Hints and tips for weaning (merged)

Crispy_Ambulance

janb5 wrote:

Obviously most of you have ignored Martin`s comment to be nice to all MSE`posters!

Is it quite so necessary to be !!!!!y and unpleasant? I am quite offended by your comments. I am a HV but also a mother. There are always some people who are not acceptable to you but sometimes that might be a personality clash. A thread devoted to HV bashing is just over the top!

There are always some parents who choose to start weaning despite being advised otherwise by WHO guideline and some whose babies do need to start earlier . It is always important (IMO) to talk to the parents - charts do not always tell the full picture and they are a guide only.

Sorry about the rant but this was a very one-sided discussion!

being as you have picked on my post I will respond.

And for the record, you calling me !!!!!y and unpleasant is very offensive.

I wasn't aware that this was a health visitor bashing thread and if you read my post, I have not attacked health visitors in general. However, this particular health visitor is giving wrong advice that is not based on current research. All health professionals have an obligation to be up to date with research and giving advice that contravenes WHO and DOH recommendations based on charts designed for formula fed babies is WRONG advice and best ignored.

Sadly there are some health professionals out there who still undermine breastfeeding and worry mothers into stopping when there is no reason to at all. There is a danger in looking only at the numbers and not at the child's behaviour etc.

new parents are often very anxious and worried to get things right and conflicting advice from Drs, midwives and health visitors only makes things more confusing.

janb5

Crispy_Ambulance wrote:

being as you have picked on my post I will respond.

Sadly there are some health professionals out there who still undermine breastfeeding and worry mothers into stopping when there is no reason to at all. There is a danger in looking only at the numbers and not at the child's behaviour etc.

new parents are often very anxious and worried to get things right and conflicting advice from Drs, midwives and health visitors only makes things more confusing.

If you were to re read the post you will clearly see that there are at least twelve negative comments so I dont think I am being unduly sensitiive. The comment that HV`s need to keep `up to date` with recent WHO guideline is totally belligerent. You may not realise that the majority of the PCT`s are severely overdrawn and we are not allowed to even order a paper clip without due justification.

it has been known for ages that the percentile charts are hopelessly out of date but I doubt they will be replaced imminently. As you so rightly said it is important to look at the child and their background without undue reliance on the charts. In my area, we would refer if the child dropped two percentiles.

This is a Trust guideline to prevent sudden weight loss masking an illness .

At present we are having to work very imaginatively so that the present cuts do not impact on families. For example we hold a post natal class for new familes at a local gym because we have no other resources to offer them. Recently we were unable to give parents a red book PHCR because they werent printed

I hope this has given the other side of the story. Of course there are bad Hv`s/good V`s- bad teachers/ good teachers etc but to concentrate on HV`s during a weaning thread is NOT painting the whole picture.

heather38

jan i didn't start this thread to have a go at HV but it was my HV who gave the advice to wean early based on a chart for bottle fed babies when my baby is breast fed and i asked for advice on what to do. people have given me good advice and i've decided to ignore her and go with my instinct to wait until i feel she is ready.
p.s. she's gone from 11lb11oz at 13 weeks to 12lb 5oz at 17 weeks HV says she should be closer to 13lb so she is putting on weight at least

madhouseof4

janb5 wrote:

it has been known for ages that the percentile charts are hopelessly out of date but I doubt they will be replaced imminently. As you so rightly said it is important to look at the child and their background without undue reliance on the charts. In my area, we would refer if the child dropped two percentiles.

I think that dropping 2 centiles is a pretty good basis for referal. Both of my children had probelms gaining weight, ds1 had trouble from 6 weeks until 10 weeks and he only just got away from being refered. His weight gain increased when I introduced formula as per the HV's request (and being a 1st time mother, I just did as I was told ) Ds 2 however gained weight really well until he was 10 weeks and then stalled and slowed down. Unlike ds1, he never actually lost weight, just stopped putting it on and therefore it took him quite a while to drop 2 centiles. I was recommended to put him on formula again, but I followed my own instincts and continued to breastfeed, and this time, the lack of weight gain was masking a health problem. I can easily see how difficult your job must sometimes.

