I need some reassurance re BF

[Knittingnovice]

DD2 is 7 weeks old and EBF.

She was weighed 20/05/13 at 3.44kg (5 weeks old) HV
At her 6 week check the GP weighed her at 3.46kg (6 weeks old).
He was concerned that she hadn't put on any weight in 10 days, but did say that it might be the difference in scales, incorrect weight recorded by HV etc. He asked me to get her weighed today which I have and she is 3.62kg.

It was a different HV and a different set of scales. When I told the HV that the GP had asked me to get her weighed because of her slow weight gain between 5 & 7 weeks, the HV just said well you can top her up with formula. I questioned this (I have BF DS til he was 16 months & DD1 til she was 17 months) and asked why she wasn't supporting me with BF, and she just reiterated that I could top her up with formula . I tried to get into a discussion, but she just kept repeating that I could top her up with formula.

DD2 was 2.7kg at birth and did loose some weight but feeds well.

Lots of wet and dirty nappies, I offer both breasts at each feed and have to really work at winding her as she is quite sicky, but doesn't seem distressed by it. She does tend to cluster feed in the evenings.
She feeds every 2/3 hours sometimes every 90 minutes. She is bright and alert and loves smiling around at everyone.

Should I be concerned by her small weight gain or just keep at it.

I do have a friend who is a bf counsellor/infant feeding specialist at our local hospital and I have seen her regarding the wind issue,and am going to contact her again.

I just really need some reassurance.

Feeding DD2 is tricky enough with a 4 yo and a 3 yo vying for my attention.

We have tried introducing a bottle of EBM, but with limited success so far.

Thank you for reading

My baby lost 11% of her birth weight. I had pressure from midwives to top up with formula. But I stuck to my guns. She is now 4 months and doing really well.

Sometimes weight does stall for a short period. My HV said it is a concern when a baby drops 2 percentiles on the graph in the red book.

It's the problem with breast feeding that you can't see how much milk is being drank. And it can make you paranoid. I kept getting my baby weighted all the time in the 1st few weeks.

Make sure you are keeping yourself well, eating and drinking properly. And getting as much sleep as you can.

I would make a complaint about the HV who gave you advice about topping up with formula, even though you specifically asked for support related to breastfeeding!

It seems from your figures that your baby had put on 160g in the last week which is a perfectly ok weight gain (according to the Kellymom website). If you are happy that she is producing wet/dirty nappies and seems otherwise well then I would continue as you are.

Knittingnovice, very odd advice from the HV, and especially odd that she was not able to explain or justify it.

Second opinion?

On the info you have given here, I don't see the concern at all.

The HV needs to know, somehow, that she has affected your confidence and left you confused and worried. She may have her reasons for thinking the only option is formula but if so, she should share them with you.

It's not much to ask!

Thank you for your reassurance, I'm not sure wHY this particular HV annoys me. This is the second worrying thing she has said to me and been unable to justify.

Is it worth putting in a complaint?

Another thing that bothers me is that I have to take DD1 when I go, and she has a scratch on her face that she keeps picking the scab off. Both times the HV has fixated on this and whether I have seen the GP, because it is bound to be infected and should have antibiotic's. Today I did tell her that I come to get DD2 weighed, not about DD1. We are dealing with the scratch with sudocreme and distraction techniques but again he HV is fixated on it being infected.

Argh, maybe I'll give up with the HV

Clearly she has no grasp on reality. Has she never meet a toddler? They are normally covered in scratches and bruises, due to their favorite hobby of falling over and bumping into things.

Complain, supplementing with formula early on can be a one track road to supply dwindling. She needs to not give that advice again

You should complain because less confident mothers will listen to her advice and will suffer the consequences. I agree she needs not to be suggesting formula to a mother who wants to bf.

My DS also dropped centiles at various stages, I just ignored and carried on, and he made up for it in spurts later on.

If you are worried then a lactation consultant or la leche/ bf group would be a better bet than a HV for advice.

I think 'supplement with formula' is just easier and takes less skill and training than diagnosing and rectifying a breast feeding problem. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think HV (or most GPs) are trained in stuff like tongue tie diagnosis, treatment of milk blisters, those kinds of things. My friend saw a HV and two GPs and none of them knew what a bleb was. She was offered thrush treatment and two courses of antibiotics.

Anyway, all I'm trying to say is that if you don't want to supplement its extremely unlikely you'll need to. Just get advice elsewhere if you feel you need it- national breasfeeding helpline or la leche are good places to start, and the kellymom website is full of sound advice. Good luck

Also, doesn't she know that antibiotic overuse is causing this?

I would complain about that advice too. I really do save antibiotics for emergencies and have only taken them twice in my life, once for measles complications and once for a severe uti. It amazes me how often they are prescribed. The immune system really can deal with most infections. And it doesn't even sound like your dc has an infection. Right, I will stop now before I get too cross!

She sounds dreadful!

I would ditch the HV and put in a complaint explaining why.

Bloody useless!