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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Angry!!! [angry]

116 replies

Splizzard · 16/02/2009 15:48

So today I took my little one who is 6 weeks old to my local baby clinic.

If you want to speak to a health visitor, get your baby weighed and checked you have to go to the baby clinic. My Health visitor will not come out to me.

So anyway, you know the scene....young baby, demand bottle feeding, it takes all day to get out of the house. The "drop in" clinic is for 2 hours.

Finally got baby ready and im out the door, hes due for a feed in the next hour but I have no need to worry do I? Surely a BABY clinic will be an ideal place to feed your baby? Whether its breast OR bottle?

Wrong. I had some made up formula in my bag. Cold formula. The clinic out right REFUSES to give you some way to heat up your bottle due to health and safety. Ok, I understand the need not to have jugs of boiling water lying around when there are a dozen babies and toddlers lieing around.

But this is a BABY clinic! Where they expect you to bring your NEWBORN baby in the tinyest timeslot in the world!

I asked them why and said "so I have to starve my baby at a baby clinic? Is that not mad? Ill have to go to the pub then where they WILL provide me with some hot water"

The answer I got was "its not us. We arent even allowed a cup of tea"

This is INSANE. Surely a baby clinic could have a cheap bottle warmer? Or a seperate room where they can heat the bottle for you? Or even them heat pads that fit around bottles to warm it?

What is the world coming to when I cant even feed my baby at a baby clinic which I am EXPECTED to go to if I want my baby weighed and checked!

INSANE.

Has anyone else had a similar problem? or does anyone know who is behind this stupidness and who I can complain to?

OP posts:
nickytwotimes · 16/02/2009 15:50

I used to take a warmed bottle with me and just chuck it is it wasn't needed. Not ideal, but I really don't think you can expect to get a bottle heated in a health centre. Sorry.

thisisyesterday · 16/02/2009 15:52

sadly in our compensation culture this is pretty much standard anywhere you go.
people are so quick to sue, or point the finger that it jsut isn't owrth it for anywhere to take the risk.

I am sure your baby would have had its milk at room temp, mine always did

Tamarto · 16/02/2009 15:53

Why shouldn't she expect to have it heated?

raisingrrrl · 16/02/2009 15:57

My friend had one of those Fisher Price bottle warmer flask things she used to take out and about with her to warm bottles. She demand ff'd too.

nickytwotimes · 16/02/2009 15:57

We do not live in a very child/baby-friendly culture. It would be lovely if they would do it, but I never expected anyone to heat my baby's bottles.

nickytwotimes · 16/02/2009 15:58

Yes, I used to take a wee flask of hot water with me too. A total pita, but hey-ho.

nickytwotimes · 16/02/2009 15:59

Sorry, I should say I took a flask if I was going ot be out more than an hour. Too long ot keep it warm for, obv.

thisisyesterday · 16/02/2009 15:59

tamarto, the OP can expect anytrhing she wants. no-one has said she can't.

however, it is common knowledge I thought that most places will not heat baby's bottles because they risk being sued if stupid parents don't bother testing the temperature first.

the OP could have taken a warm bottle with her in an insulated holder. or she could have fed her child room-temperature formula.

it wasn't really the end of the world.

tiktok · 16/02/2009 16:01

I have never heard of a baby clinic having bottle warming facilities - is this something people expect to have?

Babies don't have to have warmed up bottles, though some do seem to prefer it that way.

I suppose one way round this, if your baby won't have it cold, is to take a ready-to-feed carton and a sterilised bottle and teat in a clean bag, and just pour in the RTF which would be at room temp.

I don't think it's all that outrageous not to have the warming facilities there - boiling kettles and jugs are simply not safe where there are lots of people, including small babies and toddlers.

Original poster
Splizzard · 16/02/2009 16:03

My baby wont have it at room temperature. He tries to but he holds his breath and then tries to gasp for air through his mouth whilst hes sucking and it leads to all sort of spluttering drama! He was breastfed for the first month so I guess hes used to it warm.

And I dont expect to have my milk heated WHEREVER I go. But this is a BABY clinic.

Other mums I know have health visitors who come to your home to see that your ok and baby is ok and that they are gaining weight and feeding correctly.

This is not the case in my area.

They wanted me to go to this clinic when my baby was 3 week old.

What I do not understand is that the nhs always rave on about going with whatever your baby wants and demand feeding - my baby will sometimes only go half an hour between a feed.

I put this to you nicky - what am I supposed to do? Go to the baby clinic and starve my child?

or

Not go to the baby clinic but worry about his weight gain and health?

There were at least 6 screaming babies in that room wanting to be fed.

Rather than come out and see you the health visitors demand you come to them and sit there for an indefinate amount of time praying that your baby wont want feeding between then and by the time you have lumbered yourself back on the half an hour bus home?

Im sorry but I CAN expect to get my bottle heated.

