Solids at 16 weeks

[Lea2003]

My b/f dd suffers from reflux. My HV suggested that I might put her on solids at 16 weeks or thereabouts rather than leave her until 26 weeks as the solids may help her and stop her from vomiting. Does anyone have any experience of this?

Thanks

[pie]

Don't worry elena, I saw charlieplus3 on a chat thread last night and we sorted things out. I got your email charlie

[charlieplus3]

thanx elena. it was baby stress. dont know if exhausted or pnd. hope just tired. have apologised to pie and all. im not a bitch really

[Bozza]

Also might be better if one of you holds baby and other administers medicine.

[Bozza]

Lea have you tried administering the gaviscon with a syringe and then tickling under chin?

[elena2]

Charlieplus3,
Obviously it is up to Pie to accept your apology, but I just wanted to say, don't worry too much about it - a lot of people on here lose it a bit when someone pushes the wrong button, and it sounds like that was what happened with you in combination with baby/toddler stress (which I can relate to! etc.
It's usually forgotten pretty soon, especially if the person concerned has apologised.

[bunnyrabbit]

Sorry, I mean her not him.

BR

[bunnyrabbit]

Lea, Perhaps you could start a thread asking if any breastfeeding mums whose babies have reflux can give you any hints on how to get him to take the gaviscon? Sorry I can't help with this.

BR

[Bozza]

Actually charlieplus I was under the opposite pressure and finally weaned DS at 17 weeks. My MIL had been suggesting I put pieces of rusk in his bottles (went to mixed feeding at 15 weeks to return to work). And everyone else seemed to think I should. Logically can't see how pureed fruit will fill up more than full-fat breast/formula milk. Seen as how DS was still on 3 breast feeds a day he was getting a reasonable about of nutrition from me.

[bluecow]

Ds weaned at 14 weeks last year (because he was permanently starving despite large amounts of milk) and had/has absolutely no problem. You do what you feel is right for you and your dd and not what the WHO or anyone in authority says.

[LIZS]

Only just picked up this thread again.

Going back to lea's original question, BR you could be right that the effect of solids in your particular instance but in dd's and several of our friends' kids it got worse before it got better, and they were weaned at the 4/5 month mark. The improvement started to show from 6 months which is when they could largely sit themselves upright rather than lie on the floor and roll around, but in dd's case she would still regularly vomit her solids back at 8/9 months, and she drank relatively little milk at that point.

All I was trying to suggest to lea was that it would not necessarily be the ultimate solution to her dd's problems and that there were other things she might like to try if she wanted to hold off weaning.

[charlieplus3]

what marthamo put is really what i was trying to say. All babies are different some will thrive on early weaning and some wont.

It came across to me that ALL babies would suffer from early weaning.

I feel like such an idiot to snap at pie in that way

[charlieplus3]

im sorry didnt mean to come across so harsh.

As mums today we come under so much pressure. There are hundreds of books out there with giving different advice. What mum wouldnt feel angry if one person is telling them to wean i.e a hv who is meant to know all. And then a doctor is telling us we are damaging our babies intestines.

im really sorry, it was my hormones still recovering from the birth and a active toddler.

Please forgive me i was out of order

[lyndsey66]

Lea - lost this thread a bit - so sorry if I am repeating. Could you perhaps take your dd to the doctors to confirm what the HV says. Sure that the HV is right -but cant hurt to double check with doctor as well. Update us on how you get on xx

[bunnyrabbit]

KMS,
Very good point about cave women.

Our "non-civilised" predecessors would no doubt have had baby strapped to their chest for the first few years of their lives, living purely off breastmilk. Unless they pre-masticated the food for them as some animal do.....Yeauch, sorry about that, what a horrible thought!!

Can't imagine going back to work with baby on my front, althugh part of me thinks this would actually be really nice, IYKWIM. Must for an incredible bond for mum and baby.

