Family support worker

[Witchcat]

Am i being unreasonable by thinking that a Sure Start Family Support Worker should not ask if i am still bf my 21 month old and then say in a shock horror kind of voice "Some people bf untill 4 years of age".

How is that supportive of breastfeeding?

This also coming from the woman who told me to send my child to nursary with a chest infection when he was on anti-biotics!

She is meant to help me get out with DS but when i do (i have joined a gym and take him swimming) she complains that we are out when she turns up unannouced.

So i am now confused as to what her job is meant to be

Ask to change her. When i went to the health visitor I had one lady telling me that everything I was doing was wrong. I saw a different health visitor the following week who recommended a product and the week after that the horrible health visitor told me that I was lying as no health visitor would recommend a johnsons product! (I had the proof in my red book signed by the previous health visitor but was still lying). She made me feel like an awful parent and was not any help at all so I complained to her manager and insisted my family only see one particular health visitor so our advice was consistant.
If you do not feel she is not achieving what she should with you and your family you have every right to change to another person.
I read a book about the 3 main ways to parent whilst pregnant and they are all very different someone who believes in a hippy style of parenting (lots of cuddles, baby sling for closeness etc) can't work well with someone who believes children should only be cuddled at certain times of the day and only for short periods and especially not when receiving a bottle etc.CHALK and CHEESE - will not work in a support enviroment.

Well nothing wrong with asking if you are still BF or not IMO as long as the answer is not judged. Also nothing wrong with the statement "some people BF until 4 years of age" in itself as it is just a fact not a judgement. I don't know if YABU or not as I guess you would need to be there and hear tone of voice and see body language to interpret what she meant. If you said yes and she then said that in an 'excited' tone it could just have been meant as encouragement i.e. to just afirm that you are not abnormal for BF at 21 months because some people do it for even longer IYSWIM.

Tell her to f*ck off. If you need support then ask your health visitor. Unlike a family support worker a health vistor actually has some medical qualifications. they can use their clout if your lo needs the doctor quickly.

I avoid our local surestart centre. The surestart worker asked what job I did before having children. I told her that I worked in "Theoretical Radiaion Physics" (not lying) She acted as if I was taking the piss.

I can really sympathise with low income families who avoid surestart centres like the plague. I am just relieved that all these wanna bees health visitor types are going to sacked by the coalition governant and replaced with PROPER QUALIFIED health visitiors.

The same lady also told me that "only Baby P type families get more than the primary visit from the heath visitor". I felt deeply offended as my lovely health visitor has kept an eye on me incase I develop depression.

If you feel you do not need her support that much any more (as you are not sure what her job is meant to be shows like your not getting much benefit from her?) maybe you could say to them that you feel you have had enough support and wont be needing her anymore, if you are able to just get on without it? or if theres others available ask to change her maybe
but doesnt sound like she really meant offense with the bf comment maybe she didnt know what to say, was just making conversation?

Reallytired i dont think all of them are like that, in our area we have some lovely and v helpful support workers if they were sacked it would be such a shame and nothing to celebrate about :(