Help, I am so confused.

[xXjunebugXx]

I posted a little while ago about the HV now being happy that my daughter is gaining weight quickly. She's 9 months, always been a slow gainer until she hit 7.5 months old. Then she started gaining quickly. They are saying I need to reduce milk and increase solid foods as this will slow the weight gain? they say I am breastfeeding her too much. Is this possible? I demand feed breastmilk her and she eats OK, not a huge amount but well as she is BLW.

Is this advice OK? Will reducing milk slow her weight down? I don't see why they want me to do this. After all the rubbish I got early on with her dropping centiles they aren't happy now she is quickly climbing back up the chart. she isn't mobile at all, just sits at the moment.

I feel confused, I feel their advice is wrong but don't want to do badly by my LO in case they are right? Wouldn't more food make her gain weight?

What strange advice. Of course restricting milk will slow weight gain-she'll be getting fewer calories. Are they very concerned about her solid food intake? (ie she needs to eat more food?) My hv said that i should cut ds' milk to encourage solid food at about 7 months but I just let him get on with it and he dropped milk feed naturally himself from around 8ish months.

Agree it sounds like odd advice. Is it that the HV is worried she's gaining weight too quickly? But what is 'too quickly'? My son was a chubby ball at that age, but slimmed down noticeably when he began to crawl properly - I think that's normal enough...?

The general line is that it isn't possible to over BF a baby, and that milk should remain her chief source of calories until she turns one at least

Easiest solution is to stop weighing her, and go by eye and your instinct :).

Even if she does gain a little weight, once mobile they tend to readjust.

How do they suggest you reduce the amount of milk anyway? My guess would be if you cut down feeds in the day she'll start waking at night for them.

How do you think she's doing? If you took the hv and the scales away do you have a happy, healthy baby?

Many Hv, ime do get hung up on scales and centile charts. You don't have to see them or let them weigh your child.

Seems like completely daft advice and contrary to most of the evidence based advice.

I'd keep breastfeeding on demand and BLW. If anything I'd look at what you are giving as solids in case it is all very calorie dense, and get more a mixture if necessary.

As for solid food, my ds1 wasn't really all that interested until he was nearly 2yo. Some days he was all for the food, others he just wasn't interested but we always offered. Now he's really into his food at 8yo (lots of flavours and textures) and a healthy weight. All kids are different and take to things at different ages. If she's happy and alert, that's what matters most.

Overall, I'd hold off doing anything until she becomes active and see how her weight changes.

Yes. they said giving her more food and less milk will slow her weight gain. she always gained the lowest amount acceptable or less. Now she is gaining 3-5oz a week and they are saying it should be less at this stage like 1-2oz? Normally weight slows down at this point?

They are making me feel really bad and I don't want to take her to clinic but they are making it sound like I must take her, like their could be a problem. It's confusing and upsetting. They are saying she is a lazy baby too as is making no efforts to move at all. She just likes to sit and that's it. She won't roll and is no where near crawling. they said if she still hasn't made any effort with rolling in the next month they might refer her to the GP as 10 months is late to not be rolling. She has lots of floor time and encouragement but isn't interest, she lies on her back and coos and giggles and chews her toys.

To me she looks fine, healthy and happy. I don't want to feed her less really. I can't make her eat more solids than she does unless I start spoon feeding her.

*there could be a problem...apologies for lack of capital, no idea what happened there.

This all sounds very odd. Engineering a baby's weight like this is very odd. A good way out of the confusion is to ask for a referral to a paediatrician or a paediatric dietitian. You don't have a lot of confidence in what the Hv has said, but even so you have ended up confused and upset. Needs another opinion I think.

I feel confused and upset as I am questioning myself. that is a good idea actually. I will do that. Then I can go back and tell they are full of it.

I really don't get them, HV that is. When she wasn't gaining enough they suggested early weaning and now she is gaining too much in their opinion they want me to give her more solids and less milk. It makes no sense to me at all. I should just go with my gut.