HV says that 11 week old isn't gaining enough weight..........bit long, sorry.

[2cats2many]

Hi All

My breastfed 11 week old was on 98th centile at birth. At 6 weeks, he was still on 98th centile. I just took him to be weighed and he's dropped down to the 75th centile in 5 weeks.

I've posted before about how he is a speedy feeder and I was worried that he wasn't getting enough (usual feed is about 5 minutes long). The general consensus (which I agreed with) was that if he was happy, alert, sleeping well, having lots of wet nappies, etc there probably wasn't too much to worry about.

The HV now says that he isn't getting enough, I should be supplementing with formula because my milk might not be nutritious enough (especially at night) that she's worried about the drop in weight and if he's still dropping weight in 2 weeks i@ll have to take him to the GP.

I don't really want to supplement with forumla (especially in the middle of the night when the boob is quick and easy). And he isn;t dropping weight- it's just that the rate of growth has slowed down.

Is this kind of slow-down normal in BF babies or should I be supplementing him?

Girl, you're lucky you had a GP with summat between the ears regarding feeding. Many even worse than HVs.

Think next time you go and get him weighed, if the H/V offers advice say something like, 'just came to get DC weighed. That's all....'

Get DC dressed and walk out...

girlandboy that's reminded me of my friend whose hv was flapping about her daughter's weight. She made her go to the gP too who didn't know why she was there as she was with an obviously healthy and thriving baby. Nevertheless my friend's confidence in her breastfeeding was undermined and she quit shortly thereafter

And ours would never had plotted owt had I not asked them to, purely out of interest.

Yep, the gp literally squeezed either side of her tummy and said "yes, she's alright. Get her dressed." And that was it.

Incidentally, dd is 13 now and still only weighs 5 stone.

Ds is 8 and also weighs 5 stone.

Bf them both for 18 months, didn't do anything different for either of them. ALL CHILDREN ARE DIFFERENT.

Bloody hell it's no wonder that BF percentages drop off so quickly when people get this kind of advice.
Ignore the HV and carry on as you are. 'milk not nutritious enough' it's bloody custom made for him the stupid woman.

goodness, what would that HV say to a baby down in the lower centiles? mine doesn't seem to mind that my guy went from 50th to 9th to 20th back to 9th. He is clearly happy and healthy and fortunately the HVs at my clinic look at HIM not just the chart.

my friend (who is a GP) often makes the point that it can take some babies a while to find their true centile as the baby's birthweight tends to be determined by the mother's physique and pregnancy, whereas their adult physique will be a mix of both their parents in whatever genetic proportions the mix came out.

must say the first thing that came into my mind was 'how old is she? she must have been there since the 60s when this was the 'normal' advice

i have a babe on the 1st centile or summat. Bounces round the house all day.

never had an ounce of formula. tsssk

at the HV's advice.

The more I think about it, the more I realise what nonsense she was talking. She also said to me that if I didn't eat a big meal at night and drink plenty of water, my milk during the night wouldn't be good enough for him.

He's currently lying on his baby gym, gurgling, giggling and grabbing at the toys. I don't think I'll be taking him back in two weeks....

Thanks you lot.

again at your HV! It's definitely a good thing to eat well and drink lots (and rest as much as you can - treat feeding your baby as your full-time job ) but it will not affect the quality of your milk - it will always be good quality! And the only thing that has a significant impact on how much milk you produce is how often you feed your baby. The more he sucks the more milk you will produce so just keep feeding him!

at your hv 2cats. Please report her - she really needs to be retrained. Imagine all the poor mummies who don't question her advice!

I so agree this sort of rubbish needs to be challenged in some way - could be done by handing the HV some research, or actually complaining in writing to the PCT or to the manager. Probably fairest to approach the HV politely and say 'I am confused - you told me X, but I have been doing my own reading and research, and this clearly says Y...can you help?' Prob best not to say 'I have been talking with other women on the internet, and they say you are a loon'.....

For instance, there is good stuff on maternal diet and bf on www.kellymom.com with references.

Oh, and then report her if she is still determined she is right!