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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think health visitors have a large part to play in obesity in the uk

132 replies

Superchop · 31/08/2014 11:14

Yes I'm being unreasonable to do another health visitor thread
Yes I'm being unreasonable to group health visitors altogether I'm sure there are lovely proactive health visitors.
But...

I would argue there is a ridiculous emphasis on weight gains and loss for babies which causes mothers and fathers to obsess over milk and food intake. I think this pressure and concern from health visitors along with the graphs and centiles leads to over feeding and parents losing their basic instincts and common sense. I.e does my child look like they are healthy/ are they happy the majority of the time.

I'm willing to be told I am being unreasonable. I am not trying to be judgemental to those who use health visitors I personally ignored them and dc has only been weighed by the doctors and midwives at the check ups.
Interested to hear others opinions

OP posts:
ArgyMargy · 31/08/2014 17:28

Dayshift I think many of your points are valid but I don't agree with your comment about early weaning. It suggests that almost everyone born before about 2000 will have problems based on them being fed gluten and other foods before the age of 6 months. This is clearly nonsense and makes it difficult to have a sensible debate about weaning.

somewherewest · 31/08/2014 19:20

But that's your issue, you weren't instructed to over feed

It was not handled well. The HVs focused over-narrowly and anxiously on weight gain over several months without offering me any solutions, bar pressure to top up with formula (given I was feeding on demand and had had the latch etc checked by a breastfeeding expert, I wasn't quite sure what this would achieve). Without the weighing scales I would've just seen a healthy, happy baby and not had a moment's anxiety. So I think the HVs were a bit shit.

sharonthewaspandthewineywall · 31/08/2014 19:29

As a nurse and health visitor I just feel full of worth and esteem when I read threads on here. Maybe a career change is needed...a teacher? GrinGrinGrin

ThisFenceIsComfy · 31/08/2014 19:33

Childhood obesity exists because people eat shit so their children eat shit.

Mrsjayy · 31/08/2014 19:35

Grin sharon

Waltonswatcher · 31/08/2014 19:40

Heard it all now . Pity the hv . Mine was heaps of fun , very pushy about doing your own thing and running on your I instincts .
I never attended the weigh in clinics though - do parents really need a week by week update ? Can't they see they baby grows getting too tight ? It was a social club , not a health necessity for new borns . It is however a support resource to anyone in need and an opportunity for any issues to show themselves ,therefore the weighing sessions are a good thing then .

CrockedPot · 31/08/2014 19:51

I saw my HV for about 10 months after the birth of dc1 and about 6 months after the birth of dc2. They are now 10 and 7 and all their dietary needs decisions were met by me and dh alone. They are not overweight and eat a healthy, balanced diet and exercise regularly. It's that simple. Everyone knows that this is the formula for health. You don't need a degree. It is obvious and is in the media enough for anyone to know this. To blame HVs is ridiculous, insulting and patronising.

mcdog · 31/08/2014 19:56

I'm a HV and I sometimes feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place with regard to my job role. Easily 85-90% of my job is child protection, consequently I don't have enough time for "normal" families. Therefore I use the centile charts as a quick reference guide. Having said that, I try hard to give families an individualised service and I hope that the relationships I build with mums make looking at the charts quickly only half the assessment. Does that make sense???

To put my job into context, last week: I had a dad threaten to kill me, I talked a mum out of jumping off a bridge, I intervened when a dad attempted to slap his wife, I made about 25 calls to SS, and I saw 10 new births. That's on top of my "regular" duties. I'm not making excuses, but I only work 22.5hrs a week. The answer is either more HV's or less child protection Hmm

ShadowStar · 31/08/2014 19:57

After DS1 was about 6 weeks old, my HV said that we didn't need to get him weighed more than once a month unless we had any concerns about him.

The baby clinics are more than just a weighing clinic though, they're also there for if parents have any issues they want to discuss with the HV.

mcdog · 31/08/2014 19:58

Sharon, a comrade :) x x

sharonthewaspandthewineywall · 31/08/2014 20:16

Paahhh we are a lone voice on here

Original poster
Superchop · 31/08/2014 20:54

sharon & mcdog you sound like you are doing a very good job and technically should have known better to start this thread particularly as a soon to be trainee teacher I shouldn't blame and group. As I said previously I do think hv are necessary just believe it's being handled badly... Most likely due to you being over stretched and other issues that I am less knowledgable about. But, I think as previous posters have said far more eloquently to me it is more of the climate and the weigh ins are an addition to it.

I can see I appear to be back tracking but I think i am being slightly reasonable with my thoughts but with a misjudged first post. - but I have found this thread to be an interesting discussion

OP posts:
MoominKoalaAndMiniMoom · 31/08/2014 20:58

Pretty sure I was weaned at 3/4 months back in 1994.

Maybe it isn't the done thing these days, but to say that the thought of it is absurd is a bit far-fetched.

oddsocksmostly · 31/08/2014 21:05

mcdog Do you work in London? Just wondered if it was worse there for staff shortages?

mum9876 · 31/08/2014 21:50

My dm was a HV. It's about spotting neglect, a screening service as I understand it. So yes, most of us don't need them stopping by. But by accepting it as normal, they get to stop by most of us.

