dd 10 weeks seems unsettled and feeding constantly-HV has me unsure

[used2bthin]

She was weighed a week or so ago, she had been gaining steadily on50th centile but at 8/9 weeks was between the 25th and 50th.

I'm pretty sure the current thinking is not to need to weigh babies all the time and that there is little to worry about with her not having even dropped a whole centile but the HV said get her weighed this wek now we are back from hols and to try to find quiet time to feed her as it may be due to me being busy with DD1 over the summer and being a bit stressed.

I think this HV has some slightly outdated views on other things but am also now a bit unsure as dd2 has fed all day today and cried any time she hasnt been feeding or walked about and even so,etimes then.

She still cluster feeds all evening and mostly wakes every two hours to feed although will go 4 at the start of the night sometimes.

Should I be worried by the weight thing?

Can you get a second opinion from another HV? Or speak more at length with this one?

Current standard guidance is that healthy babies should not need weighing more often than monthly in the 1st 6 mths, once it is clear the feeding is going well, and that a drop through 2 centile spaces is within normal limits and does not cause concern. Individual circumstances may need different responses of course.

Your description of your baby's feeding and weight gain sounds normal. It is also normal for babies to go through periods of needing more feeds and more contact, so no cause for concern from what you say there, either.

Thank you tik tok I have just been reading another thread you posted on about demand feeding I found it really reassuring, maybe my DD is having a growth spurt.

This HV wants DD2 weighed again this week so I will go and do it but may go to babycafe instead as they really helped when I had mastitus. I though it was less of a concern if babies seem healthy etc and DD2 is generally happy enough, wet nappies and alert. The HV asked had DD2 been distracted due to DD1 being around which is possible but also DD2 had been quite a sicky baby and this has got better not worse so I had thought she'd be gaining well. I sort of wish I'd not got her weighed since she had only been weighed two weeks before. This HV has a tendancy to worry about things more than other Hvs I have met so I think maybe I should take it with a pinch of salt.

If you're happy with her and nothing else is wrong, then you don't have to get them weight at all. If fact you don't even need to see a HV if you don't want to.

One sensible option is to tell the HV you are concerned that her advice may be over-cautious....think of ways to do this politely :) It's part of her job to explain her thinking to you, and if she has genuine worries about your baby's growth, of course you need to hear them.

Yes, good idea to go to a baby cafe.

thanks migril and tiktok. This hv did an incident form because I said her views on co sleeping were different to the advice I had had from the midwives and hospital (and showed her the leaflet hospital gave me on safer co sleeping)The incident form was because they had given advice contrary to what she was told to give, not becaue of me complaining. So I am reluctant to get too involved with her iyswim-I find her quite hard work although I know she means well.

But I will go to baby cafe and let her know that this is what I will be doing when I see her when I go for next imms. In fact she will probably phone me before that about the weight but at least now I can confidently say I am not worried.

used2b - I have had a similar situation with a HV who has got me worried about dd's weight.

Dd was born on 75th centile and from 6 weeks bobbed between the 50th and 75th. I was getting her weighed too much (weekly-due to lack on confidence in my ability to bf her due to early problems) and have managed to now wean myself off this weekly weighing!

At 15 weeks dd was weighed and was on the 50th centile line (only put on 6lbs in 3 weeks), and the community nurse wanted her weighed again in 2 weeks. This was then last week, when did was 17 weeks, and she has put on and is still bang on 50th centile line. So I thought this was ok , especially as she was also measured last week and has gone from 50th to 99.6th centile for height.

HV is now suggesting I think about weaning her, which I am really shocked at as I didn't think there was a problem. Essentially what all this has done is just knock my confidence again re: my ability to bf!

Op sorry for hijacking your thread-just needed a vent!

rubbish - how about telling her, in a nice way, that you feel undermined and unsupported and puzzled about her advice.....?