Hints and tips for weaning (merged)

bumpybecky

watch the baby not the scales and don't worry too much about the charts

cazziebo

bumpybecky wrote:

watch the baby not the scales and don't worry too much about the charts

oh - nice quote! I like that :T

inkie

Keep feeding your babe what is the best thing for her - your milk! From what you are saying, this is all she needs just now, and so long as she seems contented and alert and sociable, then she will be doing fine. Decisions on something as significant as this can't be made on a single clinic observation, which is, as already been posted, based on artificially fed babies.
I fed both mine for 12 months, I stuck to my guns and enjoyed the special time with my girls.

evilwitch

bumpybecky wrote:

watch the baby not the scales and don't worry too much about the charts

Super quote and so true. I rarely have my LO weighed as she's a lump and a half and is off scale for height and weight and the HV wanted me to keep a food diary in case I was over feeding her the wrong things. Made me feel awful so I don't go back. I know she has a good diet and is happy and healthy which is all that matters.

Go with your instinct. You know bubs best and she'll let you know when milk just isn't enough. Every baby is different. I loved breast feeding, made me feel so close to my little one.

Am just jealous that you get to have no night feeds whereas my little horror still wakes up wanting milk at night and she'll be 1 in 2 weeks. tried all the usual tricks but its definately milk she wants

heather38

evilwitch wrote:

Am just jealous that you get to have no night feeds whereas my little horror still wakes up wanting milk at night and she'll be 1 in 2 weeks. tried all the usual tricks but its definately milk she wants

i'll upset you then by telling you she started sleeping from 10pm to 6am at six weeks!!!;) i think i have only done about 3-4 night feeds since then and that was when she had a cold. if she wakes up in the night i usually ignore her unless she is crying, she usually goes back to sleep on her own, but that's not very often, it's when i come to bed and disturb her.

Jo_R_2

heather38 wrote:

my baby is 17 weeks and we went to the baby clinic today. she has dropped down a centile in her weight and the HV thinks that i should think about weaning her but i don't want to, i think she's to young.
she's totally BF and doesn't seem hungry after a feed. she's sleeping through now so isn't having a night feed anymore and i think this is why she's not gaining weight, plus the weight charts are based on bottle fed babies not BF babies.
should i wean early or not?

So the HV suggested weaning based on the fact she's dropped down a centile on a chart based on ff babies? For a breastfed baby who's 17 weeks and sleeps through, who has been exclusively bf and shows no signs whatsoever of needing to wean early? Wow that HV shows some logic there :rolleyes:

I say go as you are doing, doing what yr doing now. With DD1 I had a similar problem, she lost weight between weeks 12 and 19 and I was heavily 'advised' to either switch to formula or as it went on, to start early weaning. I told my HV (who is actually lovely but admits she is no expert on bf) in the nicest way that I would be continuing to breastfeed until 6 months thank you very much and would seek expert advice from a breastfeeding counsellor.

I did and DD1 put on 1lb in two weeks at 19/20 weeks and continued to gain until we eventually weaned at six months! Basically a few little adjustments to our feeding routine such as offering both sides helped (as the bf counsellor pointed out, just an extra 1 oz from offering that other side on six feeds a day means an extra 42 oz a week...)

You sound like you know what you are talking about - I found it helped when being persuaded to do things differently that I had read up about everything and got my facts straight about what was happening. Do you have a breastfeeding group locally that you go to or could attend for support?

heather38

hi jo, there is a baby bistro at our local surestart centre on a tuesday but i have never gone, i might go next week and have a chat to them and see what they say.

jopsey

heather38 wrote:

hi jo, there is a baby bistro at our local surestart centre on a tuesday but i have never gone, i might go next week and have a chat to them and see what they say.

sory for my ignorance go to loads of sure start things but what is a baby bistro ?

modgit

bumpybecky wrote:

watch the baby not the scales and don't worry too much about the charts

how true!

My "official" health visitor, is very book led, has me panicing over minor things, however, the other health visitor attached to our GP's is older, sensible and "mom" led.

She told me this check list, is your baby happy, feeding off you well, content at the end of each feed, plays well between feeds, plenty of wet nappies, good skin and alert.

If the answers are yes, congratulate yourself, you're doing well, and forget the charts, they're just guidelines.

In my moments of panic I say that to myself.... then relax!

The nice HV even says about herself that she belongs to the sensible, no nonsense school of HV's!

I think you know when they need weaning, DS1 (now nearly 9) was weaned at 13 weeks, the guideline age then being 16 weeks, and he was DESPARATE for food, milk alone was not doing it for him, however now DS3 is 11 weeks old, totally breastfed and most content, with no signs of hunger, just shows children do not like charts!
Anyway I'm rambling...... like all mothers do!

Crispy_Ambulance

Like everybody else says. Ignore your health visitor as they obviously do not know what they are talking about and have not kept up to date with current research.

Babies can't read charts, so don't know what weight they are supposed to be. Be guided by your baby, not by a set of numbers.