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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

mother told by HV to give formula to 6week old baby because the mother is getting too thin!

40 replies

jasper · 21/08/2006 13:36

Just been speaking to a friend about her daughter and her daughter's new baby.

The new mum has been fully breastfeeding her 6 week old baby but is now giving him formula during the day because her HV told her she (the mum ) was losing too much weight and would end up exhausted!
She is almost back to her prepregnancy weight (lucky her)

Is this a load of bollocks?

OP posts:
Hayls · 21/08/2006 13:41

Hmmm, my HV told me exactly the same thing when dd was about 12 weeks. I did ignore her though and carried on bf.
I think i asked about it on here at the time because i was obviously concerned (she said dd wasn't sleeping through because she was hungry as I clealry wasn't producing ebough milk- OK I had been back at pre-preg weight for a couple of months by then but I could see how much she was drinking and she was putting on loads of weight. PLus wasn't exactly huge to start with) Anyway the general consenus on here was that she was talking a load of cobblers.

edam · 21/08/2006 13:49

Hmmm. Sounds bonkers to me. If your friend is underweight, shouldn't she just be eating more high calorie food?

Although my youngest sister did get terribly thin while b/f - her ds was a porker, off the charts for weight. But didn't put sister off and she carried on and became an extended b/feeder - think she's stopped now her ds is two. And sister's fine - obviously enjoyed it, is now p/g again.

Twiglett · 21/08/2006 13:51

I think people who want to give up breastfeeding latch on to any old comment from so-called professionals as justification

ie its not their fault, they were advised

its sad .. that people feel the need but oh well

wouldn't challenge her personally .. it makes her feel better obviously .. but of course its bollocks .. all she needs to do if worried is eat a cake or two

LIZS · 21/08/2006 13:51

Mad . As long as your friend is eating and drinking normally and otherwise well then she is fine and it would be better to continue to breastfeed.

LIZS · 21/08/2006 13:55

Twiglett may well have a point. It is easy to find something in what you are "told" to concur with whatever you want to do anyway, and appease guilt and questions. Perhaps her mum had asked her why she was ff and that was the gentlest way to justify it.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 21/08/2006 13:55

Oh dear.

My HV suggested I eat more to supplement me when b/feeding, not supplement the baby. How bizarre.

(NOt that i need to eat more actually but i think she was saying "its okay to snack on a mars bar if you feel like it" )

edam · 21/08/2006 13:55

Think Twiglett's onto something, actually.

kiskidee · 21/08/2006 13:57

another hv who is mad as a box of frogs. i am skinny and still bf a 16 month old. 2 wks after giving birth i was half a stone UNDER my regular weight of 8 stones. My hv told me i had to give formula because i had the flu. The ladies on MN told me different and i exclusively fed to six months.

Mind you, i did go through a phase when both baby and i were putting on weight again and i was eat 6 full meals a day (like 3 weetabix at 4 am)

Tell your friend to eat lots of high calorie nutritous foods - pretty much eat whatever and however much she likes.

edam · 21/08/2006 13:57

one of my NCT friends was told to eat a Mars Bar every day at about six-ish to boost milk supply for the evening cluster feeds. Which I thought was jolly helpful advice.

motherinferior · 21/08/2006 14:02

Twig has vg point.

Hell, if I'd got back to my pre-preg weight within six weeks of my first baby's birth I'd have been over the moon

Mind you, I reckon my lactating norks weighed a good stone each.

lazycow · 21/08/2006 14:07

Agree that maybe the mother probaby wants to give up. I was down to pre-pregnancy weight within a month but I rememeber being really hungry but too tired/depressed to actually eat - which is unheard of for me ' I had pretty bad pnd but luckily was overweight to begin with so couldn't use the excuse of losing weight to stop feeding - otherwise I might have done.

aragon · 21/08/2006 14:10

Hnnnnhhh!

(Smacks self on forehead and faints)

What is it with these HVs? Take the point that Mum may have wanted to give up and feels the need to justify it. Hope to God her HV did not give her that advice......but I would not be surprised.

kayzed · 21/08/2006 14:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Uwila · 21/08/2006 15:12

I'm sorry, but can I slap the mother of a 6 week old whois too thin.

And then slap the HV twice.

Uwila · 21/08/2006 15:13

One week?!?!??!!? PARP

VeniVidiVickiQV · 21/08/2006 15:23

Actually........I was back to my pre pg weight after a week, because all the weight I had gained was largely baby and fluid, and my cravings for fruit juice over and above anything else must have done me good.

3 weeks after birth I was half a stone lighter than my pre-pg weight. I still had a huge saggy tum though for 8 weeks.

tissy · 21/08/2006 15:26

think it would be better if the Mum drank the formula, rather than the baby

laudaud · 21/08/2006 15:29

I was a stone lighter than pre preganancy weight about a month after birth. I put it down to breastfeeding and not drinking alcohol for the previous 9 months. Never felt better! And for those who hate me for this you will be glad to know it's all come back since giving up breastfeeding and going back to work

VeniVidiVickiQV · 21/08/2006 15:30

tissy, surely she should drink breastmilk.....[grni]

VeniVidiVickiQV · 21/08/2006 15:30

oh arse I meant

terramum · 21/08/2006 16:01

Did the HV enquire about the mums diet & eating habits & her general health or just make a snap suggestion? If she didnt then she is just being plain incompetent. What if the lady has a thyroid condition - stopping bf will nor help that. Im not saying she has - but weight loss is one of the signs. Its probably just that she isnt eating enough to maintain her weight, which many women find happens - excl bf uses an extra 500 calories & that can be hard to make up if you are not used to eating lots. It is very easy to not eat as much as your need with a demanding newborn.

Actively trying to lose weight isnt really a good idea in the first few months after giving birth according to LLL etc (mainly just to give your body a break whilst it recovers from being pg, giving birth & establishing a bm supply), so I can see vaguely why the HV might assume it is a problem (given that she probably hasnt got my bf training ) but it isnt necessarily a problem. Maybe worth putting your friend or her daughter onto one of the bf organisations & her gp just to be checked out properly.

milward · 21/08/2006 16:02

Complete rubbish hv advice - couldn't the mum just eat more? or have some high cal foods?

milward · 21/08/2006 16:04

Just thinking - I was back to my pre preg weight with dd1 & dd2 at 6 weeks (despite gaining loads of weight) & with dd3 was just 2 kilos of it at 6 weeks. This time I'm all most back to pre preg at 10 months.

thepoppy · 21/08/2006 16:40

One HV I saw commented on how well DS was doing with weight gain (went from 25th to 75th percentile in 2 weeks)saying that it's all rubbish that skinny women can't bf well. She also mentionned how even small boobs don't hinder baby development... was slightly offended by that comment
She was definitely against topping up with formula. Unfortunately she was only there for holiday cover and the regular HVs are useless

Piffle · 21/08/2006 16:54

With ds I got to well beyond my pre pregnancy weight with him as fed like a baby moose who'd been starved every 3 hrs.
I ate like an adult moose but still lost the weight.
Nuts and raisins by the bedside for 2am snack attacks
Why did the HV not just ask if she was eating sensibly and offer her some nutritional tips.
Honestly