HV advised weaning at 18 weeks

[naturalblonde]

DD2 is 18 weeks, sleeps from 9pm-9am Had her weighed 2 weeks ago and while she was putting on weight, she was dropping through the centiles. (75th at birth, now at 25th). HV advised waking her for a feed, so have been dream feeding at about 11pm, then again about 6/7am if she stirred in her sleep.

Weighed again today, and still on 25th centile, different HV said not to interrupt her sleep as she has such a good sleep pattern but start weaning, just a couple spoons of baby rice each day. She also said DD looks healthy, is still chubby and is possibly just going to be a smallish baby/child and stay on the 25th centile.

I'm not 100% convinced as she isn't really disturbed by dream feeds, I just feed her when I go to bed so it's no hassle for me either. (Although would prefer not to feed so early in the morning, like to have 10 mins for a shower before she wakes up!)

In favour of weaning now: she's woken at 4 am a couple of times in the last week - could be through hunger?,
she watches us like a hawk when we're eating, seems desparate for food.

So anyway MNers, what do you think? To wean or not to wean?

Ignore the HV - she's too young (your dd that is!). How long as she been on 25th centile - is she maintaining her weight/centile now?

I haven't been getting her weighed very regularly, at 9 wks she was ill and dropped to just over 50th centile.

I'm tempted to leave it, I don't think she's ready yet.

I hardly ever take her to clinic to avoid things like this! I think actually if I hadn't gone, she'd just seem like she was gaining weight fine.

Not to wean IMO.

Maybe she needs more milk - how often does she feed in the daytime?

Baby rice is pap and will provide very few calories, certainly not enough to make a significant difference to her weight. Look at the baby, not the scales. There is a train of thought that birth weights are artificial and within 3-4 months babies settle down to their 'destined' growth lines. As long as she is well and growing normally ie needing new clothes, weeing, pooing and developing normally then don't worry

I wouldn't wean her. Sleep is unrelated to weaning - some studies have actually found that weaning may make babies wake up more! And if her weight is a concern then more milk would be a much more sensible thing to give her than baby rice, which will fill her up but won't give her any extra calories.

If it was me, and assuming she's breastfed, I would carry on feeding on demand for another couple of months. And ignore the HVs.

By the way, she's watching you eat because she watches everything you do now - she has no idea what food even is, so it's not that she's hungry for it!

not to wean.

I was persuaded by my HVs to give my DD something at about 19 weeks for some of the reasons you mention. It didn't help her sleep and she just spat it back at me after a couple of days and clamped her mouth shut.

Went back to BFing until around 23 weeks when she grabbed some mashed potato off my plate and ate it herself.

the weight thing, as others have said, is misleading and she may have just been settling down to her natural centile. It's called catch down growth and is very common.

thanks everyone you've set my mind at ease.

Really wanted to wait a bit anyway, but you've convinced me, will try to talk DH round now- he thinks everything HVs say is gospel

God, another lunatic on the loose.
Yes,baBY rice is so calorific, isn't it???

lol moondog

Definitely wait. DS started waking again at 18 weeks after being quite settled through the night from 12 weeks. It's another of those lovely growth spurts!

I increased feeds (BF) and then slowly started to introduce a few tastes of fruit and veg at 24/25 weeks.

Are all HVs mental???