looking for advice / similar experiences - health visitor and dietician don’t respond with any support (I imagine they’re completely over worked / lack of time and resources so I’m not cross with them).
My daughter was born just under the 0.4th centile for weight, length wasn’t taken and head circumference was right at the bottom of the scale. A very small amount of weight loss after birth taking her to the 0.4th centile and remained on this curve until 7 months old. After a nasty bout of teething and illness just as weaning started, DD fell off her curve (not even a square below the 0.4). I was a small baby and all family are petite on my side and small babies - DH side average height but not tall. Since then DD has maintained this new curve just below 0.4.
The health visitors were weighing once a month and making recommendations for diet; they were happy DD was maintain her new curve, seemed happy and developing well. One clinic day a manager was covering and panicked, insisting I take Dd to the doctors and referred for a dietician due to gaining weight but still not going above the 0.4. Height is 2nd centile. Dietitians have never met DD all over the phone - high calorie milk prescribed at about 9/10 months however by this point DD has transitioned to less milk more food. All meals are high calorie, she has little fat rolls, is meeting her milestones and aspects she wasn’t meeting at her 9 month check she quickly did the following week! Not crawling but army shuffling and very close to walking. If I hadn’t of got her weighed I wouldn’t have assumed a problem. We are on the waiting list for paeds to rule out medical issues but GP and my actual health visitor feel DD is just small like us and also very active. (Does not sit still!)
a typical day at 12 nearly 13 months looks like this:
- 3oz high cal formula (1ml=1cal) upon waking - will not drink more or less than this regardless of time/breakfast etc. up to 8 months or so this was 6-7oz.
- Breakfast not keen on cereal but will eat some weetabix with encouragement. Prefers Greek yogurt which I mix with fruit, almond butter etc. Will eat toast and crumpets, now older will actually swallow some of this rather than just sucking. Lots of butter/cream cheese both sides. A cup of high cal formula (a few sips).
- snack is avocado & toast or some yoghurt and veggies sticks.
- lunch is a mixture, fish pie, cottage pie, spag bowl etc. all cooked with healthy fats & dairy. Pudding is yoghurt, custard etc. usually has about 3 tablespoons of lunch then pudding. Also finger food like garlic bread.
- Afternoon snack is crackers cheese & veggies or homemade pastries e.g. cream cheese pinwheels. Most days DD will have a 4oz bottle upon waking from nap too, I understand at this age it’s reccomended to drop but I darent until my next dietician appointment.
- dinner is similar to lunch whatever we are having with finger foods too, loves pesto pasta etc. pudding again. Similar amounts eaten to lunch.
- if we go out for the day packed lunch includes some pasta, finger foods like sandwiches which DD nibbles on. If really stuck out and about we will use pouches with DD demolishes so we pick the higher calorie ones e.g. cheesy pie.
anyway my actual health visitor came round and she was quite confused why DD was referred to dietician, she visited when first born and felt like DD was following her own curve, petite and has really suffered with teeth and bugs when younger so we can’t expect miracles. Dietician is more strict, and seems quite frustrated that I can’t get DD weighed every fortnight when I return to work this month (closest weigh in clinic is 45 mins from my work and would mean taking DD out of nursery for half a day - my job is flexible however I’d have no one to have her while I go back and would have to work late to make these hours up so it just isn’t an option).
when I have called the dieticians for advice during a really bad teething and illness spell (at 9 months a 6 weeks of just grazing!) I tried 4 times and each time a message was taken with no response, then during appointments I feel quite a lot of pressure to get weight up. I feel I am doing all I can - my gut feeling is DD is petite like me. She is SO happy and content, never lethargic, does things like dropping naps and bottles as per her age. I have found the dietician intervention and getting her weighed so frequently very anxiety inducing. It has completely dampened my relationship with weaning - I try my best to not to show it but I imagine DD picks up on my anxiety. Her relationship with food will last longer than all of this?! I am so frightened of DD doesn’t spurt they are going to suggest a feeding tube/hospital stay. my friends and family say I sound ridiculous because of how in proportion and happy DD is.
AIBU if after the paediatrics investigations have taken place I withdraw from dietician and go back to health visiting drop ins ? I know it sounds awful but I just feel like a forngihtly phone call to say “oh she has put on a bit, keep doing what you are” is a big waste of everyone’s time and I can’t justify half an unpaid day of work a fortnight with our mortgage etc. it’s making me want to not have our next child weighed which I know I’ll regret saying if they do find a medical
reason for
all
of this.