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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that our 13 week old ds, who is long for his age and weighs 15lbs would need...

95 replies

mameulah · 26/02/2013 21:15

...weaned before the rest of the majority of his peer group?

Or do I not understand the whole weaning thing?

It really feels like everyone thinks I should be feeding him porridge and baby rice. I am interested in the baby led weaning thing but I can't imagine how I am going to keep him going only on milk for the next three months.

What do you think?

OP posts:
travellingwilbury · 26/02/2013 21:32

I am not surprised at the hv comments .

I can remember seeing mine just a couple of months on and she was really shocked ge was still ebf . she thought I should be topping.g up with formula and made a joke at about 14 weeks about given him porridge soon .

I nodded and smiled and ignored .

I did spend a lot of time sitting around feeding but it worked .

threesypeesy · 26/02/2013 21:33

none the part that i would take a doctors advice in a childrens ward than a bunch of mums tbh. my childs healthy, happy and pain free Grin

RainbowsFriend · 26/02/2013 21:33

Oh and baby rice is pretty empty stuff no vitamins except what may have been artificially added and so is less bio-available

  • and it is high in arsenic as rice is grown in areas of high arsenic in the soils. Not enough to bother adults, but can affect babies.
willoughboobs · 26/02/2013 21:34

my hv was excellent! it all depends on the baby imo, my ds was ready to be weaned and it did him no harm whats so ever. it wasn't just my hv either it was the hospital and 2 gps who agreed on this decision. he had a lot more health issues as well but mainly his weight, he was putting on around 5-10lb a week from the milk calories and his body couldn't handle it anymore so he had to go on a controlled diet.

RainbowsFriend · 26/02/2013 21:37

willoughboobs - just curious, but were you bottle or breastfeeding?

willoughboobs · 26/02/2013 21:38

breast for the first 5 weeks and then bottle.

5madthings · 26/02/2013 21:40

5-10lb a week or 5-10oz? I would think if he was putting on 5-10lb a week he would have some kind of metabolic disorder?!

Mine all weaned at 6mths. Ds4 was almost 11lb at birth and still fine on milk till 6mths.

RainbowsFriend · 26/02/2013 21:41

Did changing to the bottle change the weight gain at all? I have no experience at all with bottle feeding so am a but ignorant - but as the amount they take at a breastfeed is a much smaller volume, on swapping his stomach would have been smaller I think, could you have not just cut down the volume of milk feeds?

MajaBiene · 26/02/2013 21:43

As others have said, weight has nothing to do with gut maturity.

If you introduce food before 17 weeks you are risking your baby's future health. Wait til at least then.

CloudsAndTrees · 26/02/2013 21:43

Completely agree with ShowOfHands.

Look for the signs of being ready for food, and don't make the mistake of thinking that weight has anything to do with it.

Btw, it wasn't that long ago that we were told to wean babies at 16 weeks, but even then we were told definitely not before 15 weeks. It is still very very early to even be considering weaning your baby, and whoever is making you think you should start on baby rice and porridge at this stage is an idiot.

Nicecuppachar · 26/02/2013 21:46

Threesy - with all due respect your baby is still a baby. You can have NO idea of any damage you may or may not have done.

MajaBiene · 26/02/2013 21:48

HollyBerryBush - 18 years ago NHS advice was at least 4 months for weaning.

CommanderShepard · 26/02/2013 21:48

I don't understand how big baby could possibly necessitate early weaning. There's never going to be more calories in a bit of carrot puree than in a bottle of milk - and if they're getting big and growing well on milk, why would they need solids to replace it?

willoughboobs · 26/02/2013 21:50

5-10lb in weight Confused

i had to first stop breastfeeding as he was too hungry so i had to put him on cow and gate and we gave that a try but it made his weight shoot up even more. As i had tried both and he was still hungry and putting weight on rapidly i couldn't give him anymore milk as he would have put on more weight. i was then told about the weaning ( i was disgusted myself at it) and was referred to see the gps and dieticians who said it was fine... a week went by and he started to drop the weight and his health slowly and surely started to get better within time.

RainbowsFriend · 26/02/2013 21:51

I think your son was an exceptional case then willoughboobs!

yaimee · 26/02/2013 21:52

my ds was very long and weighed 12lb3oz when he was born was weaned at 6 months. He didn't go hungry with just milk, he was absolutely fine and I was advised not to start weaning early despite his size. It's to do with the development of the digestive system, which isn't ready for solid food until at least 6 months!

Chattymummyhere · 26/02/2013 21:52

Weight is not a good sign.. Going off your 15lbs comment my youngest would not of been weaned till over a year old.. She weighed in at 15lbs and a few oz at 14months old..

Blw is what I like but waiting till they can sit unaided and showing an interest with blw in can take weeks before they eat the food rather than just sucking/licking it. I would not personally wean that early

threesypeesy · 26/02/2013 21:53

well nicecuppachar medically trained staff monitered her and shes healthy and fine.

are you a doctor? medical proffesional?

she had an illness if it was your child in horrific pain and in hospital would you want then to stay like that until they hit the age of guidelines?? if you would Shock

I would do it again and no amount of you being outraged would change that.

5madthings · 26/02/2013 21:54

Did they not do any further examinations, blood tests for thyroid levels and look at any genetic conditions? A baby putting in that amount of weight needs proper investigation first. I am glad he us now fine willough but very surprised they didn't investigate as its an abnormal amount of weight to put on, how much milk was he having?!

Nicecuppachar · 26/02/2013 21:54

I'm sure she's fine at the moment but problems caused by premature weaning don't show up for years.

I'm not outraged, just gobsmacked .

willoughboobs · 26/02/2013 21:55

oooh and i might add that it might be because my dc are strange lol Wink

my ds had all this happen and was weaned so early- never ill, and perfectly well.

my dd on the other hand 6months of being bf and weaned at 6mo is a very very poorly child, she is in the hospital constantly with digestive problems, lactose intolerance and asthma Confused

Original poster
mameulah · 26/02/2013 21:56

Thank you everyone, I really appreciate your comments and am definitely now much clearer on why it is important to wait until our ds is six months old.

But what about the teeth? And forgive my ignorance, whilst I know a lot about child development I am totally naive about what to expect with babies. How many teeth does the average baby have at six months? And if you follow the advice of baby led weaning then do you simply trust your baby to instinctively know how to chew?

OP posts:
threesypeesy · 26/02/2013 21:57

again though it was done for medical reasons, not because she was big (she wasnt) or because i just felt like it. she needed it to relieve her pain. personelly as a mother i would do anything to take pain away from my child and to be frank in that situation screw the effin guidelines. there there for general use not some of the extream cases some peoles dcs have.

willoughboobs · 26/02/2013 21:58

yes they did do all sorts of examinations, he was in and out of hospital every week until his diet changed, then he's never been back... oooh tell a lie he has for a broken ankle Confused he is 7 now and is very lanky and perfect weight Grin

RainbowsFriend · 26/02/2013 22:00

If they are ready to have solids they can chew. If not then the tongue thrust reflex pushes the food back out - which is easier to do with soft solids than purees. - another reason why blw is better.

They dont need to have teeth to chew soft food - the gums are quite hard as the teeth and bone is just underneath.