Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

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

Original poster

HV says weight gain tailing off - what are the dangers?

67 replies

ChrissyJ · 09/05/2007 18:02

DS is 15 weeks and was born 6'13. He has bumped along between the 25th and 9th percentile for most of the time until recently when he only put on 2oz in two weeks and so dropped towards the 2 centile.

I wasn't too worried as he is a very happy and active little chap, always chatting, smiling kicking etc. I put it down to starting to sleep through the night (sometimes right through!) and a bout of mastitis which had meant antibiotics for me and therefore an upset tummy for him.

However I went back to the HV today, two weeks later, and this time he has gained 10oz which I thought was fine but she said he should have gone back up to his previous line - ie gained his normal fortnightly amount AND the extra amount he "dropped" before. Is this feasible?

Also I have read several pp on this issue and I know that there is quite a consensus that those centile charts are bobbins but IF it is possible I am underfeeding him somehow then what would be the dangers to him?

OP posts:
usandnosleep · 11/05/2007 21:39

Oh and one more thing, did the HV measure your LO's height?
No-one had ever measured DS but the paed did and it turns out that he is on the 25th centile for height so 0.4th for weight doesn't seem all that bad

Original poster
ChrissyJ · 11/05/2007 21:42

Thanks usandnosleep that is reassuring.

Sep1712 I have just found this which I thought was useful.

OP posts:
Original poster
ChrissyJ · 11/05/2007 21:43

No they didn't. And didn't measure his head circ either. I did and he was on the 25th centile for that, same as at birth. He's just got snake hips!

OP posts:
usandnosleep · 11/05/2007 21:46

snake hips

DS head circ. is on the 50th
He doesn't look odd though........ I don't think so...........

Elasticwoman · 11/05/2007 21:53

Chrissy - I suspected as much. Human beings come in different sizes, no reason why all babies should be same size.

Sep1712 - what makes you think early weaning is the answer to slow weight gain? Baby's stomach is designed to deal with breastmilk for first 6 months of life. Taking solids will only mean taking less milk. Breastmilk supply increases by baby sucking - so if you supplement with formula, less breastmilk will be produced in your breasts, because your baby will be sucking from them less. If you want to increase your supply, put the baby to the breast more often and decrease or cut out supplementing with formula. You can also stimulate supply by expressing your milk.

sep1712 · 11/05/2007 22:07

Thank you for your advise the link was very helpful.
HV suggesested the formula, when that didn't work she suggested the weaning! Still feed in the night and a couple of feeds in day myself. The only the trouble with putting her to the breast more often is that i'm really busy and need to fit her feeds around a routine! i really really love breast feeding and miss that closeness at bed time but she is so much happier now with the formula! It doesn't help that everyone around me says how much better she is now. they say that i have done more than most and she had the important first 4mths.
WHAT DO I DO???

Elasticwoman · 11/05/2007 22:31

If you're really busy Sep, how will you find the time to shop for formula, make up and sterilise bottles, prepare and spoon food into baby? If your baby doesn't get the protection against infection that is the biggest advantage of bf, then illness is more likely, as you will have read in the helpful link, and won't that be time consuming?

If you want help in getting your baby back to exclusive breastfeeding, phone one of the breastfeeding support organisations such as NCT, Breastfeeding Network, La Leche League, Association of Breastfeeding Mothers. (Google them for the phone number.)

In the end you have to make your choice.

nachomama · 11/05/2007 22:37

ChrissyJ:
you keep on keepin on, girl. you're doing fab (though about your own eating and weight!!!) and btw, i've never been lucky in that department- but i've had loads of compliments recently about slimming down post baby, and that is entirely down to bfing one very sucky, greedy baby who is also cause for concern according to arsing red book chart. my advice: don't go to weigh in unless you feel you really, really want to. If you do (there are so many other things you could be doing) go, and the silly moo starts penning in weight loss after a 10oz gain and pointing at charts, you might want to show her charts for bf babies- not these outdated pieces of crap based on ff infants. Have a look at the kellymom site

moondog · 12/05/2007 09:57

Elasticwoman is right Sep.Read it very caerefully.
Such a shame that you are another example of a woman being let down by ignorant health professionals.

Once yuo start inroducing formula your milk supply will tail off.That is an indisputable fact in probably 90% of cases.
And as for weaning.......do yuo really think that the wallpaper paste that passes for bab food has as many calories and as much goodness in it as your breastmilk???

I will do you a link....

moondog · 12/05/2007 09:58

For Sep

nappyaddict · 12/05/2007 10:22

thats loads. ds only used to gain about 4 at the most. he would often stay the same or even lose a few if he had been a bit off.

JoyS · 12/05/2007 20:48

These HVs do NOT know what they're talking about and yours sounds a bit of a bully. I like the way she says "if a doctor saw that..." How would she know what a doctor would say?

I had one tell me that my exclusively bf DD was gaining too much weight because she gained a pound in 2 weeks. Ridiculous.

Elasticwoman · 12/05/2007 22:21

I had one tell me that my bf 9 month old baby should be having vitamin supplements - before asking me a single question about the rest of her diet. When I challenged her on this she just hid behind "government directives". (This was during the last Conservative govt, not that it makes any difference.)

nachomama · 12/05/2007 23:31

Chrissy and Sep- a point to ponder:
Your baby sucks in a good way. Your HV just sucks.

Original poster
ChrissyJ · 14/05/2007 19:05

Ha ha, nice one.

OP posts:
Original poster
ChrissyJ · 14/05/2007 19:06

And thanks everyone for your advice and support. I'll let u know how it goes...

OP posts:
Original poster
ChrissyJ · 16/05/2007 16:32

Different HV today and totally different story. She took one look at him and said "he's bright eyed and bushy tailed, don't worry". I did tell her it was other HV that was worried not me! But it was still good to hear. Anyway he has put on 6.5oz in a week - probably as result of spending every waking minute having my boob shoved in his face so I could prove the HVs wrong!! Poor mite
Anyway all good, and he hasn't had any top ups despite all the threats from other HV as I just felt he didn't need it so yay.
Cheers for all your help MNers, I really, really appreciate it.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page