Can Someone Please Help Me!

[ItsMeYourCathy]

I'm writing this at work so apologies for rushing!!!

My DS is 16 weeks and weighs 16lbs.
He was taking 8oz of hungry milk x5 per day and the times in between were getting shorter so HV told me to start him on baby rice at lunchtime. I've been doing so and offering the rest of the bottle to him afterwards. He really enjoys the baby rice but over the last week the amount of formula he's taking every feed has lessened to between 4 - 6 oz per time and its a bit of a battle to get him to take that.

What do I do? Do I give up with the rice? Persevere? Hope its a phase? Could it be teething? Is it because Im an awful, terrible mother and returned to work ?
Please someone somewhere give me some advice!
P.s. Im awaiting amazon's delivey of baby freezer trays and then I am trying the veg at lunchtime

{scuttles back to paperwork..}

He may have gone through a growth spurt which is why he was taking so much milk before. He definitely doesn't need baby rice at 16 weeks so I would stop giving him that (or any other 'solids'). You're not a terrible mother for having gone back to work!

ditch the rice and ask the hv why she's going against the guidelines.

If your DS is hungry he needs more calories ie milk, milk, milk not baby rice and definitely not diet food pureed veg.
Ignore the crazy HV and please don't feel bad for going back to work.

Stop the rice, give him more milk.

Ask the HV if she needs her training updated, as she seems unaware that guidelines are to wean around 6 months, and never before 17 weeks.

A hungry baby just needs more milk at that age. And weight has nothing to do with it either. You can increase the number of feeds/decrease time between them according to appetite. They do go through a massive growth spurt at around 4 weeks and a bit of a regression in terms of sleep/behaviour.

You will know he's ready for solids when he can sit up, has lost the tongue thrust reflex and can accurately reach for and put things in his mouth, chew and swallow.

Please don't feel guilty. You're only doing what you think is best. His calories and nutrients need to come from milk atm. I'd ditch the rice and in a few weeks when he's developmentally ready he can sit at the table with you and help himself.