The weight gain is just a sign that the baby is ok. It's nothing to do with obesity. Given that they have very little time per person, it's just a way of seeing that the baby is growing. There are people who don't feed their babies.

For everybody who finds it annoying, the more people who accept it as normal support, the more they can get into all homes and check that all babies are thriving.

Personally - I had PND myself. Didn't realise. Had zero support locally. My HV was a life saver for me. I'd never have believed I needed help before we ttc. She made me two friends and she put me on a free baby massage course where I met four others. I'd have known nobody otherwise.

sharonthewaspandthewineywall · 31/08/2014 21:52

It's not just about that. It's about enhancing health, encouraging healthy habits and behaviour and trying to provide therapeutic interventions as early as possible when potential issues may present

mcdog · 31/08/2014 21:57

Odd socks, I don't work in London. In fact, I work in what would be considered a naice town :( I dread to think how HVs in large cities such as London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow etc cope. It saddens me greatly.

scottishmummy · 31/08/2014 22:09

HV do a hard community health job and a valuable safeguarding rôle

Dayshiftdoris · 01/09/2014 00:11

I got almost through the HV training and ran for the hills... Not in a million years would I do that job and I was a midwife - I am not scared of accountability and responsibility!

You are expected to pick everything up that social services won't and manage a considerable amount of risk with a pretty much absent multi-disciplinary team. Oh and in addition you are expected to now expected to detect additional needs early to allow for intervention in a backdrop of no agreed pathways for assessment or referral. It's a joke.

One of you posed - what do you want more health promotion or more safeguarding? Well considering that your job is ultimately public health not social work surely the answer would be health promotion?

But that's not going to happen as things currently are and they don't look likely to change. Safeguarding is now a HVs job but funny how school nurses don't have the same experience despite 'taking over' at school entry.

However, there are opportunities for HVs and assistants to offer correct advice - universal services they are commissioned to deliver - like the new birth visit and subsequent reviews at 6 weeks, 4 months, 7-9 months and 2-2.5years (dependant on area) and IME there is still poor, incorrect advice being offered. Some of it is situation driven but some of it is just 'traditional' practice that needs to change. But again where do you even start? There needs be better support and education of the health visiting service or the whole lot is going to implode.

Sharon and McDog - I take my hat off to you - you are much stronger people than I - I wasn't cut out for it - I could have done the job but manage the stress on top of my own child with AN - not a chance.

Bulbasaur · 01/09/2014 00:19

My pediatrician's opinion on DD is this. Is she eating? If the answer is yes, she's healthy. :)

We were told not to even worry about weight, because at so young any fat they are getting is most likely being stored up for a growth spurt. The key is to make sure you're feeding them healthy food and not empty calories.

DanielSan · 01/09/2014 02:09

What's wrong with Health Visitors?? The only person who spotted my PHD was my health visitor, I would have been lost without her. She comes round every week if I'm having a difficult time, and she stays as long as I need her. When my DS was born, and I wasn't coping at all, the health visiting/ community midwife team made sure that someone came round every day for at least the first month despite being massively understaffed. It stopped me sinking into a very dark place, and I'm convinced that without their support I would still be there. They were and are some of the kindest people I've ever come across, and far from interfering, they made sure me and my son were safe, when I wasn't necessarily able to do that myself. Fair enough, maybe you personally didn't need them, but to some of us, they are invaluable. And incidentally, not one weighed my baby without asking me first.

dancestomyowntune · 01/09/2014 06:54

i have had contact with lots of hvs over the years and i can see what op is saying to a certain point. i went to baby clinic. not every week because it really isn't necessary, but for advice at different times, when my babies would inevitably be weighed too. the ONLY thing i was ever told off about was potty training too early (at 14months) because dd would regress if i was successful (she never did) and she wasn't capable of holding on to it at that age.

i also had a very good hv who was the one that noticed my pnd after dc3 was born. she fought tooth and nail to get me the help i needed.

wrt to obesity, i ff. none of my four babies EVER had bottles more than 6/7ounces. yet i know babies who would have two full 9 ounce bottles a feed Shock my babies never required that much!!! and mine all slept through by six weeks too. without the need to overfeed.

Sirzy · 01/09/2014 07:21

I think a big part of the problem is there simply aren't enough health visitors. We are about to start achool so come out of the HV system and into the school nurse system but in theory DS is a child who probably should have been closely watched under the HV system (40 plus hospital visits in 4.5 years) yet not seen one since his 2 year check and had of brief phone call since then. I have tried to contact them with regards worries and got nowhere and ended up using the GP instead,

StripyBanana · 01/09/2014 07:34

Wow. Must admit im glad hv are advising not to start weaning at 3 months. I feel sad that they'd be getting abuse over it.

in both areas I lived we were actively encouraged NOT to weigh often (one london clinic actively turning people away if there more than 2monthly aftet first few weeks.)

Maim attitude was, "if they're eating and pooping and seem happy all is well." Re weight.

Although neither hv was right about TT. It would be better if they just defered or referred to lactation consultants re: bf...

SierpinskiNumber · 01/09/2014 07:55

Sharon and MacDog. Thanks. I think HV are awesome. (Well, there are probably some crappy ones but very few) I've only ever known HVs to be professional.

OP, I think YABU.

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