Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

Baby not gaining enough weight advised to wean

29 replies

pookey · 15/12/2005 11:56

I had my baby weighed on monday. He has gone from 90th% at 4 weeks to 30th% at 17 weeks. His weight started to go down after bottlefeeding for a week while on antibiotics, since then I have had thrush, bleeding nipples and mastitis. The HV said that because he hasnt been unwell I must have him reweighed before christmas and they will discuss weaning him. I wanted to wait until 6 months and I dont think he is ready yet. DS also has reflux and is quite a wriggley baby I thought these things may contribute to him not gaining weight? Would weaning even help with weight gain? Has anyone else had this problem?Any suggestions appreciated

OP posts:
feastofsteven · 15/12/2005 12:00

I really don't think weaning would help with weight gain, as baby rice/fruit and veg are going to be less fatty and calorific than milk!!!

littledonkeyrach · 15/12/2005 12:00

Tel her to stick it.

Your baby, you know best.

Milk has more calories and fat than fruit and veg.

Imbeciles.

NotQuiteCockney · 15/12/2005 12:01

You know, if he was still on the 90th centile, they'd be saying "he's very big, you should wean now".

Really, really, I wouldn't bother weaning now. I would try to avoid going back to the HV.

How is your breastfeeding now? How is your supply? I would focus on that, if you think he's not gaining enough.

(I'm assuming he's generally well, etc etc. The wigglyness is part of being well, I'd think.)

WigWamBam · 15/12/2005 12:02

Agree with the others - weaning won't help with weight gain as the first tastes of solid food aren't big enough to make a difference, and milk has far more calories than the solids will.

snowfalls · 15/12/2005 12:03

Absolute codswallop, take no notice, my sis was told to wean her ds early because he was big.

gossifairyonthexmastree · 15/12/2005 12:04

if you think your baby seems well in himself, happy, drinking, weeing, poohing, sleeping, crying, then ignores those centiles, no baby is going to be the same as another!

beep · 15/12/2005 12:05

NQC that is nearly what I was told for ds2at 12 weeks! I had just told the hv what a fab baby he was dropped night feed at 4 weeks and slept through the night and she said it was about time to wean him Isaid why? she said oh well he,s got to the right weight for it.! (never bothered with her again)

Epiffany · 15/12/2005 12:06

I had a dd fail to thrive we got referred to a dietitian
supplementing breast milk or formula is the BEST STARTING option - usually with a fat powder called duocal
baby rice and food will cause a cut down in the amount of milk a abay drinks, milk is calorie dense and the best food for a baby.
Ask for GP referral to dietitian as urgent matter if you are worried at all.
I had this battle and my HV got read the riot act form paed and dietitian
And being low weight can be ok , how is your babys length to weight centile wise?

Epiffany · 15/12/2005 12:06

I had a dd fail to thrive we got referred to a dietitian
supplementing breast milk or formula is the BEST STARTING option - usually with a fat powder called duocal
baby rice and food will cause a cut down in the amount of milk a abay drinks, milk is calorie dense and the best food for a baby.
Ask for GP referral to dietitian as urgent matter if you are worried at all.
I had this battle and my HV got read the riot act form paed and dietitian
And being low weight can be ok , how is your babys length to weight centile wise?

harpsiheraldangelssing · 15/12/2005 12:07

oh god how tiresome for you.
she knows nothing, frankly. like the others say, concentrate on getting milk into him. and getting your supply back up. Sorry you have been having such a hard time.
is it possible that you could rest up for a few days (over Christmas maybe?) and concentrate on feeling better yourself and eating well and feeding him? while someone else took over everything else? get a supply of dvds and slob out with your baby?
nothing wrong with the 30% centile btw.

harpsiheraldangelssing · 15/12/2005 12:07

yes and this is abou the time I decided to not go to the clinic any more

hotmulledwinemama · 15/12/2005 12:08

Bloody HVs - I gave up bf because dd lost 3ozs and the HV scared the sh*t out of me. DD was sleeping well etc so I knew she was O.K. but I was an inexperienced first time mum! This time around I don't think I'll bother with visiting the HV - you don't have to by the way.

Go with your instincts, does your baba seem well, sleeping pattern as normal etc - if so ignore the HV - ooh they make my blood boil!

aragon · 15/12/2005 12:10

Agree with everyone else here (and I am a health visitor too). Don't wean him - he's not ready. I suspect that all the problems with antibiotics, reflux, mastitis etc has contributed to his slow gain in weight. And in any case - some babies take a while to find their true growth line and it could be that your DS is just moved onto the growth line which is right for him. I don't think weaning would help with weight gain. If she suggests it again - just say - "if you're worried I'd like a paediatric referral to see what a paediatrician thinks before making the decision to wean early".

