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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Health visitor advising to cut down on BFing, is she right???

12 replies

marthamay · 16/02/2011 16:29

Today I went for my 8-12 month check. Ds is nearly 10 months. He feeds about three times a day and then twice at night. At the moment I am weaning him off night feeding because I am hoping it will lead to less waking. HV seems to think I should be cutting out as many BF as possible, day and night. She seems to think this will help him sleep better, I'm just not sure why - any ideas? She told me that he doesn't need breast milk any more to meet nutritional needs - is that true? I thought that if I stopped BF before 12 months I would have to supplement with formula or cow's milk.
I don't know...just feels a bit strange to me.
Should I be trying to wean him completely????
Any advice welcome, I just feel a little thrown by this advice which seems contrary to other advice.

OP posts:
MoonUnitAlpha · 16/02/2011 16:35

He needs breastmilk (or a substitute - formula) til 12 months, I think they recommend about 500ml a day which must be at least 2 or 3 feeds I'd have thought. After 12 months they can have cow's milk instead of breastmilk if you want, still at least 350ml a day though.

I'd ignore the HV!

CantSleepWontSleep · 16/02/2011 16:36

She is a moron. Of course he still needs milk, and breast milk is perfect!

organiccarrotcake · 16/02/2011 16:36

No, you're right, she is wrong.

The guidelines are, around 6 months exclusive milk (breast or formula, preferably breast), then the next 6 months are a time to slowly introduce solids while still giving milk as the major source of calories, slowly increasing until around 50/50 milk/solids at 12 months. Milk should be breast (pref) or formula.

Then, the guidelines say, you can introduce cow's milk if you wish (would be cheaper if you were FF) or continue BFing as long as you and baby are happy to do so.

Feel free to BF as long as you want. It's common to BF from once to several times a day for several years and to do so will mean you continue to provide the antibodies that are so valuable to your child's immature immune system - not to mention it's lovely for you both (while you both want to).

pearlgirl · 16/02/2011 16:37

I think you are right in thinking that it is strange advice - I can see no reason at all that cutting out breast milk in the day will help better sleep and you will have to replace it with formula - which seems bonkers advice if bf is working for you. My ds4 is nearly 10 months as well, he bfs on waking, has a quick feed mid morning, one after lunch and then late afternoon and then before bed - I am still picking him up to dreamfeed at about 11pm - so I don't think your boy is feeding loads. I think her advice is wrong and personally wouldn't follow it - there is also a thread on here about the nutritional benefits of bf after 6 months as well as the antibodies etc.(sorry don't know how to link)

browneyesblue · 16/02/2011 19:30

I had similar advice from my HV a couple of weeks ago. DS is 10 months, and weaning has been going brilliantly. I still bf on demand, and he has been gradually cutting down on his feeds himself.

He goes from around 7pm to 5.30am without a feed, but has never slept well at night. The HV's answer to this was to limit him to 2 feeds a day Confused

I think I'm just going to ignore her advice, as it made no sense to me at all. DS eats plenty of solids during the day, sometimes breastfeeds 3 times a day, sometimes more. I really don't see why less milk will help him sleep better, especially as he has weaned himself of night feeds at last.

I'm sure it's the right thing to carry on as we are, but you can't help having that niggle of doubt when someone tells you different, can you?

moondog · 16/02/2011 19:32

An idiot.
Official

mrsgboring · 16/02/2011 19:36

Oh yes, she is talking out of some orifice... but not her mouth

QuickLookBusy · 16/02/2011 19:45

My HV told me I should not be bfeed my DD2 as much, she was 12 weeks at the timeHmm.

She didn't agree with "feeding on demand".[idiot]

Ignore your hv, she is talking rubbish.

IrritaGirl · 16/02/2011 19:46

I heard one HV say that you shouldn't continue to BF after a year because then they're really just using it for comfort. Silly mare.

enimod · 16/02/2011 20:01

ok- my son saw a padatrician this week he is 15 months old she said to completely wean as after 1 they receive no nourishment and few calories from breastmilk.
this is my second child, the eldest fed until he was 2.6 y old.
my son saw the paedatircian as he has asthma and has dropeed from 75 to 25th centile. i tried to explain that whem has a bad chest infection he eats no solids and can only just maanage breast feeds.
he has a feed in the morning onefor his nap and one at bedtime then whenver at noght- i actually didnt tell her that bit as i thought shed lecture me on cosleeping too.
therefore nder her advise he'd starve!
i am not going to do as she told me. knickers to her!

Original poster
marthamay · 16/02/2011 20:22

Oh Thank you everyone! I'm so relieved!!!! It just made no sense to me. Why would giving less BM make a baby sleep more!!? browneyesblue can't believe you got exactly the same advice! Shock Where on earth do these people learn their trade?
She was very lovely though and very supportive. I guess I should just try and think of her as one of those 'slightly meddlesome auntie' types... to be taken with a pinch of salt. Thanks for giving me my confidence back folks!

OP posts:
jaggythistle · 16/02/2011 21:29

(some) HVs have a weird thing about less milk feeds = more solid food in = good. No idea what the one I heard was on about, I ignored her.

She was otherwise quite nice and supportive (at bf group) so I was nice when I told her she was a bit wrong Blush

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