Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Weaning

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

Flip

Original poster

HV Advice - Argh!

15 replies

WishYouWereMine · 19/04/2012 21:13

I took my DD (22 weeks) to be weighed this week. The HV casually asked if she was on solids yet. I mentioned that I wanted to wait until she was ready (I want to BLW), so would probably wait until she was sitting up unaided, as she isn't far off.

She replied that I HAD to start weaning at 6 months, whether she was sitting up or not because she will need vitamins etc that she can't get from her milk. It did cross my mind that this was utter bolleaux, having seen that other people have waited until 7 months in some cases. And having been told that milk is the primary source of nutrition for the first year.

So.. what do I do?

OP posts:

CMOTDibbler · 19/04/2012 21:19

Do exactly as you wish - and if you choose to see the HV in the next few months, you can tell them whatever you want about how/when you are weaning

Original poster

WishYouWereMine · 19/04/2012 21:26

Thanks CMOT. So I wouldn't be depriving her if I decided she wasn't ready yet at 6 months?

OP posts:

CMOTDibbler · 19/04/2012 21:47

No, absolutely not

JiltedJohnsJulie · 20/04/2012 17:16

Agree with CMOT, milk is the main source of nutrition (or should be) until they are 12 months. There is no need to worry at all if you want to delay introducing solids. NHS, MN and Kellymom all have good information on weaning and the BLW site has too .

Like CMOT says, you don't even have to see your HV if you don't want to and as she is clearly talking out of her arse giving out information which is not inline with current NHS advice, you can safely ignore her comments.

Original poster

WishYouWereMine · 20/04/2012 20:34

Thanks both. It seems that every time I see her I get some crap advice.
I only go to clinic once a month to have her weighed. I never ask for advice. It's all unsolicited, and I try to be a bit cagey with what I say. If I do ever have a problem though, she's very dismissive :(.
I just wanted to check really because although I'm fairly confident in my plans to BLW, when someone tells you otherwise (especially a HCP), it can throw you a bit.

OP posts:

JiltedJohnsJulie · 21/04/2012 08:34

Can understand that totally Wish. If you are happy with how she looks, are getting enough dirty and wet nappies and she's bright and alert at times I'd consider not getting her weighed

RhinestoneCowgirl · 21/04/2012 08:40

I did BLW with both my babies. DS took until about 10 months until he was eating reasonable amounts, DD was a little earlier and was more into food by 8 months. I carried on bf on demand in both cases.

I'm sorry you don't feel supported by your HV, there is lots of good advice on MN for weaning, I always found it really useful (when from my HV I was getting the 'he's hit 4 months, crack on with the baby rice' argument)

lizzywig · 24/04/2012 22:25

I'm sure that HV's are under extreme amounts of pressure to tow the official line. Don't 'they' say that in the first few months food is just for fun and for learning and milk is their main source of nutrition. I think my only worry would be that around 6 months their iron stores (from when they were growing in you) drop which is why you start weaning at that point (to top it up again). I don't know about this and I suspect thar a few extra weeks shouldn't make a difference. Perhaps there are iron suplements?

Only other thing that I want to add is that this is your baby, you do want you want, not what some stuffy HV says you should be doing.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 25/04/2012 07:31

Personally, I think that the formula companies have done an excellent job in making us paranoid about iron levels. If you want to delay weaning past 6 months I'm sure she will be fine.

There is even some evidence that if you exclusively bf for 7 months and don't offer iron supplements your baby will have higher haemaglobin levels at 12 months than babies who received solids earlier than 7 months and no cases of anaemia were found in babies exclusively bf for 7 months. Have a look here

Jnice · 25/04/2012 07:39

The only thing you might want to consider if not already is a vitamin d supplement. Aside from that milk is all that's needed. Or if the sun is now coming out more frequently just some very light exposure (not in the middle of the day). Can google what a safe exposure level is if you are paranoid like me!

Jnice · 25/04/2012 07:41

... Sorry, forgot to add, DS3 just turned 6 months and is now sitting well. We are just about to get started BLW but for the first month or so I expect it will be mostly play and exploration an not a lot of actual eating. No big deal.

Codandchops · 25/04/2012 07:57

OMG! It's shocking advice isn't it?

I'm a HV and I could scream sometimes when I read some of the "advice" they have given posted here.

OP she is talking rubbish and you know this. Suggest you send her some up to date research - the only updates most HVs get is in child protection and the like, very little on the day to day stuff.

KatOD · 25/04/2012 08:21

Hate to say it... But the majority of advice my ante natal group chums and I have got from HVs at the weigh in clinic has been rubbish. I was told to try a formula that didn't exist to help with my daughter's reflux, a couple of friends have been given contradictory advice on weaning and the only member of our group who successfully bf was made to cry as she was made to feel very guilty about her son's size (he's fine!). I'm not HV bashing as I've seen a couple of excellent ones, I guess that there's just good and bad in every profession so you just have to navigate a middle course and go with what you feel is right...

Original poster

WishYouWereMine · 25/04/2012 19:09

I daren't tell her I'm planning to BLW. To be honest, I think DD will be ready at six months as she's already sitting quite well and grabbing food off my plate.

KatOD - I've met a few fantastic HVs but neither of them are my named HVs. There are two at my clinic, this one, whom (?) I find really dismissive if I ever do think something's not right but nosy any other time, and the other one... the first time I met her she was lovely, the second time she made me feel terrible for mix feeding (we had a BAD start to BF), made me feel like I had to choose one or the other, so I did :(. I'm hoping BLW will help me to 'get over' the BF thing, because I still feel so guilty about giving up.

OP posts:

KatOD · 26/04/2012 03:29

Yep I felt terrible about giving up bf too, most people were supportive (medical reasons) but I still got grilled on the odd occasion which was stressful. Try not to beat yourself up about it, if your child is happy, healthy and loved you're doing a brilliant job!

Really sorry for you having to deal with this woman she sounds very annoying... But you sound like you know what's best for your child so go with it-I'm sure you'll soon find out if she's not happy with it!

Flip