Am I being irresponsible by not weaning early

[lifeistooshort]

Following from my thread from last week, I went to the baby clinic again today and again, my 19 weeks son has only put on 3oz he is now 6.47kgs. The HV said you have to start weaning him now. I asked if I could give it another week and she said no. My son is very alert, very content, active, sleeps through the night and does sit ups.

I think he is fine and very content but at the same time I am being made to feel guilty and as if I am endangering my son's health. Don't know what to do

Ignore her?

He is gaining weight, just slowly.

Are there any other concerns?

If not then personally I would stop taking him to be weighed. Its not up to the HV to decide what he eats and when - he is your baby, not hers.

Thanks QueenOFlamingEverything. I do think he is absolutely fine he has a lovely colour, looks healthy and happy. I feel so guilty I am now thinking of going to the GP to ask for some donperidone...arghh so confused/guilty/unsettled!

HE seems to have put on average 3oz since he was about 10 weeks

Whats the downside of weaning him. I dont think apple puree etc will do any damage at 19/20 weeks

Can you recap your thread? Is your DS not put on any weight for ages and only now put on 3oz?
How many %ile lines has he crossed (e.g. has he moved from 91st to 9th?). He sounds like a happy baby but as I haven't seen him I couldn't possibly say if HV is right or not (just a sneaking suspicion she might not be)

Average weight gain at 4 months is between 3.25-4.5oz/4-5oz depending on source so your DS has put on an average amount (assuming that you'd had DS weighed last week and the 3oz is this week's gain).

What foods does the HV want you to wean onto? Has she given you a diet sheet with suggested quantities/times?

Such a young baby needs more milk, not weaning. The down side to weaning would be possible upset tummies, bowels, long term problems, increased risk of asthma, allergies and so on - but mainly the fact that if he's struggling to put on weight (and honestly he sounds fine - a tortoise rather than a hare, but fine) then puree would only take up space in his tiny tummy that he NEEDS for much more calorific and nutritious milk.

Horrendous sentence structure, but there you are.

Whitethorn the guidelines now say six months. Many babies may be fine being weaned before this point but not all will be. They (sorry posting on the run so don't have time to look up links) think the gut matures at about this time and that some allergies occur due to early weaning. Personally I plan to start slowly weaning about two weeks before my son is six months, so I wouldn't judge other people who do it early - however, I don't like the idea of health visitors saying someone must do so, particularly when her child is still gaining weight and looks happy. I'd at least want to look at how many centiles have been crossed first and perhaps see what a doctor says.

Lifeistooshort - how many centiles has he crossed? I wouldn't do it on the say-so of a health visitor alone. It took me a long time to realise I didn't have to get my son weighed all the time if I didn't want it. I hope you can sort it out ok :)

Baby was 10 days overdue and was 3.5kg at birth (85th centiles), at about 10 weeks he was 5.74. Last week he was 6.42 and this week he is 6.49. HV didn't offer any weaning advice aprt from wean him. Different HV last week said wean him or give him formula. I don't particularly want to do either

Isn't 3.5kg about 7lb10? Is that 85th centile? My DD was around that and I thought she was 50th centile.

Sorry I can only do lbs and oz but surely 6.49kg is over 14lb? Why would a 19 week old baby weighing 14lb be a concern?

My DD weighed 14lb 9oz at 20 weeks according to her red book. No concern at all from anyone, she was right on.

lifeistooshort - if the only reason your HV is concerned about your baby is his weight, then it seems odd to recommend weaning, not because there is likely to be some harm to his health (I think the evidence of risk of harm is not strong, with a baby aged 19 weeks) but because this is simply not an effective way for a baby to gain weight.

Increasing his breastfeeds, in frequency and by giving two or three or more breasts at each feed, will increase his calorie intake.

The risk with giving a baby say, apple puree, is that the baby fills up with something rather less calorific than a breastfeed - it may satisfy his hunger and his thirst, but his intake will have been (at a guess) 20 Kcal (this would be half an apple) as opposed to 65 Kcal (a breastfeed of 100 mls - again a ballpark figure!).

Can you increase his breastfeeding, perhaps? Maybe check with the HV that this would be sensible?

Have just looked on the charts - your baby was born at the 50th centile and is now on the 25th.

Am I missing something here? This is well within normal.

DD was 3.52kg when born which is 7lbs 12oz or the 50th centile.

That seems about 25th centile I think - ie absolutely within normal range

Milk has more calories than first weaning foods like baby rice/fruit and veg purees.

My advice - stop getting him weighed, he is feeding and growing and seems happy. Why go looking for trouble HVs?

And he is about the same weight DS was at that age, he is fine too.

Tiktok has a great point about the calorific value of weaning foods, I'd forgotten about that.

And if that's a single centile drop, that's fine. My son started on 25th, went to 9th and is now hovering just below ninth but the HV near me are quite good (in some respects, anyway) and even when I've been totally paranoid have told me not to worry, he seems happy and is following his own curve nicely and still gaining okay week-to-week.

I haven't been for weeks now (though admittedly I do still weigh him using the Wii Fit board now and then and look at the centiles) and it's really freeing :)

(obviously when you have genuine concerns don't stop going)

life - would a good chat with the HV help you?

