Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To think this hv was wrong?

45 replies

Moulesfrites · 01/08/2011 14:32

I went to a weaning talk this morning run by my hv team, to get some a dive about ds who is 27 weeks. I was shocked as a lot of the things she said were wrong according to my understanding of weaning, which has mostly been gleaned from mn! For example:

She said that waking more at night was a sign of readiness.
She said that a bouncy chair was appropriate for feeding a baby in.
One mum asked what to do if their baby wasn't showing the signs of readiness at 6 m and she said to start anyway.

Would ibu to stick to mn for my advice in future?

OP posts:

TheHumanCatapult · 01/08/2011 15:31

Showofhand was not so much his size but more he was permantley hungry and mean to point of constant screaming .

But what i would say is go with your instincts

wigglesrock · 01/08/2011 15:33

I was at weaning class last week and the HV told a woman that at 6 months she could introduce a little food to her baby even if she wasn't sure the baby was ready as it may be more difficult to introduce a "rougher" texture later which I thought was fair enough, in the same way you introduce a cup. They did explain about developmental growth spurts and were very specific re leaving weaning to 6 months.

My almost 6 month old is starting to waken even more!! at night and yes a bit of porridge at night is helping her sleep longer, not through but longer.

SpottyFrock · 01/08/2011 15:36

Ds seemed permanently hungry too but I was rather more concerned with the long term health of his gut so just breastfed almost constantly it seemed until he reached 6mths.

kirsty75005 · 01/08/2011 17:38

Haven't some recent studies found that, at least as far as gluten goes, introducing at 4-6 months might be better than waiting till after 6 months?
(Example: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15900004)
Not really a reaction to the OP, more a reaction to some reactions, sorry...)

rainbowtoenails · 01/08/2011 18:11

Well it was 2003 that all the books and hvs were telling us all to wean from 4 months (i decided to wait until 5 months).

Cleverything · 01/08/2011 19:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

alowVera · 01/08/2011 19:47

A HV is not necessarily a qualified nurse.
A HV is not necessarily qualified.
A HV is not a health professional. - fact.

vj32 · 01/08/2011 19:53

Just saying 'fact' doesn't make you right!!!!
Health Visitors are all qualified nurses or midwives:
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/details/Default.aspx?Id=807

In my area there are health visitors, nurses, and nursery nurses (with childcare quals only) on the 'Health Visiting Team.' Hence confusion presumably. They give out a list of names and job titles to avoid that though.

pozzled · 01/08/2011 19:55

I can understand why a bouncy chair might not be a good idea (although we used it for DD1 as we didn't know not to). But what should you do with a baby who can't sit yet? DD1 couldn't sit until about 8 months so we couldn't really have waited that long.

Cleverything · 01/08/2011 19:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RitaMorgan · 01/08/2011 20:00

Bouncy chair is a choking risk - should never feed a baby in a reclined position as they will struggle to gag and cough up food.

Could she not sit at all pozzled, not even supported? They don't have to be able to sit totally unsupported on the floor, but they should be able to sit upright and control their heads/neck - eg in a highchair or bumbo, or on someone's lap.

alowVera · 01/08/2011 20:43

vj32 the words out of my health visitors mouth was " we a not health professionals" and that was the only bit I put "fact" by. Sorry I was unclear.

alowVera · 01/08/2011 20:44

*we are

DuelingFanjo · 01/08/2011 20:51

kirsty, as far as I can see from what you posted the study says waiting until after 7 months to introduce gluten may have a marginally increased risk of CDA

"Children not exposed to gluten until the seventh month or later (36 [71%] CDA positive vs 895 [59%] CDA negative) had a marginally increased risk of CDA compared with those exposed at 4 to 6 months"

I don't think that is in any way contrary to the current NHS guidelines for weaning.

peppapighastakenovermylife · 01/08/2011 20:55

So those of you who stick to the pre 2003 guidelines because they were fine then...do you not change your behaviour at all in relation to new evidence?

For example...I don't think mumsnet existed in 2003 and we were all fine then but we now appear to be using it...

Certain vaccines were not offered when I was a baby, doesn't mean I don't give my DC's them now.

We used to think the world was flat / smoking was good for us... (and no, I'm not comparing early weaning to smoking...)

catgirl1976 · 01/08/2011 20:56

I won't be waking a sleeping baby to feed it, whatever the guidelines say.

vj32 · 01/08/2011 20:58

I think YABU to stick purely to mumsnet for advice. Use it as one of several sources of info fine, but taking health advice from random people in the internet is a bit dodgy, surely...

Helenagrace · 01/08/2011 21:22

In my experience HVs simply spout a mixture of personal opinion, old wives tales and poor research.

Fortunately my youngest is now 5 so I don't have regular dealings with any but when I did I always asked for their research basis for their advice. I don't remember ever being given a convincing research base for their advice.

I made a complaint about one who came out when ds was 10 days old. I was told that she didn't do breastfeeding advice as it wasn't her job. She also said that she didn't see women "in my area" very often as middle class mothers rarely have problems - yeah right PND knows you have a big mortgage and leaves you alone. I wasn't the only one who made complaints and she ended up being made to take early retirement. If your HV has given unsafe advice then she should be the subject of a complaint.

I honestly don't know how they justify their salaries. We'd be much better off with more sure start and social work intervention teams to help problem families.

kirsty75005 · 02/08/2011 07:49

@DuellingFanjo. I'd interpreted that differently: to me "the seventh month" means "the month between 6 and 7 months old" (much as my 6th month of pregnancy visit has to be somewhere between 5 months and 6 months pregnant) so "the seventh month or later" would essentially mean from 6 months old or later.

But I agree it's not clear.

What are the current UK guidelines? I live abroad and the health care workers here told me "between 4 and 6 months when the baby seems ready" but it seems that that's not UK guidelines?

DuelingFanjo · 02/08/2011 08:46

The NHS guidelines say 'around 6 months' and

"Try giving solid foods when your baby:

can sit up,
wants to chew and is putting toys and other objects in their mouth, and
reaches and grabs accurately.

It is normal for babies aged three to five months to begin waking in the night when they have previously slept through. It is not necessarily a sign of hunger and starting solids will not make your baby more likely to sleep through the night again.

If your baby seems hungrier at any time before six months, they may be having a growth spurt, and extra breast or formula milk will be enough to meet their needs"

Flip

1 2