Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

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

Flip

Original poster

Odd reaction from HV?

20 replies

Mahraih · 10/05/2011 19:07

I took DS to be weighed at 12 weeks - HV weighed him, and we sat down to fill in the red book. She asked how I was feeding and the conversation went - pretty much verbatim - like this:

"Oh, he's breastfed"
HV: "Really?!"
"Um, yes."
HV: "Just breastfeeding?!"

She looked very sceptical, and when I looked at her notes in the red book, she has put "fully breastfed!" with an exclamation mark. I feel like the either a) didn't believe me or b) thought I was odd for still breastfeeding.

She also told me that DS is very "large" in a disapproving voice. All other HVs have been pleased that he's thriving. Gah. Stupid woman.

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 10/05/2011 19:09

she's probably just surprised given that BF mums are in a minority, esp if you're breastfeeding exclusively.

HV's were always surprised how big and fat bonny my boys were too and asked if they were on formula as well.

EdwardorEricCantDecide · 10/05/2011 19:13

My DS also put weight on much quicker when breast fed than after switching to bottle HV was very surprised by his weight gain when bf but just said in a congratulatory (sp?) way.

belgo · 10/05/2011 19:16

She obviously doesn't believe that breastfed babies can thrive and put on a lot of weight, although it is well known that in the first 12 weeks some bf babies do go up the centiles.

I would be inclined to write and ask why was the ? put in your notes.

(well done for bfing!)

thisisyesterday · 10/05/2011 19:21

to be fair on the HV, they have to fill in a box

so she had to ask, and she then had to ask if you were exclusively bf or mixed feeding

the exclamation mark could just as easily have been a !!! wow! kind of thing, do you live somewhere with very low breastfeeding rates perhaps?

nailak · 10/05/2011 19:23

i always told them i was bf with odd bottle if i am out or at relatives etc, and they always tick ebf which made me wonder...

Dropdeadfred · 10/05/2011 19:26

How heavy is he ?

thefatishistory · 10/05/2011 19:27

Sounds like she meant it in a 'wow!, I'm impressed kind of way'. I should be pleased if I were you. I'm not sure why Belgo thinks you should write a letter about it, though.

ChopMonster · 10/05/2011 19:29

My HV was the same when I got DS weighed at 8 weeks. She asked me several times and seemed surprised. He's gone from 25th centile at birth to the 91st!

One HV told me to trying distracting him instead of automatically feeding him (pretty sure that'snot how demand feeding works ). Although this one was surprised I was solely BFing, she was pleased with his weight gain and wrote a note to this effect in his book.

DialsMavis · 10/05/2011 21:05

It sounds to me like she was impressed rather than judgemental

Original poster

Mahraih · 10/05/2011 21:25

I don't think I need to write a letter - everything else in the notes is just fine. I'm think she probably was impressed at the thought of me still BF, but couldn't bring herself to believe that I was, and let that show a bit too much.

Nailak, I also used to say he had the odd bottle, and they ticked ebf, so I started saying ebf and now this

thisisyesterday, I know she had to ask and was absolutely fine with her asking - they all do. I live in South East London, and the surgery services a wide range of people. I am a relatively young mother, so maybe not the most obvious candidate for BF.

Dropdeadfred he is 15lbs13. Just above 91st centile. He was 50th centile at birth, I think.

Oh well, not to worry, I just wondered if other people had had odd reactions from HV about still BF etc ... I just resented her scepticism.

OP posts:

lucielooo · 10/05/2011 21:43

Chopmonster my HV also told me not to feed him every time he seemed to want it as he might be doing it just for comfort and he was putting on 'a lot' of weight. Checked on the graph and he was 50th percentile at the time (had put on 18ozs in 10 days but this was coming back up from the weight he lost immediately after being born) anyway, he's now dropped a little bit below 50th percentile so I don't think I am 'overfeeding' him as she wrote in his book. (To be fair she thought this because he keeps being sick, but I think this is down to wind now)

Anyway, confused me no end her saying to feed him less.. It's hard work trying to 'distract' a baby who is lunging at your boobs they are suprisingly persistant - and it was totally pointless anyway because after he'd been screaming for 10 minutes I'd just end up feeding him anyway so I am happily ignoring this now.

Sounds to me like it was suprise that he was thriving on breastfeeding as it seems that bfed babies are 'supposed' to weigh less than ff.

belgo · 11/05/2011 06:45

I misread the OP, I thought the HV had put a ?

I wouldn't worry about a !.

Oops.

DillyDaydreaming · 11/05/2011 06:51

I am overjoyed when women have managed to continue breastfeeding despite the bugger all support which exists. Not sure I'd have been so mysterious about it tho - would have told you well done and commented on how brilliant and thriving your baby looked on breastmilk.

Fantail · 11/05/2011 07:01

See, this kind of response to breastfeeding confuses me. I can understand a pat on the back if there have been a series of problems and the mother has resolved them, but if not then she is just feeding her baby. It isn't abnormal what she is doing.

HarrietJones · 11/05/2011 07:14

My HV clinic were like this. Shouting across ' she's still breastfeeding' at about 12 weeks strange thing is it's v common in my town. Baby groups are about 75% breastfeeeding. Not like my old town where I was the only one.(10 miles apart

Bigglewinkle · 11/05/2011 07:28

Both my ebf babies have gone up the percentiles on the weight charts and my HVs have said excellent well done you must have gold top milk! And not looked sceptical about it.
Well done you for showing your HVs it can be done :)

MonkeeMummy · 11/05/2011 12:29

First, well done for BF for 12 weeks and having a wonderfully healthy baby. Now, a little rant about HVs. I'm not sure they all really get the breastfeeding thing. Mine tried to correct my absolutely perfect latch on my perfectly thriving baby by opening her mouth so wide that she screamed in pain... I should have reported her. Same HV told me that she was surprised I didn't have PND after I'd finished telling her how happy I was. Apparently I looked the 'type'... what does that mean? But I'm still worried by her comment 7 years on... sorry, but I feel better now.

FutureNannyOgg · 11/05/2011 16:14

I have had a similar reaction I put it down to a) being in the minority, I can't recall the figures, but EBF at 12 weeks is quite low, and b) DS started at 50th centile and shot up to, well, off the chart, they don't expect a bf baby to grow that big, that fast (my HV was always asking how much milk I was giving him, as if she was about to suggest I cut down, until she realised I still bf, he's just a big lad)

CamperFan · 12/05/2011 09:28

MonkeeMummy, that's a really awful thing for your HV to say!

I've only seen my HV once, about 5 days after DS2 was born. He's now 6.5 months. Sounds like I am lucky!

Original poster

Mahraih · 12/05/2011 11:45

MonkeeMummy that is horrific - what a horrid HV! Rant as much as you like, she had no business saying that, or indeed hurting your baby.

I didn't know that EBF at 12 weeks is low - thought that where we live, more women would be doing it but apparently not. I plan to continue so she'll be doubly shocked next month!

I will keep going to HV on occasion, they are usually very nice women, just this one that was abit 'off'.

OP posts:

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread