Come splutter at this (or tell me I'm wrong, in which case I have an apology to make)

[Anglepoise]

Someone told me today that her HV told her that some women's milk can decline in quality after four months, so that early weaning is necessary

[Yurtgirl]

splutter splutter

[WhatFreshHellIsThis]

What complete and utter tosh.

[cmotdibbler]

You just wouldn't credit it would you ?

I am seriously considering the need for a 'breastfeeding basics' leaflet that could be sent to all HV's covering the most common misstatements seemingly made to mothers.

Wonder how much it would cost to print and have it distributed with their prof magazine

[Anglepoise]

Thank you, that was my reaction.

I made the mum feel bad about weaning early on bad advice (I think anyway - she said she was feeling bad after I said it was rubbish).

I am seriously considering retraining as a HV because of the amount of garbage they seem to spout!

[AnarchyAunt]

Pffffffffffffffff

Where do they get these HVs? I can hardly believe they have trained as a nurse/midwife, practised for two years minimum, then done an HV course. I mean, how can they be so damn wrong after all that?

[ruty]

is there some special Ministry of Utter Crap these people attend?

[nigglewiggle]

Do you think she might have been making it up to excuse HER decision to wean early?

I've heard quite a few questionable parenting decisions being blamed on "professional advice."

[AnarchyAunt]

Anglepoise - I'd love to train as an HV, but the idea of at least six years (often longer as places on the HV course are limited, so may have to try a few years running to get on) before qualifying makes it seem unviable.

[Anglepoise]

I don't think she was making it up. She said she'd heard it and I asked where and she said HV. Then she said she felt shit about it again Bah. I suppose it could have been a misunderstanding of what the HV said

[Anglepoise]

AA didn't realise places are limited. When I said I was considering re-training, that was a bit of a misnomer, as it would involve me doing a nursing degree. Still thinking about it though ... my aunt did a nursing degree at 40 and I'd be about the same by the time DC were old enough for me to go back to studying.

[lollipopmother]

The thing is, whilst the HV was wrong to say that, does anyone really just take the advice of a HV? I don't think I've done a single thing so far with my DD on the say-so of a HV, I have gone on the internet, researched, bought books etc. I don't really even trust my doctor that much.

[TinkerBellesMumandFiFi2]

Yes they do, especially when it's agreeing with what you want to do anyway or what feinds/ family say/ do.

[tiktok]

Oh, it's true. Some women wake up one morning and - kapow!!! - their milk has turned to dishwater.

Well, obviously they have to wean.

[moondog]

FFS.
Words fail me.
Well, no they don't actually.

Silly cow.

[CherryChoc]

Lollipopmother a lot of women do go by the advice of their HV, they are health care professionals after all, we ought to be able to trust what they say!

Not everyone has the internet or would think about using it for research, and I'm not generalising women of lower intelligence either - my NCT friends are all very intelligent and educated but they don't ever use the internet to look up parenting related things, (They ask me instead I'm a bit of a running joke because I'm always telling them about something or other I found on the internet!)

[melpomene]

Yes mothers do listen to HVs and act on their advice, especially if it's their first child or if they're stressed/exhausted/at the end of their tether.

I acted on my HV's advice when she suggested doing controlled crying when dd1 was 6 months old; worst parenting mistake I've ever made

I would never expect to hear such rubbish about bfing from an HV though.

[KiwiPanda]

On a related HVs-are-rubbish but slightly off topic.. this morning took DD to be weighed. "So", says HV, "she's 10 weeks and 2 days". "No", I say, "she's exactly 10 weeks" (not that it matters, but, yunno, get it right). "No", says HV. "She's definitely 10 + 2."

"err no, she was born on a Friday, so it's exactly 10 weeks"

This goes on for ages with her insisting she's right and writing it that way in the red book.Even after I show her a calendar.

Honestly.. how can you trust someone's advice when they can't even count, eh?

[KiwiPanda]

Ha Mariasinger, what would we know eh? We just gave birth to them.

The woman I was speaking to (in fairness I don't know if she's actually a HV but she works in the baby clinic so presumably ought to know what she's talking about) drove me up the wall the week before by telling me I was bfing wrong. Having just done a WHOLE DAY on a bfing course. Wow. Then she had the cheek to ask me to sign a form certifying that she'd taught me about bfing...

[thisisyesterday]

i hope you didn't sign it!!!!

[BoffinMum]

Oh
My
God

We'd be better off with wise women and herbs than this.

[spicemonster]

I don't get this. In what other area do nurses spout total bollocks? Seriously, I usually trust a nurse. But breastfeeding seems to bring out a weird wicca element in loads of them

[CharCharGabor]

Bloody hell!!!!

[BoffinMum]

Actually most of the HVs haven't bf personally so they wouldn't be able to train as counsellors.

Maybe this is the problem?

[dontgive2shoites4daftpricks]

Yes, it's true. It's equally true that HV's intelligence declines in quality after about 4 months.....