th...cue big panic and talking to by HV (give her formula, spoonfeed her high calorie foods...blah, blah, blah), which I pretended to listen to...

Cut to 1 year old and she is back on the 75th line! Only prob now is that HV thinks it was her advice...dammit

Wish I could avoid her but they insist on weighing them before their injections, so you have no choice!

[Aloha]

Just thought I'd say that the RNI for iron for babies up to 3yrs is 6.9mg a day. A massive 3oz of broccoli contains 1mg.
Actually it's really hard to get to 6.9mg a day with a baby - even 3oz of steak only contains 2.4mg.

[SpawnChorus]

Aloha - so how on earth do we get enough iron into 'em? HV actually mentioned vitamin drops for DS as breast milk doesn't have as much iron as formula. (I believe this is true, but still don't particularly want to give him vitamins). In fact she specified Abidec, which is extra because Abidec doesn't even contain iron!

Also, we don't eat meat (but do eat fish), so iron-intake is something I am concerned about.

Realistically, how can I fulfill a baby's iron requirements when they eat so little? (I do increase absorption as much as poss by combining with vit C rich fruit etc).

[tiktok]

Spawn, you seem to have an especially useless HV

You don't need to 'get iron into' your baby. Gradual and responsive introductions to a range of other foods will sort it out, without worrying about micrograms - there are many non-meat foods, such as dried apricots, eggs, pulses, dark green veg, that have iron.

[Mojomummy]

breast milk doesn't have as much iron as formula...BUT the iron that is in breastmilk is almost ALL absorbed. UNLIKE the iron in formula which just bungs (most) babies up & then is excreted.

[NoBiggy]

Was advised to give vitamin drops to dd1 (as she was bf and "your vitamins have run out" !)

They don't have iron in, I imagine because of the risk of taking an excess. Also the vitamins were in peanut oil as I recall, and I'd been carefully avoiding peanuts all through pregnancy and bf, so I was a bit disgusted with the whole thing.

Me, I'm of the basic opinion that if the cavefolk didn't do it, it can't be all that necessary.

(To introduce myself, have 3yo dd1, 6mo dd2, blw since monday, and boy, she loves them carrots!)