How often do you have your baby weighed?

[candj]

I am taking my DS (15 weeks old) to be weighed every fortnight but I am getting the impression from the HV that this is excessive - what do others do?

Haven't read every single response, but can offer the following advice.... I bf and had a weight scare when ds didn't put on much over a 4 wk period (hadn't gone weekly). My conclusions (he's now 6 months plus and on solids/formula) were:
a. yes, slowing down, eating more cakes, full fat milk (and those complan energy drinks - like chocolate milkshakes)and resting more, spending much more time on the sofa and less time rushing out and about made a huge difference. Ds put on 7.5 oz in a week instead of about 3oz. This was probably his highest single week when solely bf, and it was a direct result of me being determined to get his weight ok so I got the GP and HV off my back. We had been referred for consultant trip if he didn't start gaining! You can still eat healthily, but make sure it's not how you would eat to stay thin/low-fat/low-sugar. You need calories to make milk. Basically, make like a cow - eat, rest and feed and not much else.
b. positioning - I don't know for sure about this, but I did find a few references to the fact that if your baby isn't well positioned, with a really gaping mouth, they can end up drinking a lot of thin foremilk and not getting enough hindmilk. My ds latched on like a limpet so I assumed all was fine, but I think he often didn't open his mouth really, really wide to take in lots of boob. When I started paying attention to this, things got better.

You absolutely do not have to supplement with formula - nature intended us to bf and for that to be fine. Ignore bullying from HVs. However, in order for it to work well for some of us, I suspect we do need to slow down a bit and do what you're doing - take as much advice and support as possible. Two other things...I looked up the new charts, and there isn't a huge difference. I hoped they might save me but they will still assume bf babies will gain a reasonable amount. But it is probably unnatural to assume they'll do it absolutely regularly week by week. Secondly, when I introduced a bottle of formula to try to improve nights (at 4 months), my ds did seem more relaxed, and I had to wonder whether he got hungry really fast just on my breastmilk. Who knows?!

diet doesn't make a difference, other than making the breastfeeding mother perhaps feel better. i eat nothing but malt loaf and quavers all day, sometimes only quavers, and am happily breastfeeding my 5 month old. she's on the 91st centile.

THat is a good site. I should have made clear... am just reporting what worked for me - if you get stuck, sometimes different things help.I knew the stuff about diet not affecting baby's weight/milk etc, and obviously women worldwide don't have to eat eclairs (though it does cheer up the day) but it just seemed to help me, and certainly helped my energy levels. Though not my waist.

Gutted.

Despite Delilah (DD) and me putting every effort in these past two days ... NO GAIN at the weigh in (although expecting a 2oz gain in 36h after a weekly gain of 1oz and totally stressing me out about it all did render the goal somewhat unachievable).

I kept a full chart of when she ate, how voraciously, the volume where I could (with expressed bottles) ... and her overall health (happy, alert) and decided with DH that we would use a half bottle of formula last thing at night as a good all round compromise if needs be.

BOOM ... HV just really didn't hear any of that. Didn't register that stress has added to lesser volume and I was well on the way to re-lactating to the levels before she mucked it all up with premature dummy advice and freaking me out. She glanced at my chart saying 'yes you've tried your best' saw the scales registering the same as Wednesday and said 'right you MUST supplement with formula, two bottles a day, don't feel bad some women just can't make the right milk'.

I was so shocked at this absolute determination NOT to hear me and to bully to formula that I said "God I feel so bad that allthis month then I may have not been feeding her properly and she's been hungry"

The response ... "Oh don't be ridiculous".

I just left the room as soon as I could. Sat in the hall (baby wanted to eat ironically ... as always when she is ready she does) in a bit of a daze. HV came out again and said 'are you alright'. 'No I'm not' I said ... I guess she felt mean for being so condescending.

Came home. Cried. Still feel that baby is happy, healthy, gaining weight slowly but consistently and once I get supply up again it will be ok. Gave her 60ml formula just to cover all bases and poor thing looked disgusted and confused.

To answer the frequency -- I didn't ever expect to have to go get weighed weekly nor to have such an alarmist response to the 1oz gains. HV more or less bulled me into attending. Wish I had never gone to be honest ... considering NOT going back next week ...

