Wonderful midwives and HV thread

[JulieF]

After reading the threads on some of the dubious advice given by health proffessinals can I just sing the parises of those who I have come into contact with in the last 3 weeks since the birth of Alex.

After a lovely homebirth he was a sleepy feeder for the first couple of days but then started to take to the breast until day 5 when he started to fight it. This continued into complete refusal and after a week we discovered he had lost 1lb 4oz, going down to 4lb 10oz.

The midwife was fantastic and gave all the right advice. Knowing I wanted to breastfeed she never mentioned formula or bottles at all, instead advising 3 hourly expressing and cup feeding. She stayed with me way past her going home time that evening and visited twice the next day.

I was visited by my lovely local breastfeeding counsellor and also sent up the hospital feeding clinic where the breastfeeding co-ordinator was fantastic. We managed to move onto to cup feeding and Alex stared to take a little milk from the breast.

Everyone has been so encouraging and supportive, my feelings have been taken into account. I am sure that if I had decided to bottle feed I would have been equally supported.

I have now been discharged from themidwives and the HV has taken over. She took the time to find out what I wanted to do (carry on or move to bottle) and she is visiting regurlaly to make sure we are OK. We are now at a point where he is taking most of his feeds from the breast.

I was so close to giving up after a couple of days but the support and advice I have been given is fantastic. What a difference from my last pregnancy where there was no opportunity to discuss my needs and fears and so I chose to bottlefeed from birth through ignorance and unfounded fears that I could have been helped to get over.

Also thanks to mumsnetters, especially Jan for your support too.

Julie

Julie, you are v. lucky, and it would be wonderful if that was everyone's experience. Actually I found my midwives were really good too - both those involved in the birth and the absolutely lovely woman who visited me at home after dd was born. It's just my hv's that I've had a problem with.

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The hv I have now is great, she is the font of all knowledge, and appears only when you want her to. From 96-2002 we were left without one at all. From 92-96 we had a great male hv.

I'm really pleased for you.

Well, twiglett, I do know a few excellent HVs : )

They are very supportive of mothers' feeding choices, whatever they are, but they have informed themselves of what they need to know, and fully admit to this.

However, I can think of two in particular who are so keen to support bf they have both missed babies who were really not thriving - they thought it was enough to encourage the mum that bf would work out if they only kept at it . In three cases I can remember when I saw the baby and the feeding it was clear to me the babies were not bf effectively, and in one case was hardly feeding at all.....she was in a bad way, and this had gone on for weeks with the HV ignoring lack of weight gain and sleepiness and just telling the mother to continue doing what she was doing. This baby turned out to be very ill with a congenital condition that later caused severe fits. Spotting it earlier would not have helped in any way, but the mother was inappropriately reassured and tests could have been done earlier. I think in this case the HV's enthusiasm for bf had got in the way of her seeing this baby's problems.

I don't 'blame' the HV - the GP was also involved and he didn't spot anything either.

But it goes to show that training is not adequate.

I have had two marvellous HVs and at least two marvellous midwives, and consider myself incredibly fortunate when I hear other peoples' stories. I have also had two dreadful midwives!
My first HV did everything by the book (and I'm not entirely sure what book it was) and had no children of her own, but she gave me all the time I needed, she listened to me and let me unload, and gave me masses of emotional support. My second HV is also a nurse and a mother, and her attitude is so much more realistic because she's 'been there'.