Californiafrau, your story is terrifying. Good Lord. Not only the bizarre dawn raid but the fact that mad woman was only stopped at the 11th hour.
My first HV, when ds was tiny, was lovely. Everyone should be like her! (Maisie, at the Falcoln Road Surgery, London SW11 if your friendly HV wants to identify the model HV). Really supportive, encouraging, knowledgeable in a practical, mumsy way but freely admitted when she needed to check anything. And clearly loved babies.
She came round once and found me in tears of pain during a feed. She took ds off me, went upstairs and changed his nappy, made me a cup of tea and got me an appointment with the breastfeeding counsellor. As well as checking my breast, telling me it was mastitis, going to the doctors to collect a prescription for me, going to the pharmacy and bringing the drugs back to my door! OK, I lived about 100 yards from the surgery and the pharmacy was next door, but even so, I reckon that was gold star service.
HVs since we moved at 7mos bit of a dead loss. Baby clinic only in day times so useless for working mothers - what, is it only children of SAHMs/Ds who need child health surveillance?
When I did go to the baby clinic just for the sake of meeting them, turned out it's a communal experience - all the mothers in one large room with loads of scales. Luckily I didn't have any serious problems to discuss, but I bet they don't ever pick up any domestic violence that's going on, for instance - why would someone even think about asking for help in such an environment?
I had to phone up myself and organise ds's 2 year check. Which was pointless - they didn't actually interact with ds at all apart from a feeble attempt to weigh and measure him - no idea how to coax a reluctant child to take part (reluctant because he'd noticed the frigid atmostphere around them, I suspect).
However, one of them did actually recommend a clinic where I could take ds for single jabs. Amazed the clinic, too, so obviously not on a backhander!
My sister's HV tried to trick her into having the 8, 12 and 16 week jabs done without consent. Sis wanted to wait a few weeks ? mainly due to thimerosal. HV said, oh, while you are here, can you just sign this? Sis asked what it was, HV said 'oh nothing, just for our records'. Turned out it was a blanket consent form for every jab children can ever have! And then she got her assistant to try it on every time sis took her dd to get weighed. Completely unethical.