Health visitor problems???

[cezza30]

my baby is putting on weight but hv insists not enough and im having to get him weighed every week im breastfeeding and there now saying if he doesnt put on what the chart says i will HAVE to put him on formula so sick of being made to feel like im doing something wrong anyone else have this problem??

I agree with the comments above but turn this around for a moment.
A first time mum comes to see midwife and the baby is not gaining normal weight HV says nothing and just presumes it is all fine as mum is ok with it.
A couple of weeks later baby ends up at Dr's or hospital with a health problem and refer back to the HV who has been monitoring the baby. What does she have to fall back on?
These HVs see hundreds of babies and if one seems to not be following the norm they are bound to pick up on it whether there is a real problem or not.
They are also under pressure in thier jobs to make the right decisions.

I am sure there is absolutely nothing wrong with your babe, but if there was a problem in the future or something went wrong would you not ask your midwife why she hadn't picked up on it or said something?

It's not compulsary to go to clinic but why wouldn't you want to keep an eye on how your first baby is faring? Admittedly I used to go quite a lot with my first and have been pretty slack with second but I still have to keep an eye on how she is doing now and again, especially if I have any worries about weight gain ect. Yes as mums we know our babies best but it doesn't hurt to have some advice now and again either. Who referred you to the Paed? If you have been referred then maybe GP suspects the same or wants it checked as well in which case it wouldn't just be the HV ?

and that doesnt mean you are doing anything wrong. You are doing a super job BF your baby. It may not have anything to do with the feeding at all so don't feel guilty or be made to feel you are doing something wrong.

allboxedin of course i want to make sure my babys ok the gp referred me to the paed coz i asked him to so i can get a more qualified opinion i dont even mind hv comin to house every week but im fed up going the clinic as i c a diff h/v every time and feel like i have to explain myself like im on trial you cant understand how this feels till you go through it i realise hv following protocol but if theres a weight issue should be giving me support with bf not trying to shove formula on me!

I remember feeling exactly the same with the weighing sessions, like I was on trial. It made very cross and unhappy about listening to the HVs. Unfortunately, in our case it turned out there was a problem and dd ended up in hospital. I just hadn't realised how thin she was getting.

I think it will be easier for you to push for breastfeeding support if you accept that the HVs may be right about flagging up concerns about weight, but then stay very firm about asking how they can support you to turn things round while breastfeeding.

I did not give up breastfeeding in the end: I got dd to feed better. It was horrendously hard work, and if I had realised then that her problems were due to an underlying condition, I probably wouldn't have put myself through that, but it did work and I breastfed up until nearly a year.

Formula shouldn't be your default fall-back unless that is what you want. There are plenty of ways to support breastfeeding. I saw a lovely breastfeeding counsellor who really knew all the tricks.

sorry to hear that cory what was wrong with ur baby? and was she losing weight? my baby is feeding fine and gaining weight i do not trust the charts they work by as they are average and dont have seperate on for bf im going to carry on bf and just topping up 1 feed and maybe night feed till i see peaditrician and will do whatever they tell me to, im just annoyed hv told me to go docs but when i told them doc said hes fine thy shrugged it off like it didnt matter??

cezza, you are absolutely right that they should be getting you help with bf rather than recommending formula. You need to see a lactation consultant or bf counsellor. There should be details of 'baby cafes' in your baby's red book. These are drop in sessions where lc's are available to watch you feed your baby and help with any issues you might have.

I am going through exactly the same thing at the moment - you can see my thread here for some more opinions.

Just wondering what happened in the days before formula...?

By the way, some paediatricians can be just as ignorant about bf as the hv's. So I would still go in with an open mind and get some advice from a bf expert as well as your paed.

lizzywig - exactly thats what i keep saying!!!

My DD dropped from 75% to 9% over four weeks at three months. Hvs went nuts about it, saying it was my latch. I accepted their help with bf but refused weighing weekly. She plateaud at 9% and is still there at 11m. Next time I will not worry as much.

Hope you're getting some kind and helpful support OP

OP, if your baby has been gaining weight steadily then you probably have nothing to worry about - some babies start off on one percentile and drop down to their natural level. Mine did - born on 75th, dropped to 25th by 6 weeks, then tracked that although at 16mo is now on 90th as never stops eating. I was so worried about the drop down, especially when the hv suggested he was failing to thrive, but every time I looked at him I knew that was rubbish as he looked healthy, was sleeping through and fed well.

The guidance in the red book is that babies under 6 months old shouldn't be weighed more than once a month. I believe that's because weight gain can vary so much within that time - one week they might gain nothing, then the next they'll gain 10 ounces, so it gives a false view from week to week. As long as you are happy that your baby seems content and is feeding well, ignore the hv and give yourself a break!

no soandsomum im not getting support im gettin made to feel like im not bf prop suburbandweller thanks but hard to ignore hv wen constantly at me shes comin house on weds so will tell her how i feel then :{

Yes and that's wrong cezza, they should be SUPPORTING you as a new mum and not making you feel a failure or stressing you out about feeding and weight gain.

Glad you are going to talk to one of them about it.

all she keeps sayin is shes doin her job!! my midwife did his job but treated me nice too so y cant she lol

Not read the whole thread - but growth charts for BF infants will hopefully be useful.

hes still little behind on that one he should be 14 pnd but hes 12.5? i dont see it as anythng to worry bout tho

cezza30 I understand it's hard to ignore the hv, but you really don't need to keep seeing her if she's making you doubt yourself - or you can ask to see a different hv instead. My SIL had a similar problem with hers, although she had the added issue of the hv making disparaging comments about her personal life and assuming she was a single mum as she is young (despite having pictures of my DB - her husband - all over the place and wearing her wedding ring). She stopped going and, having just had DC2, won't be taking this one either.

Seeing a hv is voluntary and imo if they are making you feel inadequate when you are happy with your baby's progress, you might be better off staying away unless you have a concern you want to raise.

they want to keep an eye on him so if i tell thm to get lost might report me???

As a HV myself cezza I think they would struggle to find a good reason for "reporting" you and I am sad they have left you feeling like that. All they could realistically do is write and ask you to see the GP and follow that up.

Your DD. sounds fab and happy, the likelihood is that she is adjusting to the centile line she will follow in childhood. Most babies adjust up or down the centiles but most only by one centile or so. Because some babies are unwell and go through more than one centile as a sign of underlying illness all HVs are told to pay special attention to these babies.

I think you need one HV and one lot of advice until you can see the GP or paediatrician to reassure you. The likelihood is that the paediatrician is going to agree your DD is gorgeous and healthy .

You are doing a great job with your DD by the sounds of it. Just keep feeding and enjoying her.

thanks codand chops wish u were my hv lol