Go with your instincts - he sounds a happy, healthy baby if he's very wriggly. Also reflux can cause slow weight gain so ask your GP about any medication you can try if he/she thinks the weight is a problem.

hunkermunker · 15/12/2005 12:10

Babies find their own level on the charts. Some babies follow the growth curves, some don't (DS didn't - went from 75th at birth to just above the 9th by 6mo).

Look at the baby, not the chart. And if you do go and see this HV again (and remember you don't have to, or if you do, you don't have to take her advice), ask her what has more calories, baby rice/pureed carrot or milk.

Sorry you've had so many probs bfeeding - would echo Harpsi's post about a feedathon as it would be a rest for you - hope it'll be possible for you, but if not, just feed as often as you can and take good care of yourself.

hunkermunker · 15/12/2005 12:11

Aragon, why aren't all HVs like you?!

(And Harpsi, was about this time I stopped taking DS to the clinic except to ask pointed questions of useless HV too )

PotPourri · 15/12/2005 12:20

Oh ignore the HV. If you don't want to wean, don't' If you decide in a few weeks that he is ready, then fine. But don't do it because some health professional tells you. Your baby will tell you. In the end I weaned DD just before 6 months, but then she WAS nearly jumping out of her chair to eat our food, amongst other signs!

And you know you don't have to go to HV don't you? And the centile chart is for bottle fed babies, and let's face it, is an average. Very rarely would a baby sit exactly on a line - it's just a guidance.

Main thing is that your little one is sleeping well and thriving. If he isn't, then look at other options. In the meantime, relax and do what you are already doing. YOU really do know best.

Original poster
pookey · 15/12/2005 12:53

Thank you so much for all your replies, I feel so reassured, I will read some to DP as he is always worried that I don't have enough milk even before this happened (he was given solids when weeks old). will try a feed a thon and speaking to GP, will make a note of some of the advice before I go so I am prepared.

OP posts:
MIstletAOU · 15/12/2005 12:54

pookey, nothing else to add really to the fab advice you have had on here already.

I would suggest that you don't take your ds to be weighed again, and just see if they follow you up (bet they don't!) - if they do just tell them you were very unhappy with their advice and will consult the GP for a referral to a paed if you have any further concerns!

At the end of the day, either he is fine, if a little slow to gain, which would be due to the reflux, anti biotics and mastitis, or he is not, in which case you are looking at failure to thrive, which is an issue for a paed to look at. If he is producing plenty of wet nappies, happy in himself, and feeding well, then there isn't a problem. Don't let HV's frighten you into doing something that won't actually make a difference.

MIstletAOU · 15/12/2005 12:54

(for someone who didn't have anything to add I didn't half go on )

OComeOliveFaithfOil · 15/12/2005 13:01

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't those chart things based on bottle fed babies and completley out of date? So she may be taking out of her noonar.

Agree on the oh they're big = wean advice too, both mine were heffas and were weaned early (but did take to it, leaning out of the chair like PotPouri).

I would try and get some time to feed feed feed over the next week and then see what happens.

x

wewishyouamerryKITTYmas · 15/12/2005 13:01

HVs - why is it they are intent on making everyone wean their babies early, if you have any complaint it's either "have you tried a bottle" or "wean them early"!

Original poster
pookey · 15/12/2005 13:45

Forgot to say main piece of advice from HV on what to do know was to stave him off in between feeds with his dummy ??! Contradicts all your guys more sensible advice She obv wasnt too clued up and was grasping for something to say?

Miaou DS does lots of wees, bit unregular with poos sometimes lots of small ones or one big one but enough I think.

Dp just suprprised me - I told him some of the comments over the phone and he was worried and still keen to add solids but then rang back to say DS seems healthy and smiley and if we hadnt seen the HV we wouldnt be worried now anyway.

OP posts:
PantomimEDAMe · 15/12/2005 14:15

Good for you (and dh). HVs seem to be particularly dense when it comes to maths. You aren't aiming for your baby to be on the 50th centile - that's just the average of a whole population of babies. Some babies will be bigger, some smaller. FGS.

If you are happy that your ds is healthy, ignore. If you want to get the reflux sorted, ask for a paed referral. Bloody HVs, some are no more use than a chocolate teapot.

MIstletAOU · 15/12/2005 14:19

Don't worry about the poos pookey - at this age babies don't always poo that regularly. It is quite normal to go 7 days+ without a poo! (Ds goes every other day on average now - dd2 was changing his nappy the other day and came across her first pooey one - she was horrified )

Original poster
pookey · 15/12/2005 15:06

The saved up for a while ones are pretty scary! Well done you and dd2 that she is changing nappies

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread