What’s the most unhinged/blatantly untrue thing you’ve been told by a health visitor?

[claudiawinklemansfringetrimmer]

Inspired by the health visitor who confidently told me yesterday that “Pom bears have more saturated fat than a Big Mac” and the ones on a birth preparation course who stated “breast fed babies are 70% more intelligent” and “they didn’t have formula in dinosaur times!” (The latter is technically true I suppose…)

No, it's an everyone problem. Nobody would be formula feeding if not for those companies advertising everywhere.

And yes, I do mean that. The vast majority of mothers would be able to breastfeed directly. Occasionally (FAR less often than now; a tiny minority) would need to express/use an SNS long-term, or use donated milk, or resources would be put into developing a powdered human milk for the rare times it's needed.

No baby should ever lose its birthright of consuming human milk for capitalism.

https://www.babymilkaction.org/ukrules-pt3

https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o627

Yes but I mean targeted in the sense perhaps allies with social care, referrals from doctors or hospitals when a new mum/family is identified as being in need of support.

Its a total waste of resources to offer it to everyone when so many don’t need it.

The most sensible thing ever said to me was by a GP, who said “In my experience, Mrs Fairywingsandroses, the only thing children get from teething is teeth.” He followed it up by telling me that it would be amazing if babies didn’t suffer rashes, coughs colds etc during the two years or so they are producing teeth.

Ours has been a god-send. I am blind so measuring out the water to make formula was almost impossible, at least I never figured out how to do it safely with boiling water, the prep machine has solved all that for me as I don't have trouble measuring out the formula powder.
The infant feeding team at the hospital were very anti the prep machine, even though they couldn't offer a workable alternative, however, our health visitors and visiting midwives were far more pragmatic and were very positive about me using it. Fortunate since, despite my best efforts and a great deal of support from professionals, I was never able to establish breast-feeding.

I can assure you that advertising had absolutely no impact on the fact I have formula-fed my baby. I had been extremely keen on breast-feeding, it was always my intention, however, after our baby was born my milk never came in. I pumped and latched her constantly. I used nipple shields, hand expressed and even hired a hospital-grade breast pump for home use, as recommended by the feeding team. I received a great deal of support from the infant feeding team, midwives and health visitors, both while in hospital and on coming home. My milk never came in and, eventually, a doctor confirmed that there was a physiological reason why this was the case and there was nothing I could do to change this. A midwife advised me to begin giving our baby formula milk while I was still in hospital as it was obvious that she was receiving no milk from me despite making good progress in latching. I felt extremely guilty about this and it was done as a last resort to avoid starving my baby.
It's all well and good to suggest donated breast milk or, presently theoretical, human-based formula, but since the first is scarce and the second is currently non-existent neither of these would have been much use to me. Believe me, I felt and still feel incredibly guilty about my inability to breast-feed my baby, I don't need some dogmatic stranger on the internet accusing me of being a dupe of 'big formula' since, while I may be unable to produce breast milk, I am, in fact, not a credulous, suggestible fool.
Also, pretty sure I have never encountered a formula milk advert in any form. I have heard an advert for follow-on milk on the radio, but most of this advert focused on how breast milk is best and this should only be a last resort. I know rules are different in other countries but rules on the promotion of formula milk in the UK are extremely strict.

I formula fed after 8 weeks because infective mastitis did not resolve and a breast abscess developed. It was surgically drained and I spent ten days continuing to bf with a drain strapped around to plastic bag on my back. I persevered because an HV had said to me "bf mothers out their babies first; formula feeding mothers put themselves first". As I became more unwell emotionally and physically, she told me to ring up the NCT.

I am not sure how much benefit my son got from breastfeeding taking into account the ab's and painkillers I needed.

My son and I were both much better as soon as bf ceased although it took me years to recover emotionally.

I seriously think you need to research a little into maternal deaths from breast feeding related sepsis and infant malnourishment a few centuries ago. I carried the weight of feeling that had I been born earlier and even if I'd survived, my son probably would not. Eventually a very sensible older practice nurse to whom I said that, told me ds would have been fine because he'd have been one of the privileged ones for whom a wet nurse could have been paid.

Also, formula is a better alternative than modern doorstep cow's milk and an even greater improvement over the unpasteurised cow and goat milk given to babies in yesteryear, from Grubby receptacles, in the UK.

Whats it got to do with you how other mums choose to feed their babies? Not all mums stay at home doing nothing for 3 years some of us work. Also not all mums and/or babies can breast feed so get off your high horse and mind your own buisness. HV probably thought you were a knob to be fair 🤣

It's not the point whether you personally are affected by formula advertising or not. Though it's guaranteed you will have seen it in various forms, including follow-on milk (which is just a way to get round the ban on first stage formula advertising), even if you don't recall.

Even calling breastmilk best is formula marketing. It implies formula is fine and breastmilk is an optional extra. When the reverse is the case; breastmilk is the default, the absolute basic, and formula increases risks.

http://www.whale.to/a/wiessinger.html

The point is the whole of society is affected by it, and if it wasn't, there would be truly effective support for everyone who could breastfeed, and a human-based milk alternative in some form for anyone who couldn't (which would be a minuscule proportion in that case).

https://pinterandmartin.com/products/the-politics-of-breastfeeding-when-breasts-are-bad-for-business

https://pinterandmartin.com/products/why-the-politics-of-breastfeeding-matter

And what's your problem. They didn't eat any food, our hospital was Guildgord for all grandkids, 8 am is classic. Really could keep your irrelevant comment to yourself

@rosiejaune what I'd have found helpful 30 years ago was some clear NHS funded research into the composition of and differences between the various formula milks on the market and some clear evidence of whether some were more beneficial than others. Like Which and Good Housekeeping do re sausages and hoovers.

I knew breast was best. I wanted to breast feed. I could not carry on with the pain and infection any longer and was made to feel a fucking failure by the HV, the midwives and the NCT.

In the gentlest possible way, this is not a thread about the relative merits of formula and breast feeding per se, so would you mind awfully starting your own thread about that.

Horrible post . I sweated blood and tears to be able to breast feed my first. Emergency c section, special care baby unit , tongue tie, jaundice
. Because of people like you both my baby and I suffered for weeks. He was dehydrated and hungry and I sobbed and felt wretched and useless as a mother.

I had been indoctrinated against formula and didn’t want to quit trying . In the end we combination fed but I still developed awful PND.

If you are a woman you need to wind your neck in and hear the harm peddling your views does to other women who you should be supporting .

Dear roses, stop policing people's comments. This us free country and everyone can say what they want.

Read the Gsrden cf thread , clearly you need some fun

Yep, including me. 😀

I have added my own daft HV comment to the thread, but actually when the time came to FF the HV was a mine of useful information. 30 years ago I got 18 weeks mat leave before returning on 12 hour shifts. I used the same formula as SIL which didn’t suit DS and it was the HV who guided me to a different choice. In my view this is where good HV are worth their weight in gold and at that time they were a lot more familiar with the different brands and less scared of making recommendations.

Part of the problem here is in a lot of cases they are under qualified women put into a position where they think they are capable of diagnosing various things but simply are undertrained to do that job.

It's a cheap solution rather than training staff adequately to a level that the job description really requires. And thats the best scenario.

In other cases unfortunately it becomes an opportunity for women on power trips to spout outrageous inaccurate and dangerous bollocks.

aren’t they nurses with additional qualifications on top? I’ve always wondered what that consisted of tbh.

I was breastfeeding my first and he wasn't putting on as much weight as she thought he should (for the record, his length was growing fine, and breast fed babies don't initially put on as much fat as bottle fed) so she told me to stop breastfeeding and start bottle feeding at 6 weeks.

Luckily I ignored her and breastfed successfully until he was 18 months along with other food starting at about five and a half months. I also work for the NHS as a scientist and was well aware of the research around breastfeeding because I read medical texts as part of my job.

As a side - I totally support every individual woman's decision around whether to bottle or breast feed, and sometimes bottle feeding is the best decision for that circumstance - it just wasn't in this case.

This was the same health visitor who measured his head but totally missed that it was flattened because a suture in his skull had closed too early (sagittal craniosynostosis) - it eventually needed surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital to correct it when a GP spotted it incidentally at 10 weeks.

No one knows everything, but the better ones know their limitations and don't give out random false advice.

No baby should ever lose its birthright of consuming human milk for capitalism

God, I bet you're popular at parties.

Yep all qualifies midwives or nurses from any branch. They do a year intensive postgrad course to become health visitors. Many went straight from qualifying into the health visiting course. Personally I think only midwives and paeds nurses should be health visitors or maybe the other branches if they have extensive experience working with parents and children.

In the late 90's i was told by an elderly hv who didn't have children that newborn babies should be put into a room on their own from day one and if they wake in the night should be given sugared water only.
At the same clinic my designated hv who was also an older lady was sensible wise kind and reassuring.
It's a shame there are a few doolally ones but i think there is a need for some families and a good one is worth their weight in gold and after all you don't have to have one.

In 1996 I was told by a HV that I’d ’never be a girl again’, after she came to inspect my stitches post birth. Her comment traumatised me more than the actual stitches!

I would agree with you, but clearly something is going on with the oversight process here. I would think the stories on MN were hyperbole if I hadn’t experienced it myself

That my 4 month old son was emotionally manipulative and was crying just to be held and to stop feeding him so much as he had gone up 2 centiles and it would lead to him being obese (I was breastfeeding) and I needed to try controlled crying with him🙄I am now a midwife (wasn't then) and I genuinely am astounded at the advice that is given out with no evidence behind it by healthcare professionals.

Fair enough to tell someone to wind their neck in, but your very nasty comment about SAHMs was unnecessary.

Doing nothing? Jesus Christ.