Yours whistfully

BR

[KMS]

I think that babies go through an oral phase (hands and everything in the mouth to expolre and teething can start) and a growth spurt at about 4 mths. this is seen( in the past) as the time for weening. It used to be done at the 12 wk growth spurt and before that at around 6-8 wks. We now have evidence that the gut isn't formed enough to tollerate some food stuffs untill 6mths. Its is hard to say that weening is the reason that the phase ended. would it have ended anyway? the stomach empties in about 4hrs i belive so it doesn't really matter how full you stuff it if a baby isn't ready to sleep through it wont. so often this development coinsides with weening but is it BECAUSE of weaning?

I started purees with DS1 at 16wks as i was told by h/v. with ds2 we were away untill he was 20ks so I started then. DD is now 23wks and not weened. I have noticed no difference in them with regard to sleep, hands in mouth etc. they have all had teeth at 5 mths to the day and with DS1 this stopped his weening. He was on 98th centile at 16wks and dropped to 75th by 26wks I am sure some of this was due to the displacement mentioned before.

I am sure this will cause some discusion but I really feel that we are trying to force food too early. would cave women have done it so early? or waited for teeth?(aprox 6mth) would they have been able to puree food to liquid so that babies didn't gag? or would they have waited till a baby could swollow chewed up food? or put food in their own mouths?

Sorry this has little to do with the original reflux question. but i needed to get it off my chest.

I also didn't feel that Pie was scare mongering and she didn't deserve that.

[bunnyrabbit]

Pie,
Personally, I always very much appreciate the information you provide. I would never know where to find this myself, and rely on people such as yourself to provide weighty, pertinent info for our discussions.

In anycase, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and no one should be castigated for sharing their opinions (or this in this case someone else's). Isn't this what mumsnet is all about??

Please ignore the s**t and carry on as before....

BR

[nutcracker]

This is a thread on weaning, yes ?? Then why all the attacks on PIE who was just giving her opinion and experiance ??

I weaned all of my 3 children when i felt that they were ready and after consulting my HV.

Hope you are o.k PIE after that totally uncalled for attack.

[bunnyrabbit]

Interesting information. Thanks Pie. And thanks for your side of things Charlieplus3, although I think you were perhaps a bit aggressive

However, I know that sometimes it is hard not to take things personally and even constructive criticism and advice can be taken the wrong way if you're in the wrong mood.

I think we should agree to differ on this as we all know that every baby is different.

As regards how solids can help reflux, maybe it's just physics. Solids stay down more than liquid.

I suffered from horrible reflux before and whilst I was pregnant, and know from personal experience that if I drink a lot it tends to come back up!

Anyway, whatever the reason I just know it seems to be improving things for DS. You never know, in a couple of weeks I might be back bemoaning his technicolour vomit and back to square one!!

BR

[pie]

Thanks everyone for your support, I really wouldn't want to scare anyone, I just thought that article explained things quite clearly about why the recommendations are what they are. I agree with elena, I did say that she should do some more research and talk to her doctor and then figure out whats best.

[marthamoo]

charlie, it's way out of order to call what pie has posted s**t. Even if you don't agree, she is entitled to her point of view, and what she has posted can't be described as scare-mongering. And I'm speaking as someone who weaned my first baby (breast-fed) at 16 weeks, and my second at 18. Just because it worked for you and me doesn't mean it will work for everyone. Lea2003 asked for advice - pie offered some, as did you. Just because you disagree doesn't make pie wrong.

[elena2]

Agree that Pie was not trying to 'scare-monger', it is best to be aware of all the information before you make your choice.

[popsycal]

I too agree that Pie was sharing medical findings
and it was out of order to attack this way

[StressyHead]

message withdrawn

[elena2]

Both my ds's started small amounts of solids at around 16 weeks.

I knew the advice was 4-6 months, and as they were both big lads (18 pounds plus)at this age, and were displaying all the signs of not being satisfied with milk alone, still crying after 12 or more ounces of milk, I decided they were ready to try solids.

To be honest I've got no paranoia over whether this has caused ds1 (ds2 is still only 19 weeks) any problems, he's a strong, healthy, happy lad and has shown no negative effects from this.

You do what you feel is best having read all the current information, she's your child and it's your decision.