Another my HV told me thread...

[Skimty]

I went to get DD (23 weeks) weighed today and mentioned that she wasn't really mouthing things.

I'm exclusivly BF till 6 months but HV has worried me. She said that there was a 'window of opportunity' and after 26 weeks was too late. When she heard about the mouthing she said that I would have problems and I should wean now. I was planning to do a mixture of puree and finger food (Entirely BLW doesn't really appeal - I like strange mush ideas!) I know it's probably rubbish but I'm very sleep deprived and over-sensitive.

I was proud of myself and thinking I was doing the right thing after weaning DS at 20 weeks (on advice of another HV because he was feeding more often than every 4 hours[hmm) and giving up BF at 26 weeks because HV said it wasn't necessary and DS needed iron. I since found Mumsnet and realise that I screwed up.

Now I wonder if I'm doing the right thing. Just come and tell me that i am. Thanks!!

you're totally doing the right thing, there's plenty of time for weaning. The BLW/finger foods will help your DD get the idea of 'mouthing' though (do you mean putting things in her mouth?) - so definitely do that as well as 'mush'.

You are doing the right thing.

My HV did the "window of opportunity" bollocks too.

But my fabulous and wise and terribly experienced bf counsellor told me it was rubbish so I didn't worry.

'window of oppurtunity' is a myth. HVs are notorious, sadly, for spouting old wives tales that have no basis in research or science whatsoever. I'd suggest you ask her what the evidence is for a window of opportunity, and tell her that you are intrigued because you have a stack of evidence for excl. bfing for 6m and also even a bit of evidence for BLW, which is more than can be said for mush-weaning!

HVs are worried that waiting until 6 months means that lumpy food is introduced later and when the baby has become old enough to have developed a preference for mush.

Not eating lumps has been linked to speech delay.

HV have targets wrt no. of children with speech delay.

The research on the "window of opportunity" was carried out on babies with feeding tubes, not babies who were breast or bottle fed and weaned after 6 months.

The findings in the first group do not translate to the second group.

yes yes yes there is in fact a window of opportunity. Of course there is! My husband for example....his mother missed the window of opportunity by continuing to BF to 6 months, selfish woman, and he still at the age of 28 only consumes milk! I don't know what she thought she was doing, didn't she know that if she didn't get him weaned quickly enough he would never consume solids!

shakes head

I asked the same question about a year ago, and someone responded with something like this:

"I didn't have aubergine until I was 21. I didn't miss my aubergine window"

Which made me and put things into perspective a bit!

FWIW I did hold off and it was fine.

at Pffft!

Thanks everyone.

DH wants to wait till 7 months now to see if DD never eats ever .

I am definately doing lots of finger food. i did with DS and I'm planning to do pretty similar things - lumpy purees and finger fooxd.

x post pffft!!

v slow typing as bf DD at the mo!

My DD3 didn't want to eat anything except breastmilk until she was 9m . She is now 26m and seems to be doing fine . She eats anything and everything. Can use a knife and fork and spoon.