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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be a bit pissed off at the HV..

70 replies

INeedMoreCakeInMyLife · 07/08/2018 12:02

Got my baby weighed his morning. She was born on 50th centile. Now between 50/75 centile. She told me she was overweight.. I thought she was taking the piss at first. Then said she'd like to see her in a month for a review.. She's 5m. Since 2m she's gained 2lb a month. Then between 4-5m she's gained just 1.5lb.
She's 16lb now. She's not big at all.. Just chunky thighs really.. Mega annoyed.
I know they're just doing their job but it's still annoyed me.

OP posts:
firsttimebabybirther · 07/08/2018 12:43

I would just totally ignore, what do they want you to do? Put baby on a diet Hmm

My DS is 5m and roughly around 18/19lb every time he's weighed he's piled on about 2 lb and my HV always comments on how lovely he's growing.

He was 9'6lb and 55cm born , no idea of his height now if I had to guess I'd say between 70 & 75 cm.

safetyfreak · 07/08/2018 12:44

My DD was the same centile as a baby and my HV was never worried. She is now 6 and is a tall, thin girl.

userabcname · 07/08/2018 12:46

What???? My DS was born on the 75th centile and moved up to 98th very quickly. No cause for concern from GP, midwives or HV. Please ignore. How utterly ridiculous.

DontDribbleOnTheCarpet · 07/08/2018 12:51

You know that having your baby weighed isn't compulsory, right?
My HV was an arse about my first (EBF) baby's weight. The second one was only weighed at birth and before we left hospital. The two after that have never seen a HV. They are all fine and not one is overweight.

If she wasn't growing then that would be cause for concern. I'd just avoid that HV in future tbh, she doesn't sound very good at her job.

Icklepickle101 · 07/08/2018 12:56

You don’t have to get her weighed and you don’t have to go to her follow up appointment

DS put on 1lb a week for the first 9 weeks of his life, he jumped up to the top centile but he was EBF and me and DP are very tall so I wasn’t worried. The HV proceeded to tell me to restrict feeds to no more frequently than every 4 hours, he was 10 weeks old. I never went back to clinic and he’s a healthy, happy 2 year old now

areyouactuallykidding · 07/08/2018 12:56

IGNORE. STOP GOING ON ABOUT CENTILES. IT MEANS FUCK ALL.
YOU KNOW IF YOUR CHILD IS HEALTHY OR NOT. YES, YOU REALLY DO.

Well that’s not true is it? Loads of children are obese - isn’t it 25% of school starters. Their parents don’t know best

81Byerley · 07/08/2018 12:56

This is why my daughter refuses to get her baby weighed!

Caaarrrl · 07/08/2018 12:58

OP this could have been me posting! My HV said exactly the same thing to me about my baby. She had also recoreded her age wrong, which I think would have completely changed the result. Don't worry OP my DD is now 15 and is a perfectly proportioned and fit and healthy size for her height.

It still annoys me though how the HV said it. Fortunately, DD (15) is my 2nd child so I was more confident to just tell HV that my child was a perfectly healthy weight and was thriving. Might have been less confident to deal with her if it was y first child though.

gamerchick · 07/08/2018 13:00

This is why I didnt take mine to be weighed unless they were getting their jabs.

Vanillaradio · 07/08/2018 13:03

Hvs seem to be obsessed with centiles and think every baby should grow neatly from birth tracking the same centile line. Out of my nct group ds was the only one who actually did this (about the only thing he had ever done averagly!) hence I can be relaxed about it. Everybody else got hassle because their baby had gone up or down too much, whilst looking like perfectly normal sized healthy babies. Tbh I would just stop going.

kshaw · 07/08/2018 13:06

My baby was 3 month old, on 70th percentile but as Prem was 97th (or something silly) corrected. Told me I need to watch her weight...when questioned how when just on milk (formula fed but on demand), when hungry she got fed. Simple! She couldn't answer me at all, so I took it all as a load of crap

kaytee87 · 07/08/2018 13:06

Its a load of bollocks a 5mo cannot be overweight. I never took mine to be weighed after his newborn checks, the next time I weighed him he was 12mo and I did it out of curiosity.

LimboLuna · 07/08/2018 13:07

I didn’t see a health visitor at all when mine were born. We some how got missed off everytime.
But I genuinely don’t understand how you can have an over weight baby? I mean are you meant to leave them crying, feed them less?
I don’t understand.

pinkypoopsicle · 07/08/2018 13:09

I wish people would have more respect for their HV's. They train hard and are accountable for everything they do.*

It's hard to have respect though, when so many seem to be lacking in basic common sense. My HV was anything but supportive and informative.