Tough day

Don't go back ! Not all babies are designed to be bruisers. Go with your instinct that your dd is happy and alert, and GAINING, albeit slowly.

assuming there are no health issues in particular i dont really see the point of weighing them much at all, personally.

i can see with my eyes that they are of a healthy weight, why on earth do i care about the numbers involved?? if they looked over or under weight, i might be different, but...

im quite chilled about weight in general tho. maybe if youre not, youre transferring your own anxiety to your little one? which would be a shame if you were...

Had problems with no. 2's weight gain so never went back to have the others weighed They're fine.
Some H.Vs are crap.

don't go back, clemsterdarcy. I so relate to what you are going through. it was the medical bods (plus some medical issues) that mucked up my bfing by insisting that dd was weighed every two days in the first few weeks of her life. i've sat and cried my eyes out when she didn't gain, and had all the 'but i've tried so hard...' feelings.

anyway... once they told me she had regained her birthweight i never went back. every time i'd gone to the hosp they'd said 'well she looks lovely and healthy, and she's very alert' and i'd think 'well you don't need a medical degree to tell that...' but then the weight thing would cause a problem. awful.

anyway, i've only had her weighed once since then and she's 10 months old. if she is pink of skin and bright of eye then i'm avoiding doctors for the time being. and HVs.

Clemsterdarcy....so sorry to hear about your troubles with HV. Can totally relate....my son was low birth weight and wouldnt suck so tube fed for 1st week in hospital. I didnt produce any milk anyway till day 8 by which time he was on formula through ng tube. Was weighed every 2 days...very little weight gain. Looked poorly. Told them he was janudiced...no one listened until he was 6 weeks old by which time he had a steptococal infection in his blood. After IV antibiotics he picked up but I have never fogotten the rubbish advice and total uselessness of those HV (...due to shortages I had 3 different ones) They completely ignored my concerns and I really feel blessed that my son is here and well...Trust YOUR instincts. Put your feet up, eat and drink loads, take out the dummy and feed when she wants feeding. If you feel she is not well I am sure you will take her to be checked out. Good luck

clem,

you poor poor thing re your probs with HV - she must have been making you feel awful.

my ds was born 8 wks early and we have him weighed every week - his weight gain has been very good, but he eats everything in sight and if he could get milk out of his knuckles he would be happy! we have supplemented with formula from the start as he was tube fed formula in the SCBU as i didn't produce enough expressing for the first couple of weeks. He also ate very very frequently when he came home and I coudn't keep up.

I think you have already expressed the right idea re HVs - it's all advice, and if you want to keep off formula, and your DD is gaining and is happy, then you should - do what feels right for you and her.

Totally unrelated, my DS had problems pooing and our HV told us to give freshly squeezed OJ in a ratio of 2/3 OJ to 1/3 water - far too acidic which we ignored - just shows that sometimes they don't give good advice - you know what is best for you and your baby.

sorry for long rambling post BTW

clem are you giving expressed milk every night (7am and 3 am) or sometimes bf yourself? The bf workshop I went to said that the most milk is produced overnight so maybe if you need a break do expressed bottle early or late evening and do the overnight feeds yourself. There is a school of thought that says the milk production doesn't settle till 6 weeks so you should only start ecperessing after that. Please post on the bf thread about this as therei are a lot of great bf counsellors there who could advise you better than I.

HI GUYS! Wrinkly old mother here - boys 11 & nearly 13 now but can still remember the abject TERROR of looking after babies. Gave up managerial post to look after pink blobs who just wouldn't reason with me - eek!

DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU - don't worry if they don't put on weight for a week or 3.

Get them weighed twice a week till they're 3 if it pleases you - or not at all if you don't want to. Health visitors usually try to reassure nervous mums that they don't need to get baby weighed so often, but if it makes you feel better then go as long as you want to and don't let any 'expert' mothers make you feel inadequate.

And above all - remember that they don't stay babies for long - they'll soon be able to tell you if they're hungry.

Thanks!

the ironic thing is that I wasn't nervous at all infact was really loving it all ... it was th HV who insisted on the weekly weigh-ins (I didn't even know that was necesary!) and then got pernickity about the precise amount of gain; we were swimming along quite merrily.

