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

[jasper]

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?

lucky girl, surely this means eat more cake?!

My my, a Health Visitor talking bollocks.

Imagine my surprise.

glad to see you back Twig!

"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"

If we're talking about those who want to give up, I think that's rather condemning people tbh.

Of course someone who wants to give up bf is looking for a get-out clause, because there's so much pressure to keep going and they feel guilty. They just want someone to say 'hey, its ok and you've done well, help is here if you need it but if you're ready to stop don't feel bad'.

It really isn't anybodys 'fault'.

btw the HV advice in the OP was crap though!

I gave up bf DS1 after 10 days partly because the weight just fell off me. I went down to 6 1/2 stone (1/2 stone under my normal weight) I was 7 1/2 stone when I got home from hospital and lost one stone in 10 days. There were other reasons too why I gave up breastfeeding though.

I was eating, eating, eating while bf but still the weight just fell off. As soon as I stopped bf my weight lost stopped and within 1 month I was back up to my normal weight.

I bf DD for 3 months and lost alot of weight and ended up literally exhausted and very very ill. Not saying that losing weight is a reason to give up bf but maybe the HV had a point.

agree totally with twiglett in this case

I was like poppies - I went out of H in my pre-pg jeans and in 10 days had dropped over a stone. I bf for about 6 weeks and was under 6 stone at that point (a stone and a half below my usual weight) - all very well Twig saying eat some cake - I physically couldn't and didn't want to eat more (and you do need about 500 extra calories to keep going). In the end I mix fed for a while and then jacked it in before I vanished totally. You can have a go at HV's, but surely unless you know the exact circumstances of this indivdidual its not fair to judge..

god, blackduck - under 6 stone, that must have been scary. I can see why you would jack it in - it is halthier for the baby to have a mother who is alive and bottle feeding

I'm sure that people like you and poppies are on the more unusual side of things though and I do agree with others, in some cases it will be a desire to give up but couched in terms that 'the HV told me to!' my SIL gave up after 6 months bascially as she had obviously had enough, she'd struggled hugely with masititis and other challenges - no-one could have criticised her decision, yet she still felt she had to justify her decision to people....

was feeling a bit lonely there for a min Blackducks! eat more cake! pah! If only they knew how many Krispy Kremes I used to eat in one sitting

FFS I didn't say 'eat more cake' in isolation .. it was a facetious end to a more serious post that some people feel they need a valid 'excuse' to 'give up' breastfeeding .. they don't .. but they feel that they do

and you can drink 500 calories in a feckin' milkshake if you make it right

I was 8.5 stone pre ds (those were the days)
I was 9 stone when I left the hospital the day I had him.
2 weeks later I was under stone and went to 7.5 stone. Actually felt fine but knew I was far too thin.
I was eating well, was trying to eat healthy, so I just added a few fried chips, ate the odd takeaway, drunk whole milk, had cream and apple pie, porridge with sugar and cream etc
Soon got back up to over 8 stone and stayed there until I finished b/f him at 16 mths.
Then I returned to 9 stone thereafter...

i was back ot my weight in less than 2 weeks so i don't really get that comment.

why doesn't she just try eating more and if she finds she is still losing weight then maybe consider giving up bf