to think that a HV should have pointed out the health dangers associated with...

[becaroo]

...putting a 6 month old baby on cows milk????

Was a baby clinic this morning - I go in, weigh my son and then leave - and the girl next to me in the queue was talking to the HV who was stood next to me and said...

Mum:"I've taken her off formula as it was making her sick and put her on cows milk as shes much happier on that"

HV: "How old is she?"

Mum: "26 weeks"

HV:"oh, alright"

Shouldnt the HV have mentioned iron deficiency/anaemia etc etc that occurs when babies are put onto cows milk before 12 months? There are plenty of formulas out there for babies with sensitive tummies...she never even mentioned taking her to GP to see if it was reflux....bloody HV's....I was really shocked....have a mind to complain to someone!!!!!

This is why (as a HV) HATE the drop-in baby clinics, no privacy or time to discuss anything properly. We stopped them years ago in the area I work in. They were replaced with an appointment system in the surgeries which everyone is very happy with. I sometimes have to cover for HVs who still run clinics and have been faced with similar scenarios, I try to be neutral and non commital, because people are listening in and I don't want to humiliate the mother in front of everyone by telling her she's wrong. Also I have no idea of the family situation, or whether the mother has problems such as post-natal depression. Much better to let the family's HV know so she can follow-up sensitively and in private.

antonio carluccio cocks it up.

What a plank

lockets...I do think, the op works on the assumption that the woman she saw was giving Cowsmilk as a drink instead of using formula...rather than just using cowsmilk for cereal and cooking....but I might be wrong, of course....

Crikey, its all kicked of here a bit, hasnt it?

The lady who was speaking told the HV that her baby was drinking cows milk as her main drink and eating solids.

Every baby book I have and every article I have seen advises strongly against the use of cows milk as the main drink for the first year in order to prevent bowel/digestion problems and help prevent allergies and ensure adequate vit intake. Is that now old advice? I ask because my eldest is now 6 and I now things change very fast when it comes to research into infant health.

Just very very surprised at the HV response/lack of one. Thats all.

Without (a) knowing the baby's medical history and {b} being a clinical specialist I am not in a position to comment.

becaroo You could have saved yourself a lot of hassle if you had put the whole conversation you heard in your OP rather than just part of it which on reading meant the lady could have been talking about milk on cereal and in cooking.

By Northernlurker on Fri 24-Apr-09 20:40:01
Just as an aside - my grandmother raised my uncle on (wait for it......) diluted cows milk from birth.

I was raised on diluted cows milk from 14 days of age, as my mum was unable to breastfeed anylonger, and did not have any formula available to her.

BBBB - sorry, i am having trouble finding the stats on wet nursing and mortality. from what i've read about its history, it was most successful when a wet nurse was on site with the family. At various times, in various countries, babies would be sent off to a wet nurse instead, who may have had too many charges and couldn't nourish them properly. France in particular had a staggering rate of mortality, in the 18th century, i believe. A lot of it may have just been the rapid spread of disease from the nurse to children.

i'm no expert, just read a few articles about it in the past few months ...

on the food debate - well, it's always going to be a debate isn't it, where healthy gives way to junk. I am happy to cook with both butter an olive oil for my baby, and for myself too. i also think frozen fish is fab, but not the kind coated with crap that comes in a cardboard box.

Thanks for looking chandelina - sounds like maybe it wasn't wetnursing that was causing the trouble itself but hygeine disease & how it was practiced etc...

V interesting.

I cook with butter too, seems natural is probably best, seeing as they keep changing their minds every 5 mins...

DS ate fish fingers and chips as a baby and still does. I don't really see what's wrong with them. Chips are just potato tossed in some olive oil maybe 2 tabelspoons and cooked in the oven. Fish fingers are just fish fillets, coated in flour, dipped in egg and rolled in breadcrumbs then cooked in a hot oven on greaseproof paper.

I think cooking with marg is out these days isn't it? As it breaks down when heated?

And to hazard a guess the fish n chips being objected to were a fillet o fish n fries from maccy d's style rather than your delicious home cooked version nappyaddict but I'm guessing you knew that!

