Or are HVs stuck in the 1970s?

[juneau]

Mine told me I could wean DS2 "from 18 weeks" and my friend is now weaning her DS, who isn't yet 5 months old, on her HV's advice. Now, obviously it's up to her if she wants to wean her child early, but when I look a bit when she told me she blithely announced that "the advice has changed". Has it? If so, I haven't seen anything in the media about the advice on weaning having changed. I thought you BF or formula fed until six months and then started to wean, which is what I did with DS1 and what I intend to do this time.

Advice and guidelines are exactly that, ADVICE and GUIDELINES!! they are not rules/laws that must be obeyed.

Having children is not a process, you are allowed to do things differently from other mums.

No one's making you follow them, but the thread isn't about whether you choose to follow them or not. It's about whether HVs are actually giving mother's current advice.

I have to take aspirin when pg and have healthy dd and so far healthy dc2 in utero.

Definitely not stuck in the 1970s - I have been advised by them to get DD dipping things in humous and I don't think that it existed in the UK in the 1970s.

My friend's HV recommended she have a jacket potato with tuna for lunch every day (er.... what about the advice not to eat pelagic fish too often?).

And I have seen many posts on here about them dispensing poor or outdated advice.

Genuine question: what are health visitors for? My friend's above was useless. Another friend's was so rude that he through her out of the house and told her not to come back. I know of no new parent that they have helped at all. So what are they supposed to do? I am curious.

I know the guidelines still state six months but Im sure I read somewhere that there is now new research saying that maybe somewhere between four and six months may be better and that they're considering changing the guidelines.??

Well Viva if you remember where you saw that, I'd be interested to read it, because since posting this thread I've been searching around and I can't find any 'new' advice about earlier weaning now being recommended. The NHS 'Birth to Five' book that the HV gave me at our first meeting clearly states weaning should take place at six months, so I'm a bit baffled that they give you a book full of advice to follow and then contradict it (unless it's been superseded by new information).

I think you might be confusing a research review that was reported quite sensationally in the papers a few months ago? It wasn't commissioned by the government though, and there hasn't been a change in guidelines.

Quite possible Rita. I didn't pay it a lot of attention as I'm well past the weaning stage.

Eurochick - I had no use for hv's either but several friends who suffered from pnd found their support an immense help.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12180052

I know that's only one bit of research and I'd expect a hv to be happy that it was a well respected piece of research or that there was other stuff backing it up.

It brings up an intesting point though. Should health visitors trot out the official guidelines and run the risk of being accused of not treating women as intelligent individuals. Or should they be able to say that the guidelines say x but there is some research that says y.

Though I accept in the OPs instance it doesn't sound like this is what happened.

IME you'll get alot of comments from other parents implying you should wean your DC same time they do theirs.

Number of times I was told the guidelines with my first were new by other parents - despite them having being around years before my first was born.

I've also had several HV tell me and other parents to wean earlier then gov and WHO guidelines. It was probably looking back less of an issue than it felt like at the time.

I not sure if it is correct official advice but I know alot of reflux babies round here are weaned earlier than 6 months - could that apply to your friends baby?

VivaLeBeaver
Or should they be able to say that the guidelines say x but there is some research that says y.

My first nearly retired HV also said that - this is the current research in past it was this - now lets have a think about your situation and what's best.

AAP changed their guidelines back in April AAP swoitching to solid foods

Esphgan position paper

"Exclusive or full breast-feeding for about 6 months
is a desirable goal. Complementary feeding should
not be introduced in any infant before 17 weeks,
and all infants should start complementary feeding by 26 weeks"

BDA Position statement

Penguin, I think unless it's a safety issue there is a lot to be said for informed choice. Weaning isn't a black and White issue as there are different factors to think about and babies are different.

How many times do we see people on MN moaning that they're dictated to in pregnancy and child rearing by health professionals and that they're not involved. There's an interesting thread on the feminist board at the minute.

YABU to think you know what every single HV in the UK says regarding weaning.

There are hundreds, possibly thousands of HVs who make a huge difference to the families they serve. If you disagree with what your HV has said to you then do your own research and make your own mind up.

I think I'd agree VivaLeBeaver.

It was certainly a shock to go from that HV to next who told me I'd kill my baby co-sleeping and that I had to have baby weighed every two weeks and that I had to wean early as he was big . First HV I always felt I could approach with anything - all subsequent ones I've tried to avoid really.