Exclusively bf 17 week old gaining too much weight. HV told me to start on solids early.

[Quicksilver]

I am posted before about my dd (17 weeks) gaining weight. She is exclusively bf and has climbed from the 25th centile to the 98th centile.

I took her back to the HV today and she is now 17lb 14oz. She is following the 98th centile now rather than leaping up centiles.

However the HV has now suggested intoducing solids in an attempt to slow her weight gain. As breast milk is the most calorific thing she can have I can see her logic, but this doesn't feel right.

There is nothing wrong with dd apart from some chunky legs and chubby cheeks. I thought it could be harmful to introduce solids this early.

Has anyone else been told to do this? Should I follow her advice or trust my instincts?

My DS has gone from the 9th to above the 50th centile on EBF - you're just doing really well You can't overfeed through BF, as everyone says. Stick it out over weaning - HVs can't make you do anything, plus they can't make you visit them either. Have a look at kellymom for more accurate info than your HV about breastfeeding and weight gain. This is very much research-based so very sound information.

Quicksilver - relax; you are doing a great job. My ds was exclusively bf till 18 lb 3 oz and people seemed impressed that he could get to that weight on bm alone.

One of the great advantages of bf is that you know it is the right stuff for your baby. It would take more than a daft hv to convince me otherwise.

Giving solids any earlier than you absolutely have to is a very silly idea.

nothing to add to what has been said other than some of the women on my PN thread have very healthy weight excl. BF babies and aren't worried about it. Trust your instincts and be pleased that you obviously have gold top in your norks .

Also, weaning this early is against current guidelines and you would have just cause to report her for her dodgy advice imvho!

I wouldn't take go back to see the HV after such poor advice, they cannot force you to go and even if they chase you up it's your decision if you go along or not.
I never went to the weighing clinic with DS2 as I was pretty umimpressed first time round.

Well done quicksilver. As others said - ignore HV.

If there was a great concern about your baby gaining 'too much' weight the first thing she ought to do is refer you to GP - not tell you to wean! Ignore her entirely.

My DD2 was 7lb 13 at birth and flew along the top of the 75th centile, my HV used to joke that I must have been giving her steak and chips too! My mum used to joke that she was in the presence of Bhudda.....

Now, at 2 years old she is still a chunky child, not fat, walking/running has trimmed her down, she is solid but quite svelte around the belly. I followed BLW when I introduced solids, and I estimate she is still 40% breastfed. She eats solids with enthusiasm but only in small amounts (with the exception of raspberries!) but clearly eats enough to keep her growing just fine!

So, in short, let her feed herself, nurse her on demand and when she is 6 months old and she is sitting up confidently stick her in a highchair with a few bits of soft cooked brocolli and let her play/eat as much as she wants. She won't starve herself and she won't over eat either.

Your HV is talking utter, UTTER crap!

Monkies

Stupid woman - mine is exactly the same she is now 25 weeks and I haven't had her weighed for ages
She was born 8lb12 on 75th centile ex BF and raised uptp 98th centile where she happily chugged along - she is gorg chunky happy baby (my DD1 was also the same though maybe DD2 is a bit fatter ...)
I stopped weighing her after a few comments about was I sure I was JUST BF her ...umm no I must be giving her ice cream on the sly...twits!!

my God! Me and my sister were bf and we romped up to the top of the weight charts and we are skinny healthy adults.

your HV is mad.

Go with your instincts, I was told today that I should start solids too with my 5mth old as he jumped up the centiles.. he is ff though, x5 bottles a day and is content with that. She then advised ds and I come back for another clinic to be weighed... I wont be.

This kind of advice is why I have taken to weighing him monthly.

A local friend was told by her HV to introduce formula - because her baby's head was growing disproportionately large, compared to his body.

There aren't enough s in the world for some of this advice ...

Hi quicksilver haven't read all the posts so don't know if I'm repeating things already said.
Just to share my experience... my ds, born on 50th centile, is now above 98th. He is breastfed, and put on weight really fast but also LENGTH.... but the HVs hardly ever measure length so I think it is important to look at your babe's proportions. We wouldn't make judgements about our own BMI without knowing our height first of all would we.
Even if your LO is short and chubby I still think excl bf has got to be better than early weaning for long term health so ignore her.
I did read something on kelly mom about hyperlactaemia (not sure if I spelled that correctly) but basically if you are producing alot of foremilk your baby may not be taking enough hind milk and this would cause symptoms like colic etc... but may also cause a baby to gain ++ weight. My ds was colicky with green stools etc, so I took Kelly mom's advice and fed from the same side for a few feeds in a row so that the breast was fully emptied and this did help colicky symptoms, and ds weight gain did slow down (but maybe it would have done anyway!!)
Now that I am weaning him his weight gain has slowed down but I'm so glad I have a chubster baby as he has had so many bugs since he started nursery that he has plenty of reserves to draw on and I don't have to worry too much if he temporarily loses his appetite.
Good luck to you and LO.

Really? This is just so ridiculous. Don't go back to re-weigh; don't follow her advice. If you've got it in you write to her manager and complain pointing out a training need!

Oh fgs! DS2 is 15 weeks and weighs 21 pounds, he's also exclusively breastfed - no-ones ever mentioned it as a problem.

My son was 10lbs6ozs born and I exclusively bf for 7 months. He was always well over the centile, he was so cuddly and chubby and I was never told to wean him. I was told I was doing a great job and to carry on for as long as possible. He didn't want food and was very happy and had a full tummy and was fed on demand. At 8 months he didn't want me anymore and so the weaning began. For Gods sake, they go on about women not bfing and then along comes a Mum who is doing a fantastic job of it and is told to wean her baby. The world is going mad. Your baby will take what she needs and you are giving her the best start in life that you could. Ignore the hv and enjoy bfing while you can.

my ds is a little porker and I rarely weigh him - hv told me he looked beautiful and congratulated me on him being bf. Some of them just talk such rubbish - you should be proud your darling is doing so well and is so healthy - well done you

I have a different problem - 9 months old baby that was on 2nd centile after losing a lot of weight at birth and is now off the chart!! She is weaned and only eats really good healthy stuff - all organic fruit and veggies and meat and cheese and stuff, and is a really good and totally non fussy eater, but is just piling on the weight and now I'm stressing! She's at top of centile for height but as she's my first could do with some support and advice - help!

If she's at the top of the centiles for height, then she should be at the top of them for weight too - sounds perfectly in proportion to me.

Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish.

Both mine have done this, there has never been any suggestion I should wean early (& had anyone suggested it I'd have requested that they update their breastfeeding knowledge) ... just congratulations on having healthy babies

Both my dc were also whoppers - once running around it dropped off and they're healthy and also very slim now. IGNORE and AVOID your health visitor!!