The doctor even rolled his eyes and laughed when I expressed the HV's concerns over my DC's weight. He said he's perfectly in proportion and to not cut any feeds.

Buffymum · 07/08/2018 13:14

Colditz, We sadly see babies on both end of centile spectrum , from very premature babies with cardiac issues to obesity where neglect is an issue and these lines - along with other observations / information are important .
Obesity can start as a baby , and the number of reception age children who are overweight is sadly increasing .

Original poster
INeedMoreCakeInMyLife · 07/08/2018 13:15

Thank you for replies.
My DS was the same and is average size now as a teen.
She's perfectly proportioned and I have no intention of joining her to SW lol...

My normal HV always says she's grown lovely. This was somewhere different.. Needless to say I won't be going to that one again.

OP posts:
IfYouDontImagineNothingHappens · 07/08/2018 13:22

Mines jumped up once and went straight back down again the next time to the centile they followed. Sure they are fine.

colditz · 07/08/2018 13:31

Buffymum, what do you expect the mother of a fully milk fed baby to DO when he child gains more weight than you want? Starve it?

SheepyFun · 07/08/2018 13:34

DD was born on the 9th centile, and made it to the 91st at her 12 month check. No-one was worried - she only crawled at a year, at which point her weight plateaued. She's now 5; when she was weighed and measured in reception, she had a healthy bmi. Goodness only knows what your HV would have said!

Namedilema123 · 07/08/2018 13:35

Buffymum...my 7 week old is 12lbs and on the 95th centile. Is she obese??!! I think not.

SharpLily · 07/08/2018 13:45

@Buffymum yes, "these lines - along with other observations / information are important", they are important but mean nothing if badly interpreted. Clearly the HV in this case is struggling with them because she has also recorded the child's age incorrectly.

My daughter has always been only just heavy enough so I have the opposite problem but I would genuinely like to know how mothers of breastfed children are expected to get the weight off in these circumstances. Are they really supposed to withhold milk? Surely not?

toomuchtooold · 07/08/2018 13:45

When my twins were 10 weeks old the HV mixed up their weights and forgot to correct their ages (they were slightly premature) and then gave me a lecture on how DD1 was dropping down the centiles. I only noticed the mistake once I was out of there unfortunately - I remembered which numbers belonged to which baby but hadn't been able to check what she'd put on the charts till I got back out. There's a certain type of arsehole person who enjoys using statistics to frighten people, and they're always really, really crap at understanding the stats they're using

sar302 · 07/08/2018 13:50

Our son is 8 months and I just sit him naked on the scales at home now. He's a big boy and has always sat around the 85th mark. Last time we got him weighed, the HV assistant told us that he'd dropped to the 50th. Our baby is clearly bloody huge and I told her that that couldn't possible be right. She held his red book hostage!! And made me wait for a health visitor, "for a chat".
The health visitor took one look at him, checked the red book, and just said "yeah, they plotted it wrong" and walked off. Idiots!

adviceonthepox · 07/08/2018 13:55

My 2nd child was on the 91st centile for height and weight from birth. At 4 months old he developed a cough and wheeze and a temperature. I took him to the drs she told me he was overweight and the wheeze was because he was fat and this affected his breathing. She told me to give him watered down formula feeds (1 or 2 less scoops per feed) I walked out and was dressing him (winter time) in the waiting room crying my eyes out feeling like the worse mother ever. My HV walked in and asked me what was wrong. I told her what the dr said and she said stay there don't go anywhere I will be right back. She came back with her scales and measuring mat. He was still on the 91st for height and weight. She made the gp see us again and she read her the riot act. Told her the advice she had given me was extremely dangerous and she was out of order. She made the doctor examine him again and pointed out to her that in her opinion he had a chest infection. We left with antibiotics. He was better inside a week with no wheeze. I will always be grateful to my Health Visitor for being there that day. It has also made me question any doctor when I don't agree with what they have said.
Some health Visitors are amazing some are mediocre and some are useless. Always go with your gut instinct. Mums know baby best Thanks

Brandnewshit · 07/08/2018 14:00

My daughter was on the 25th centile at 12 months, she was just petite, hv told me to stir extra butter, double cream and sugar in her food.
She's now a perfectly healthy bmi 9 yr old.
Its a load of shit

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