It's not good for talkboards to suggest ignoring advice from an HCP (apart from when it is clearly mad!) 'cos none of us ever have the full story and we are not qualified and can't see your baby anyway - but just on paper, and going on what you have said, it seems that weaning would be am ineffective response to what they have told you is a problem and what they have told you does not even seem, on paper at least, to be a problem.

Perhaps get the HV to look at the chart again, and ask if she agrees that good practice is not to weigh healthy babies anything like as often as weekly - once a month, tops, is all that's needed in the first six months, and weekly is not just a waste of time, but misleading and anxiety causing.

There are factsheets here:www.rcpch.ac.uk/Research/Growth_Charts_Education_Training_Resources which she should be familiar with, if she has had recent training in the weight charts (and most HVs have had this by now).

You can always get another opinion from another HV.

I really don't see the benefit of weaning a baby if you want them to gain more weight - a bit of apple puree or any of the other traditional weaning foods are not going to have as many calories as milk, so won't help them gain weight. And there are dangers in introducing food too early, including the increased risk of allergies (as previous posters have said).

I understand Tiktiok's concern about anyone suggesting ignoring a HCP, but it seems this one may not know the full facts about the benefits of weaning at the recommended age.

I would certainly go to another health visitor for another opinion.

Do people really have their babies weighed every week?

Find this very very odd - my baby (DS2) was also born on 50th centile and dropped to somewhere between 9th and 25th, HV said ok just to come to be weighed once a month and said should not wean until 6 months.

I'm sure weekly weight gain was roughly 3oz but as he wasn't weighed weekly don't know for sure.

When I said I wanted to wean a bit earlier as was going back to work at 5.5 months she said well ok at 5.5 months but should not wean earlier, and said he needed BM more than anything else.

FWIW both DD and DS1 born on 50th dropped to between 9th and 25th and weaning didn't cause them to move up the centiles.

I haven't bothered getting DS2 weighed officially since he was 5 months, he's now nearly 8 months - but I weigh him using the wii fit baby weight.

As his weigh gain sounds like its well within normal and as she is not following NHS advice perhaps you should report her?

It's 4 years since my DD was weaning, it's strange how 'the rules' seem to change.

Weaning was only recommended before 6 months for big hungry babies who've clearly matured faster than their smaller peers.

We were encouraged to offer more bfs to increase calorie intake. DD had 1st tastes around 22 weeks and started to regularly take purees about 2 weeks later. She was 75th centile.

Sorry just read your OP again and I would be so cross if someone said I had to wean my child at 19 weeks. Its your child and your choice, and you should not be made to feel the way you have.

erm according to kellymom baby rice only has fwer calories per ounce if mixed with water - mixed with bmilk it would have almost double calories of BM alone.

but Tiktok is as ever right.

wean if you want to....but it really doesn't sound like you do!

I think the thing about rice is that while it does add calories to breastmilk (if mixed with breastmilk, obv) it adds bulk to the baby's stomach. So the baby may feel full, but he may still not have taken in as many calories as a full breastfeed would give.

So you give your baby a few spoons of rice, and he doesn't feel like a breastfeed afterwards.

Net effect is fewer calories, not more.

Net effect on weight is negative.

Older babies tend to take solids as an added extra to milk, which is the right way round :)

Hi all thank you all for your support and reassurance. I mistyped DS's weight he was 3.75 when he was born.

Tiktok I will follow yor advice and try to offer three or four breasts. I take your point about the calories in BF vs weaning foods and I made it to the HV today. She said it was not true. They seem to be a bit ignorant about breastfeeding

I'll probably follow festive's advice too

Honestly DS you hav the full story hear and DS is the picture of health. I am the stupid one as I am the one who noticedhe had dropped 2 centiles, the HV hadn't seen anything. Next time I shan't look for trouble

Dropping 2 centiles doesn't mean moving from 50th%ile to 25th%ile.

It means moving from 50th%ile to 25th%ile (movement of 1 line), 25th%ile to 9th%ile (movement of 2 lines).

Movement of 2 lines is considered within the bounds of normal (assuming the movement isn't caused by weight loss or by illness [not cold/cough type illness which can cause temporary lower weight gain but serious illness]) in a healthy, meeting milestones baby.

DD3 went from 91st%ile to 2nd%ile (drop of 5 centile lines)due to multiple bronciolitis episodes.

She had bronciolitis at 27 weeks - the Paeds wanted solids ceased for a few weeks (had started the week before) and EBF resumed to allow DD3 so get MORE cals in her. She is now on 9th%ile and Paed is very happy with her there at 14m/o (still bfing with solids). DD3 has recently been given the go ahead to go down to single cream in her food from double cream [she has a pint a week in her food]

If your HV still insists you need to start solids at 19 weeks due to a movement between 50th%ile to 25th%ile insist that you get a referral to a dietitian. After all if it's that important to feed him up you need proper guidance on what foods to give him as you don't want to fill him up on low cal veggies .

You have got a point re dietician truthsweet but DS went from the 85th (or is it 75th?) to slightly below the 25th. I feel reassured by this thread though and will try to stick to my guns and feed him more often. At the end of the day, there is no clinic until the new year now...so that should give me an extra month to see how DS is doing.