Thanks star. The HV is this area are rubbish at best and negligent at worst. The HV I had when ds1 was a baby was sacked...and not before time

As regards the baby clinic itself - I go there because it is at the end of my road instead of a car journey and no available parking. i go in, weigh him and come out again. There is very little point the HV even being there tbh...you have to weigh your baby yourself and plot it on the growth charts accordingly.....not a great way to keep tabs on children IMO, particlularly the at risk ones (big drug problems/many on low incomes in my village).

fucking hell becaroo (or judgy macjudgejudge)people on low incomes must all be clueless thick child abusers-you need to move house from your 'village' I do hope you've spread the word about exactly who the mum was with the cows milk and do make sure you do the same thing at the school gate.
I'll tell you a story-when i went to postnatal group there was a west indian health care assistant on hand to weigh and answer questions (not sure if this is relevant but it may help to paint the picture) a young asian girl came for a few weeks accompanied by one of 2 elderly asian women-she didn't interact with the group but after a few weeks she came on her own-we were talking about bits and bobs of feeding stuff and this girls entry into the conversation in a group she'd attended silently for weeks was 'i managed to get him to drink water by putting a bit of sugar in it' upon hearing this the health care worker literally reared up and in really strong patois said to her 'why you want to poison your baby?why you rot his teeth?you make him sick doing that with sugar' to which the girl got up,left and never came back.
now i know sugar isn't the best thing to give to a baby-so does the health visitor-there are ways and means of doing things-and you catch more wasps with honey than vinegar...
yabvvvvu

"fucking hell becaroo (or judgy macjudgejudge)people on low incomes must all be clueless thick child abusers-you need to move house from your 'village' I do hope you've spread the word about exactly who the mum was with the cows milk and do make sure you do the same thing at the school gate."

WTF?

Child poverty and its effects on infants is a MASSIVE cause for concern and if you dont think so you are an idiot.

BTW, I was raised by parents on a low income, but what they did have was the neccessary life experience and skills to raise children and no substance abuse problems.

Having money does not make you a good parent, and I resent the implication I said it did.

'particlularly the at risk ones (big drug problems/many on low incomes in my village).'
quote fucking unquote....
where else would you like me to comment?
i am fully aware of the effects of child poverty-i am fully aware of how to help people with poor parenting skills/low esteem\other barriers to being an effective parent-and none of these barriers are helped at all by nosey busy bodies wanting them to get hauled over the coals publically for doing something that really isn't the worst thing in the world to do to satisfy you.

ahh yes you just reminded me why I never have gone to baby clinic with either child.

you do not know the story you had no right to listen in and you have NO idea about this woman or her mothering.

Maybe the HV wanted to keep calm and discuss it properly with a leaflet or wait and see how cow's milk faired for a week or so whilst looking into other options.
maybe the poor girl has had it so rough with feeding the HV felt that ANYTHING would be better than allowing the kid to keep chucking.

my kids have had cows milk - before a year are you going to start whispering about me now?
I don't do magical books to tell me when ok points are if I feel it's ok it's ok.

why not ask the HV ? - if you are so intrigued next time you go say to her I didn't mean to overhear and forgive me but last time I heard you agreeing to a 26 week old baby on cow's milk ?
she may well elaborate and feed your desires

erm,apologise for what exactly?
have you read the thread?

Do you know if the mother had spoken to the HV or doctors before? Maybe the reflux avenue had already been explored.

My nephew had severe reflux on all formula even specialist stuff for reflux and with medication like gaviscon. He has never been sick on cows milk though.

So the options are to leave the baby to projectile vomit every feed or feed it something that it can at least keep in its system. I know I would make the same decision.

I don't even want to start on your comments about children being at risk because of low income.

becaroo if you want to complain about the HV you really need to know whether she is giving out incorrect advice generally or just to people who have a medical reason that the correct advice isn't working for. perhaps you could say to the HV I couldn't help overhearing last week that you were talking to a mum about giving her 6 month old cow's milk. Can they have it from 6 months then now, cos it used to be 12 months when I had my other son? Then if she tells you it's ok from 6 months you could complain that she is giving out incorrect advice.

oh please. I said she was nosy (she is) judgemental (ditto) I write as i speak- if you are offended by that then maybe you could scroll past. I am more offended that you think it's ok for her to equate low incomes with shit parenting starlight...