gp referred to peads..and said stop feeding so much

[mama2LeahAndAisha]

im so upset and annoyed, on friday i went to the gps, on hv advice to check up on dd2 who is 7 and half months old..she does not eat any solids what so ever, doesn't open her mouth...she is sitting well, but puts nothing in her mouth except her thumb and fingers.

her weight is fine, she feeds about 8-12 times a day for only 5 mins max. the gap told me not to feed her more then twice n let her starve so she eats food.

i have been referred to peads, but apparently this is a feeding issue i feed her to much.

im upset and worried...i don't what what to do?
sorry if you need more information please just ask.

oh weaning wise..tried finger, puree, mash, playing with food, etc

Oh, what nonsense. My DS1 barely ate any solids at all until he was 10 months. (Thankfully my GP was more sensible and just said it was nothing to worry about, as DS1 was otherwise perfectly fat healthy.)

Tiktok or someone will be along soon with more in-depth advice with bibliography and references but really, don't worry about this. Just don't attend the paed referral if you think they're going to bully you - or, if you do attend, go armed with some proper information if they start spouting nonsense too.

Have a look at this Kellymom page

'Breastmilk should make up the majority of baby's nutrition through the end of the first year. At some point toward the end of the first year, most babies will gradually begin to need more iron and zinc than that provided by breastmilk alone - at that point, additional nutrients can be obtained from small amounts of solids.

Some babies thrive on breastmilk alone until 12 months or later - as long as your baby is continuing to gain weight and grow as he should, your milk is meeting his needs well.'

AFAIK it's perfectly normal for some babies to start on solids later.
If anythink I would inquire whether she needs iron supplements but I think iron from bm is more esily absorbed so maybe it's not necessary.
Don't worry, she'll start on food in her own time.
Can't believe GP gave you such stupid advice- witholding bf from a 7 m baby! Twice a day!!??
Bullshit.

*anything

you know that the GP is talking rubbish... starving a baby of essential milk to make them eat food.. yes, that will work and making the baby distressed will of course lead to her suddenly wanting to eat solids

DD barely ate anyting until 9 months ish and really until she ws 2, was not a big eater. i remember the first time she actually said 'im hungry!" we were all flabbergasted..

you can't feed a 7 month old baby too much breastmilk

have a look at kellymom and speak to LLL or NCT or ABM for reassurance that this is normal feeding behaviour

even if your little one was eating 3 meals a day, i would still expect more than 2 feeds a day from the breast

god, i've had 4 cups of tea so far today and water and i've eaten all my meals (and snacks!!)

keep offering the finger food, especially when you all eat and as much breast as she wants

preusmably your DD is gaining weight, happy, healthy, weeing/pooing and meeting her milestones, so there is nothing to suggest she is not doing well ?

The only thing I would wonder about is chewing skills - does she mouth toys at all? from your OP it looks as if she doesn't. i wonder if, given a piece of food to play around with, she would sometimes put it in her mouth and gum it just for the different sensation IYSWIM. I would see this as a good thing. But I don't know very much about this.

Would it be worth checking again with the GP whether it was nutrition, chewing skills or whatever (s)he was thinking of with this advice, or was (s)he thinking that you were worried and was giving advice based on that? It's sometimes hard to tell why health professionals say the things they do, and before deciding definitely not to follow the advice, I would double check I think.

i think that is a good point actually, and more relevant than referring to the paed for still breastfeeding a lot at 7 months !

I didn't read the OP properly and didn't register about the stoopid GP recommending only bfing twice per day If I'd done that my DS1 (and DS2 for that matter) would have gone completely spare with distress.

I'm beginning to think you should complain to the PCT about this. Think of all the other women and babies he's recommending this too - not all of them will have the sense to come on MN and check it out

MY HV said something similar just last Thursday at DC4's 8 month check. I'd replied to her question about solids to say he isn't really interested in solids but I'll continue persevering. she said
"I think you should drop him down to 3 feeds in 24 hours."

I replied "I think that would be extremely distressing for him and for me, so i don't plan on doing that."

She replied
"How many feeds does he get in 24 hours now then"

me: "I'm not sure becauseIwastooembarrassedtoadmitto15

She dropped it then; just said consider a multi vitamin.

Honestly OP, this such a common issue. Bf as much as you/she wants, and my bet is the paediatrician will be lightly flummoxed about quite what you have been referred for. In fast, i wouldn't bother turning up for the appt if it were me certainly not for a 7 month old.

sorry was seeing to the dds!
yes she told me to only feed twice once in the morning and once in the day, i said NO! and she said why not? i said im not starving my child.

i was concerned about rickets, as my sis in law baby had that, and low vit d and low iron...she ignored all my worries and said i feed to much. she went on the say only need 500mls a day, i said i don't know how many mls she is getting.

dd2 wont take supplements, wont take anything in her mouth.rarely puts toys in.

she is sitting, and can roll on to her front, but not front to back..she seems happy.

by the way gp was female.

Sorry about assuming the GP was male

lol thats ok