If they will not enable me to feed my baby there then maybe I should demand that they come and see me in my home where I can feed my baby.

OP posts:
NorthernLurker · 16/02/2009 16:04

Splizzard - your first post and already you're demanding the world revolve around you and your baby. Way to go!

Look - if health clinics started handing out hot water they would be doing so all day for people who 'just need a wee drop because they're ever so poorly..' plus women cluttering up their clinics feeding their babies and toddlers knocking over unattended hot stuff right left and centre. I think you are in the minority anyway - everybody I know with a small baby has carried hot water around with them in a flask or used a small carton of ready made formula at room temperature (which would in any case be a safer option than carrying powdered stuff around unfridged) or breastfed.

Baby clinics aren't obligatory anyway - if your baby is happy and healthy why don't you just give them a miss and get her weighed in a couple of weeks when maybe her feeds will be slightly more predictable?

Kathyis6incheshigh · 16/02/2009 16:07

But you don't have to starve your baby. You either warm one up in advance and put it in an insulated bottle warmer, or you take a thermos of hot water and warm it in that. I agree it would be nice if they did provide bottle warming facilities but I think you are being a tad melodramatic.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 16/02/2009 16:07

Take a warm one, or don't go.

meemar · 16/02/2009 16:08

Splizzard, I can understand your annoyance because you expected there to be a service that wasn't provided.

But now you know that the bottles wont be heated for you, it's up to you to work a way round this. Buy some form of insulator and take a warmed bottle with you next time.

It really is common for places not to warm babies bottles for you, including baby clinics.

Original poster
Splizzard · 16/02/2009 16:09

I take what you say about taking a flask and all the other suggestions. Might invest in something.

But I just did not expect this. This is my first baby and EVERYWHERE I have been has been so welcoming and helpful when it comes to feeding.

I have not been refused anywhere I have been.

I dont expect the baby clinic to have jugs of boiling water scattered around.

But why not have a bottle warmer or something?

If they had warned me I would have been a little more prepared. But I did not for one minute think that a baby clinic wouldnt have facilities for feeding. Boots, asda, tesco, local malls, pubs, everywhere you go will heat up a bottle now a days.

And tiktok - I have the ready to feed cartons, they are great, but my baby just will not take it room temp. He holds his breath then gasps and chokes on it. its not a pretty sight!

OP posts:
nickytwotimes · 16/02/2009 16:09

Your child will not starve in a 2 hour period!

Take up the suggestion you have had here: Take a sterile carton or take a flask or get one of those heaty upy things raisingrrl suggested. Or take a warm bottle with you if your lo feeds every half hour.

I have never heard of a clinic offering heating services.

You seem disproprortionately angry about this. It is inconvienient but it isn't 'insane'.

thisisyesterday · 16/02/2009 16:09

oh fgs

you could have taken a warm bottle of milk with you!

you don't have to go and get him weighed at all if you don't want to.
ds2 hasn't been weighed since he was about 6 weeks old and he hasn't died or anything!!! amazing isn't it?

if you think it's that awful then just don't go.

they don't warm bottles. so you have 2 choices. take a warm one or don't go there.

it's not rocket science

TheFallenMadonna · 16/02/2009 16:09

Well, I don't think its unreasonable to go to see the HV rather than expect them to come to you when your baby is 6 weeks old, or even 3 weeks, if there are no significant issues (apologies if that isn't the case for you). I think it wouldn't be unreasonable fo rthem to lay on a couple of bottle warmers, but also not unreasonable for you to take a flask of warm water with you for the same purpose. My sympathies btw. I wasn't great at getting out of the house at all when my first was 6 weeks.

thisisyesterday · 16/02/2009 16:10

abnd I don't agree with you that everywhere will heat up a bottle for you.
there are many, many places that won't. hence the huge amounts of posts about it on mumsnet and other sites.

ilove · 16/02/2009 16:11

Baby clinic/HV's are not compulsory!

tiktok · 16/02/2009 16:11

Splizzard - why can't you just take RTF with you??

Life's too short to get so flippin cross about something like this - it's just not reasonable to expect anything else

nickytwotimes · 16/02/2009 16:11

Yes, as Northern Lurker said, the world does not revolve around you and your baby. Get used to it. WHen your lo is a toddler, you really won't be so welcomed in many places.

thisisyesterday · 16/02/2009 16:11

and with a shortage of health visitors anywayt I think it's pretty unreasonable to expect them to be out doing home visits for everyone just because you can't be arsed to take a warm drink for your child

raisingrrrl · 16/02/2009 16:15

Here Splizzard. She said it was one of the most useful things she ever bought for her babies!!

poppy34 · 16/02/2009 16:18

tiktok's solution is what I went with . Plus the lack of bottle warming facilities was the least of my worries about going to the ninth circle of hell that is the hv centre.