BFing Mum needs some support after today's Clinic

[ReallyNotAHippie]

I'm exclusively BFing my 5 month old son. He's doing really well - very happy, feeds well, sleeps well. We're planning to BLW from 6 months.

Went to Clinic today and since he was 4 months he's dropped from just below 75th to just below half way between 50th and 75th. I wasn't unduly concerned as I know the charts he's on are the 'old' ones which are for both BF and Formula babies.

HV, however, was saying he really should go onto solids etc and now I feel like I'm a bad Mum and am not feeding him properly, but really don't want to start Solids until 6 months - especially as he seems fine as he is.

Any thoughts?

You are doing absolutely the right thing. Your hv is a nutter. Milk is all he needs, and he's hardly dropped centiles at all!

Carry on as you are and don't bother going back to mad clinic.

my thoughts? ignore her

Ignore daft HV. Quote to be found on any official breastfeeding guidance says "The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life". And you know your baby and his needs much better than any HV anyway!

Hippie - perhaps you can ask your HV if she can explain why a healthy, thriving, growing and happy excl bf baby needs to be given something that national and international evidence-based guidance says he doesn't need?

She may have a reason - she may also have a reason for plotting his growth on an older chart (the new charts are for bf and ff babies, too, by the way). She should share those reasons with you, and then you can judge for yourself whether to follow her advice.

I had exactly the same experience with the weight gain of my DS (from 75th to between 50th and 75th percentiles) - except my HV said that this was entirely normal as this age, and though it was a sign that DS would be ready for solids soon, we should try to wait until 6m to introduce them if possible. Just as all the current advice suggests.

Like tiktok says, if your HV has a good reason (and it'd better be a good reason) to give you this advice, it would be best if she could share with you. If not, her advice is questionable to say the least.

We waited until 6m to begin BLW, and DS has continued to thrive. His weight is absolutely fine. It doesn't sound like you've anything to worry about apart from perhaps finding a different HV to give you better advice...

Thanks tiktok. Naturally, after leaving the Clinic, I thought of lots of things to say to her/ask but was a bit shocked and surprised when I was there!

She claimed that the 'Government' keep changing their mind and that actually it was better to start on solids at 17 weeks. I could be wrong, but I thought it was the WHO guidelines - not a pen-pusher in Whitehall making up ages to wean?

I thought there were now new charts for BF? Have they not introduced them?

Load of codswallop...my dd2 dropped from 50th centile to 25th (although this was from 6 months until 2 years) and I never gave it any thought. (To be honest, I never got her weighed in that 18 month period either)

She's just designed to be slender.

I would like to add that dd1 ascended from 50th centile to 99% and I never gave that much thought either.

You HV is following incorrect advice...you are meant to excl. BF for 6 months and not introduce solids early.

(just don't bother getting your son weighed!)

Middlechicken that's really useful to know - thank you!

I've just found this on an American Breastfeeding website:

"Research has shown that formula fed babies grow differently than breastfed babies. The most obvious difference is that formula fed babies do not slow down in growth the way breastfed babies do between 4 and 6 months.

What this means is that for some time, breastfed babies have looked "underweight" when they've been growing normally. That has led to supplementation and early weaning."

That would explain quite alot....!

Hello Really - as a HV (and I know I am not your DS's HV with access to his notes and charts etc) I think her advice sounds a bit mad. Your baby is happy, healthy, thriving and growing and I cannot see any reason to introduce solids before he is ready.

From experience I know from the old charts that breastfed babies do show a drop in centiles from around 20 weeks or so - it's nothing to do with breastfeeding and everything to do with the charts. TBH it doesn't sound as though your DS has had too much of a drop anyway, personally I don't thinbk I'd even notice such a slight difference. I'd be saying that you've grown him really well and done brilliantly.

You're not a bad Mum so don't feel like you are - you have done a brilliant job in breastfeeding your baby (far longer than I managed) and if you want to use BLW then stick to your guns and ignore her bad advice.

I used BLW with my DS (now nearly 7) and it was definitely easier than all that pureeing.

Another thing your HV has not considered is that initially babies take very little food and nearly all their calories will still come from milk anyway - so if she's advising weaning to bump him up the centiles then she's even more mad.

Has he actually lost weight, or is he still gaining, albeit slowly?

My ds's weight plateaued at around this age too, and although he was gaining, it was very slowly and he appeared to be sliding down the centiles. It is a common pattern in exclusively breastfed babies.

My ds was getting weighed every week at this point. It was only because we were at baby massage class and the HV brought the scales along and I didn't want to seem odd by saying, no I don't want him weighed.

Next time round, I am not going anywhere near scales if my ds2 appears happy and healthy.

Do we have the same HV? This is exactly what happened to me, and exactly the advice I was given. I ignored it, increased BF and he was fine

Hippie - the UK advice has been consistent for several years, and is based on good evidence. It is from advisory committees of experts and is identical to advice in all other countries of the world. The UK advice does not keep changing, and is not likely to change - there are no plans to change it. Your HV is misinformed.

You can check guidance for yourself by Googling department of health infant feeding.

New charts - for bf and ff babies, but based on data of bf babies in several settings, developed and developing, have been available since May 1.

Really, all PCTs should have obtained them by now, so all babies born after May 1 should be plotted on them.

I have a similar problem with my DS2 he also began dropping down the chart & waking every 2-3hrs at night (after slleping through from 10 weeks)...

I weaned DS1 at 4,5 months. He took to solids no problem as was displaying lots of signs that he was ready.(very forward baby- still is)

with DS2 (5.5 months) following HV reccomendation I have been offering him babyrice & Plum 1st cereal about once every 5-7 days since he was 4.5 months but he is not in the slightest bit ready and wont take it. I told the same HV that reccomended i wean him that he just wasnt interested and she said "oh well he is still bit young really - you shouldnt wean him till he is 6 months" so I am leaving weaning him now untill he starts showing more of an interest.

Just do what your instincts tell you to.

Thanks everyone for your messages.

Feel much, much happier about it all now. Especially as I've carefully checked the 'dots' on the graph and the last two are plotted very slightly too low - so even less of a reason to worry.

William seems really happy so I'll listen to him and not worry about average graphs or over-zealous HV's...! I'm sure they're not really meant to be pushing you onto solids before 6 months, given the WHO guidelines, but the lady I saw is quite a bit older (same sort of age as my parents) so I wonder if she's got a bit stuck in her ways.

mawbroon - he's still putting on weight - put on 8 ounces in the last 3 weeks. He's just fallen slightly below the position he was on on the scale.

chickandduck - could well do! Or maybe there's a quite a few unhelpful HVs out there...!

tiktok - I'm guessing I just missed getting the new charts. I think they introduced them in Brighton&Hove just after William was born.

Think I'll be avoiding Clinic for a while and just having fun with my gorgeous boy!

Thanks again for all your kind messages.