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BLW weaning weight worries, advice please: sorry, LONG

2 replies

YouNeverCanTell · 07/08/2009 19:51

My son has just had his 8/9 month check-up and my health visitor is concerned that he has slipped off the 50th centile (birth) and is now on 9th centile. As he's my third, we haven't had him weighed very often and he is a delightfully happy (everyone remarks on how much he smiles) and healthy baby and he is alert and active during the day.

We started BLW at 6.5 months. I am still breastfeeding pretty much on demand during the day (5 or 6 feeds) as well as giving him finger food with his two siblings at meal and snack time. He seems content and not hungry. His sister (my first child) was weaned in the traditional way at 4 months and so at his age was on three good meals of lumpy food a day. BUT she had exactly the same growth pattern as him: born on 50th centile, dropped to 9th by 9 months. Now, aged six she is happily and healthily on 25th centile. I wasn't worried at all at today's check, but the health visitor wants to weigh him again in four weeks' time to see if he 'makes up' the weight he has 'lost'.

Questions: Is this a normal weight gain pattern for BLW? Should I stick with pure BLW and tell the health visitor to relax? Or should I supplement finger food with mashed/pureed food?

I really like the philosophy of BLW and it suits the family as the baby can sit and eat with his siblings and really seems to enjoy mealtimes. On the other hand, I don't want my poor boy to be underfed/undernourished. Advice would be appreciated.

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greensnail · 07/08/2009 20:17

Hi, I'm no expert but it doesn't sound to me as if there's anything to be worried about. Your DS is happy, healthy, alert and active and is growing in the same pattern as his sister did.

If BLW is working for you and your family I would stick with it (you may find he won't let you spoonfeed him now anyway). I might be inclined not to take him back to be weighed again in 4 weeks though.

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YouNeverCanTell · 07/08/2009 20:48

Yep. I'm not inclined to take him back either!

Thanks for the reassurance. Even though I am a, ahem, mature mother of three, I do find myself amazingly cowed by 20something, childless (and very nice, I must say) health visitors