SO many folks have told me now to get back to trusting my instincts. In fact these past two days since I mentally thought 'bugger the HV', took to going back to our wee routine then my milk supplies have started to increase again. I am contemplating not going back to the HV this week and just getting my own scales/seeing someone else in a few weeks to causterise this ridiculous weekly obsession and anxiety the HV has pushed me into.

ELD

Sounds as though your HV has been less than helpful - what a shame. She had no right to insist on weekly weighing.

If you want to go, then fine. If not and baby is feeding, weeing & pooing regularly and is bright & happy then you've got nothing to worry about.

If you need reassurance about anything then see your HV, but if you're happier to stay away then you'll still get a reminder in the post when it's time for developmental checks & immunisations.

Clem, I really worried about my bf dd's weight gain too - was at a similar level for first five months until cheese came on the menu. My HVs (and a nurse at the doctor's surgery) tried to suggest formula. This wasn't actually an option as I had a very colicky baby who would have a meltdown if a bottle came near. As a nervous new mum I went frantic on the internet and asking about trying to find reassuring stuff - hadn't found mumsnet at that point. The following stuff reassured me enough to carry on bf and (sometimes) manage to ignore the weight pressure that can be heaped on. I really hope it helps you too:

1. Size and weight gain of baby strongly influenced by genetics - if parents were slender little babies, yours will be (I stumbled across a pic of myself as a baby in the bath and I was long and slight, despite being formula fed)
2. In America the length of babies is often taken into account as much as weight. Some babies put on more length than weight in the first few months as they simply have higher metabolic rates(they call them banana babies!). I took to keeping a tapemeasure by the changing mat. Growing longer takes alot of energy - making muscle, bone etc - weight gain can be low during these periods. My dd was long and slenderish like I was - she was below the ninth centile for weight and over the fiftieth for length! See this link banana babies
3. Someone I know who used to be a HV in the olden days (she's 61) said that some babies simply put on 1 or 2 oz a week - that's how they are (fits with banana baby theory). Others put on 10oz a week - grrr. She also reckoned that if the baby was bright eyed, alert, looking about, sucking well etc then it simply wasn't an issue.
4. It's possible today's HVs are overvigilant/trained to raise (unnecessary) alarm if babies simply get lardy at a slower rate. The fact is some babies HAVE to be at the bottom of the s*dding graph in order for there to be a line down there at all. Unfortunately we had babies that were little and burnt off the milky goodness faster than the ones at the top! Effing graphs! Should be banned!

wow thanks so much

got another 0930 weigh in tmr ... gonna go then dont plan on talking to that hv again

and if everything seems ok then dd will be weighed when i want her weighed fron then on!

good for you (although i wouldn't even go tomorrow, tbh). good luck.

Good for you, clem (although I agree with AItch that personally I wouldn't go at all). Stick to your guns and trust your instincts!

We had ds weighed at 1 week check-up, then maybe the next week? Can't remember if we bothered to keep that appt or not The next time was 2 months later when he went to visit his aunt who works in the post office. She plopped him on the scales and gave us a weight which we thought was marvelous. I think we did that a few more times his first year (we live in a very small town - they thought it was really cute). He did get an "official" weigh-in when I took him in at 6 months for a rash and again at his one year check-up.

Hurrah -- dd gained 6oz in 3 days!

Now I can tell HV to shove it!

Yay! Really pleased for you Clem.

Clem - great news - you must be very relieved. I guess all the advice about trusting your instinct is true!

Good for you and your DD, clem. Well done! (and now stop worrying about weight ).

Really pleased for you Clemsterdarcy. Shocked by threats of the HV. I bf my baby until 6 months. He fed every 1/2 an hour for 3 months. I was told by HV to feed him every 3 hours instead. So what was I supposed to do for the 2.5 hours while he screamed, desperate for milk??? Completely ignored the 'advice' and at 3 months the crazy feeding stopped and he fed every 3 hours of his own afford. He was on the small side when he was born (2nd centile) and grew to above the 75% by 3 months - clearly he needed all that milk! I just trusted by own instincts as I had so little else to go on. No bf help from anyone anyway other than this v helpful advice.

I dropped all my pregnancy weight in 2 weeks and still managed to breastfeed while eating a normal diet and my baby was gained up to 1.5lbs a week. All this eat loads of fat is nonsense in my opinion.