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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to be annoyed my HV called my dd "Chunky"

49 replies

Glolly · 15/02/2008 09:38

My dd is 2 weeks off her 1st birthday and I took her to the local monthly clinic to be weighed. Our usual HV wasnt there but the one that was said, before even weighing her, "Has she always been this chunky"!!!

She has the most fabulous chubby cheeks and weighs 23lbs so not exactly huge.

AIBU to think this woman was a cheeky mare!

OP posts:

Emprexia · 15/02/2008 11:23

YABU.

But then my DS's nickname was Chunk for a while.. and Chunkymonkey.. its a good thing for them to be a little bit chunky at this age.

snowleopard · 15/02/2008 11:29

I think you might be been a little bit sensitive... it was perhaps not the most refined way to put it but it is her job to ask. HVs (and parents!) would have a very dull time if they couldn't ever make a normal light-hearted remark about a child's physique which is after all what you're supposed to be testing and discussing.

I have to admit DS got a lot of comments about how big and chunky he was at birth - and I loved it! My fave was in the maternity ward - a passing midwife loudly declaimed "Oooh that's what I like to see, a nice big chubby healthy boy - not like some of these scrawny little peely-wally bairns you get in here!" Monstrously insensitive I think you'll agree but it made me happy!

helenhismadwife · 15/02/2008 16:57

I think you are being a bit oversensitive, how ever she put it she was still going to be asking about the size of your daughter, which is what has upset and annoyed you, there isnt a very tactful way of putting a tactless question she could have just checked her red book

I wouldnt take offence at that at all, I think its lovely to see a chunky, chubbie, porkie or what ever you want to call them baby, to me they always look lovely and healthy and how a baby should.

My dd was a real chunky chops when she started walking it dropped off

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 15/02/2008 16:59

Mine called DD 'skinny and little', which upset me much more than if she'd called her chunky.

meglet · 15/02/2008 17:16

Bit cheeky of her. But I was chunky as a baby and am a skinny thing now. I don't think it matters what weight a 1yr old is as long as they aren't massively over or under weight. It will all balance out.

DontCallMeBaby · 15/02/2008 18:38

Aw, chunky is lovely. But then I have to consciously restrain myself from saying babies are 'lovely and fat', reminding myself that not everyone works on my philosophy that fat is NOT a negative in babies.

chocfest · 15/02/2008 18:39

should have just said 'have you?' !!

KerryMum · 15/02/2008 18:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ScienceTeacher · 15/02/2008 18:42

Is she chunky?

hatrick · 15/02/2008 18:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Dalrymps · 15/02/2008 18:55

I just want to say that babies aren't 'supposed' to look any certain way, all of them are individuals as are adults. Reading through i've felt a bit at some of the comments suggesting babies who are 'skinny and pale' do not look how babies are supposed to look. My baby is skinny, and occasionally pale but he is very healthy and happy. Just wanted to make that point.

Spidermama · 15/02/2008 19:01

I called my ds chunky all the time at that age because he was. At this age babies are allowed to be chunky. I, for one, love a good chunky, round-cheeked, chubby kneed, apple-bottomed one year old. Yum!

DualCycloneCod · 15/02/2008 19:04

i liek chunky babies

Spidermama · 15/02/2008 19:06

fwiw ds2 was chunky and fat with rolls of the stuff. I never minded a bit. Now he's a lithe, tall sporty 8 year old.

cameroonmama · 15/02/2008 19:11

I can sympathise about being irked, all three of mine have been rather cuddly, and ds2 who is now 9 mths is rather enormous. Of course I absolutely love his rolls of cuddliness and he is the most easy going baby ever, but I do so tire of everyone commenting straight away on how enormous he is, rather than, say mentioning his lovely blue eyes

KerryMum · 15/02/2008 20:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

harpsichordcarrier · 15/02/2008 20:11

yabu and a bit over-sensitive tbh
understandable, but "chunky" wrt a one year old is not an insult
if she had called you chunky that would have been different

lennygrrl · 15/02/2008 20:15

Message withdrawn

Janni · 15/02/2008 20:17

chunky is prob a compliment in HV land.

My DS2 was a right porker and is now, aged 8, like a whippet.

Original poster

Glolly · 15/02/2008 20:20

KerryMum, yes to some people she would be chunky. She weighs 23lbs but is quite short so think that is why it is the first thing everyone mentions about her. I feel exactly the same Cameroonmama, she has gorgeous big eyes but nobody mentions these. She does have these gorgeous chubby cheeks too thou

Having read everyones posts I do think i was a bit pathetic to be annoyed just a bit taken aback that she would say this as soon as we walked into the room, although as i mentioned it dont think it was meant in a judging way, ie she wasnt accusing me of feeding her deep fried mars bars!!

OP posts:

lennygrrl · 15/02/2008 20:27

Message withdrawn

DeeRiguer · 15/02/2008 21:47

now if she'd said 'chukky' then i would understand..

chunky is a descriptive term not offensive i thought

twospecialgirls · 15/02/2008 21:54

it would not bother me if my hv said my dd was chunky i love chunky babies
and mine it just over 10 months and weighs about 26lb she s huge and stunning

shrooms · 16/02/2008 12:38

I agree that babies aren't 'supposed' to look a certain way. Just as you get teens in all shapes and sizes, you get babies with or without chunk. I do like cuddly babies and toddlers but I loved my two even more because they were georgeous and beautiful in every possible way just as all babies are.

To OP - you weren't being unreasonable to be annoyed if you thought she was using the word chunky to mean overweight, but I'm positive she wasn't and probably was trying to compliment your daughters health and happiness

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