Crispy_Ambulance

janb5 wrote:

If you were to re read the post you will clearly see that there are at least twelve negative comments so I dont think I am being unduly sensitiive. The comment that HV`s need to keep `up to date` with recent WHO guideline is totally belligerent. You may not realise that the majority of the PCT`s are severely overdrawn and we are not allowed to even order a paper clip without due justification.

it has been known for ages that the percentile charts are hopelessly out of date but I doubt they will be replaced imminently. As you so rightly said it is important to look at the child and their background without undue reliance on the charts. In my area, we would refer if the child dropped two percentiles.

.

my post wasn't long enough to have at least 12 negative points in it

And I don't think it is unreasonable to health professionals to keep their knowledge up to date. I know very well the situation with PCTs but anybody giving advice needs to make sure that advice is accurate. Asking for your health professional to know what he or she is talking about is a pretty basic requirement. Hardly belligerent.

And the BF charts are available, on the WHO website.

purplepatch

Can I bump this back up to ask a question please?

Just starting to wean DD2 (didn't have this problem with DD1) but she doesn't seem to swallow any of it at all. Goes in and then she spits it out immediately. Scoop it back off her chin and in again, spit.... repeat etc :rolleyes:

It's only babyrice, very runny. I've tried three times over the past week, without success or progress, wondering whether to stop and try again in a few weeks, or whether to persevere. She's only 18 weeks, but having slept through since christmas, she's waking twice a night for milk and it's killing me.

Any advice anyone?

heather38

purple i think most babies spit out their food when they first start weaning. they need to get the hang of swallowing it. do you make it up with the same milk she is drinking? plus baby rice is disgusting i wouldn't eat it! why not try pureed carrot instead?
when you give her the last feed before bed why not give a bit more and see how she gets on. maybe try again next weekend. don't let yourself get stressed as baby will pick up on it and mess about.

as an aside when i was at the baby clinic on tuesday there was an 8 week old baby there and his mum was feeding him babyrice! the HV was horrified but mum said that he wouldn't take his milk so had started weaning him at 6 weeks! the HV asked if she had tried a different milk and see if that made any difference, mum said that she had tried sma progress but he still wouldn't take it. i thought the HV was going to have a heart attack there and then!

BernadetteN

purplepatch wrote:

Can I bump this back up to ask a question please?

Just starting to wean DD2 (didn't have this problem with DD1) but she doesn't seem to swallow any of it at all. Goes in and then she spits it out immediately. Scoop it back off her chin and in again, spit.... repeat etc :rolleyes:

It's only babyrice, very runny. I've tried three times over the past week, without success or progress, wondering whether to stop and try again in a few weeks, or whether to persevere. She's only 18 weeks, but having slept through since christmas, she's waking twice a night for milk and it's killing me.

Any advice anyone?

Perhaps if you waited to nearer the 26 week mark, weaning would be more successful - at that age a baby can often eat finger food.

My 19 month old wakes more than twice a night and she was weaned at 6 months - there is no link between waking at night and weaning. You just have to remember the longer you leave it, the less likelihood of allergies, having an overweight child and other health problems, well much research seems to suggest correlation - here's a few links below:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2006/03/07/ecnbaby07.xml&sSheet=/connected/2006/03/07/ixconn.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4337450.stm

andycarmi

Anyone recomend a cereal DD isn't keen on Wheatabix?

roversbabe

andycarmi wrote:

Anyone recomend a cereal DD isn't keen on Wheatabix?

Hipp organic orange, apple & banana cereal - just make it up with breastmilk or formula, DS (7.5 months) loves it. I've not tried any other cereals yet cos I've to watch out for added milk (makes his eczema worse).