Can my dippy HV really be right???????

[milfAKAmonkeymonkeymoomoo]

Had DS nearly three weeks ago, he was on the 93rd centile for weight and height and has just creeped over the 98th centile. He is exclusively BF and she said I was over feeding him and should offer water at night!!??

BF DD for 15mths so not a complete novice

I has assumed, based on my experience and mn, that hv were not terribly qualified, but they all have nurse or midwife training then additional hv training, they are graduate level professionals, they really should have mandatory regular training the same as teachers do to ensure they are up to date, really is awful that they give such bad advice so often. If I can keep myself up to date as a mum surely a hv can manage it.

wondersuff I expect there are MANY good ones out there, but helpful HVs don't make interesting MN reading.

Also there are lots of reasons for dippy advice. There is NO bfing support in my area, and no advocates. I don't even think the HV's know what they don't know. 3 are leaving at Christmas and their workload will have to be taken on by one with her own workload in a different area.

Even if she was fully bf trained, just to keep up with her tail I can see why it would be temping to agree formula feeds with a bfing struggling mum, coz where in the blooming heck is she gonna find the time to sit with the mum, research what help she might be able to get (which quite frankly is none, - we don't even have any bfcs in our area). Suggesting formula is her safest option, rather than leave a bf mum struggling alone with a newborn that is loosing weight.

I suppose what I'm saying is that there is probably more to dippy advice than just untrained or loony HVs.

What tosh they do talk sometimes. How can you overfeed a bf baby?

My sister's small and perfectly-formed dd was always around the 25th centile and her HV told her every mother should be 'aiming for the 50th' centile! ie. everyone should be force-feeding or starving their babies regardless of their natural body weight and size!

Sounds like your babe is thriving, well done both of you!

my dd went from the 50th at birth to the 98th and stayed there. She is now 4 and still on the 98th but so is her height so if you look at it like that she was underweight at birth (8lb 10 )
I insisted on a breastfed baby chart back in 2004 so they are availiable somewhere.
Complain. Because otherwise she will say the same thing to some other new mum who may not have they lovely support of mumsnetters.

Oops - back from clinic. DD has now hit 98th percentile too so perhaps I need to get that mat out for her to kick on. Wondering if I should also try and squash her somehow as she is 98th for length too.

And any ideas how I can make her 98th percentile head smaller?

WTF?

some sort of hat?

I think I must be very lucky with my HV as she is the one who told me that its impossible to overfeed when breastfeeding! Only this week she said that while its common to find obese formula fed babies its an impossibility with breastfed ones. So the dont ALL spout rubbish. am angry on your behalf though.

How can everyone aim for the 50th centile? How how how? There wouldn't be a range if everyone...

Actually, can't resist, they do know that they are nothing more nor less than a representation of the range of available values for height and weight in UK? And that they tell you nothing about what a baby ought to weigh?

I mean if everyone was undernourished and the 50th centile birthweight was 4lbs, would that be something to aim for??

Thought not.

Holy Crap, complain about that disgustingly bad advice, please!!!!!!!

My HV used to tell me to cut down on DD's milk , because she was not far off the 91st centile. Well, she was born on the 98th, and unless everyone weighted EXACTLY the same then someone would have to be on the 91st centile! And she's never had her length/height measured so she could well be perfectly proportioned. Thankfully I always ignored her, and then stopped going foe ages and she's moved now and the new one tells me DD is "perfect". Of course, I knew that all along