Health visitor - refuse visit?

[Colchestergal]

My baby is only four months. But, with the three visits I have had from the health visitor, I have come to the conclusion that she is useless.

Recently I needed to phone our local breastfeeding support line about something urgent and distressing. They said a counsellor would phone me back asap. Got the call 15 mins later and it was my health visitor, who knows nothing about breastfeeding and when I asked questions, she yelled them to a colleague and told me the reply. Whenever I have asked her questions during her visits, she just refers to government guidelines which isn't terribly helpful always.

Quite honestly she gives me the rage!!!! Her next visit is at 10 months. My baby is developing well and so far I have no development concerns. Assuming that continues, do I have to have her back or can i refuse? This baby is my third, I know what I am doing!!!

You don't have to see the same woman. You can visit any health visitor in the area- I can anyway.

I do think it is in your child's interests to have a Health visitor though.

I'm startled you are getting so many visits. I'm not sure what happens if you refuse to let her in ... might be easier to just 'happen' to be out?

If you call the national breastfeeding support lines, you won't get a call from your HV as a result ...

Can't you just attend a weighing clinic once a month instead?

The three visits were new baby visits which are standard.

I weigh baby on my scales at home!!

My HV is useless also and actually wonder if we have the same one?!?! She also rarely has an answer to my question and also feel like she just reeks off a load of text book blurb! Plus she is incredibly young and whilst I appreciate everyone has to start somewhere, quite frankly as a first time mum I need MUCH better support. And it would seem the more people I speak with - sadly - the more I find out how many mums are not satisfied with their HVs. Shame!

my HV is lovely and invaluable, brilliant at the start and we've just had a great chat at DD's 1yr review about the scheme she's putting together to encourage young mothers in the area to bf. ( they generally think its yuck ) So I feel sorry for you, HV's should be a mine of information.

I'd call and tell her not to come, instead you'll take your baby to the next clinic. There's usually a bunch of HV's around so if you decide to take your baby, you can speak to who you like.

I weighed all mine on the bathroom scales too!

You have three options.

1. Put up with it and just get on with your life after she leaves
2. Call the centre that she works for, explain that you don't feel your relationship with her is working and request to be reassigned to another HV
3. Refuse and risk being reported to social services, who will then carry out their own assessment Personally I would go with option 1 or 2.

Think I'd let her come it's not worth the hassle it could cause

Yeah, you don't want the hassle of having more unhelpful people involved. I would never ask a hv for bf advice, the wrong advice can be so damaging. The mn bf section is good or I'd go straight to a lactation consultant.

If I refuse I might get social services??? Blimey!!

She truly is awful though. I will see if it's her who makes contact then and if it is I may have to suck it up for just one more visit.

If I had been a first time mum and possibly followed her breastfeeding advise I probably wouldn't still be feeding today.

Thanks for the replies! :)

If she is giving bad advice then is it worth making a complaint?

I have refused HV visits and had no problem.

With DS1 she visited once after he was born and then turned up on my doorstep when I had declined his 4 month development assessment (or whatever it was - I'd had the letter for it and phoned to say I wouldn't be attending as had no concerns). She stood on the doorstep saying she'd noticed I hadn't been for the assessment so she could come in and do it now. I explained I didn't want him assessed and declined to let her in. No further contact with HV and no SS involvement. I did take him to clinic for weighing occasionally after this as we'd had problems with BF so liked to track his weight (had BF support from support worker based at GP surgery who was fab, rather than HV).

With DS2 the HV booked a time to visit and we waited in but she just put a card through the door and didn't knock. She then phoned a couple of hours later and asked if she could pop round - I declined and said I'd waited in at the appointed time and so wouldn't be bothering arranging another time and so didn't want a visit. No problem. He's been to clinic for weighing since (today actually!).

So think it must depend where you are, but round here declining visits doesn't seem to be a problem.

Ask for a different HV. It's only like changing Gp practice, so not a big issue.