MSE Parent Club - Part 2

Savvy_Sue

Just a thought, but if you are having to provide meals at different times, how about cooking more of the latest meal and putting some aside for next day for the babies / children? Especially when they are tiny and you are mashing everything ...

[Deleted User]

Savvy, that is what i do now on the nights when we eat separately, esp when i'm working and all DH has to do is heat them up. Saves a lot of hassle. I also try to freeze some extra meals for the kids, so I really only cook once for us over 2 days, unless its an eating together night.

(I'm really not sure if that makes sense?)

Savvy_Sue

3onitsway wrote: »

It made me wonder - What (if any) qualifications do HV's have?

Health Visitors are qualified registered nurses or midwives, with at least one year’s post-registration experience (ie you can't train as a HV until you've worked as a nurse or midwife for at least a year). Then they do at least a one year training course, which includes 'hands-on' experience.

As with all the caring professions, some are excellent, some aren't. They can come under huge pressure: they are involved in Child Protection work which is a pretty thankless task.

3onitsway

Dormouse wrote: »

Apparently, they're actually very highly qualified and trained. A friend of mine who's a doctor said she hadn't realised just how much training HVs get until she had a baby herself and had to deal with them. My friend was quite surprised as she wasn't impressed with her HV! :cool:

I don't think it helps that mines not a mummy, so when she speaks, it sounds like she's reading from a text book rather than from real life! And the text books and real life are very different! :mad:

emlou2009

astonsmummy wrote: »

Also, what age can I start introducing a bedtime routine? I want to start now but is it too early?

i dont think so, we had one from 2 weeks, mainly cos of OH working. not too strict on times but we bath seth sometime between 9 and 10 then bottle and bed, he wakes around 2ish for a feed and again about 6ish. then sometimes we get up and sometimes we go back to bed depending on how lazy i'm feeling!
i marvel at people who put their babies to bed at 6-7pm and then sleep right through :eek: seth makes it very known when he'd had enough night sleep!

My_Fathers_Daughter

Hi AM - the HV suggested 6 weeks to me, although I would say the sooner the better...I am trying to sort one out now...at 7 1/2 weeks :rotfl:


Glad it is all going well for you!

[Deleted User]

But Emlou Seth isn't even 2 months yet, that will come. Molly slept through about 8-10 weeks, cant remember exactly and I mean from approx 10-6am. The 7pm bedtime will come later as he gets older. By 3-4 months this should be happening. I made a mistake with my first and didnt but with Molly a routine was firmly in place by 8 weeks and she has always slept great. Your first one is ALWAYS going to be the learning curve whatever the problem.

I suspect your not giving yourself enough credit for what you are doing and listening to what people do with babies that are older and possibly weaned and that makes another big difference too.

Carry on, thigns will fall into place gradually. Think back to when he was 1-2 weeks old and how things are slowly changing.......

emlou2009

i'd love to see a HV actually use some of their "knowledge" and "training" rather than preach about breastfeeding but not actually give any decent advice and try and force me to lie and say my OH beats me on a regular basis! and at the weighing clinic she doesnt even do the weighing, just sits on the side of the room behind the table looking smug and down her nose at all the mums while the nurse asks "would you like to speak to the HV today?" as if its a holy privelige!!

emlou2009

ah you're right bailey, i dont mind getting up at 2am at all any more cos its so much better than every hour and a half like it was at first! i dont know how i didnt die quite honestly!!

feelinggood_2

The HV visited me while pregnant because of my high risk of PND, and sge was lovely. She phoned to arrange to visit and I told her I wouldn't be in becausei had to go to my Mums. Told her I felt awful and couldn't cope. She wished me a nice time and hung up!

We just managed a shower, hair wash, full outfit change and trip out! Whole mile into town, doctors appointment, pharmacy and supermarke, then walk home. Knackered!