Ranted at by HV, so thats us back to milk 24/7

[Abz1982]

HV had a go at OH saying that Emma should not have ANYTHING other than milk until at least the 6th December and to stop immediately. SO we are back to milk. I am stopping Breast Feeding in the morning so I am going to see how many bottles she will have tomorrow. It says on her milk can that she should have 5 x 210ml for her age, but she is 16.5lbs, and if I go by that its 240 x 4.

I had been giving her small meals for a week, so its nothing major. But she is also having the 2 x 240ml bottles, and being Breast fed in the mornings, so I dunno how much she consumes then. We had her on Hungry Baby milk but this gives her sore tummys and constipation despite her also having 4oz water a day.


I do kinda feel bad for her in a way as this past week she has hardly been sick, has not screamed in pain with wind or had constipation. Se has been happier.................................................but I am really not up to being lectured at by the HV

OH has just told me what the HV said - That if I give Emma solid foods now then she will be a fat baby, and a fat child and will grow up to be a fat adult!! What a load of tosh! I was weaned at 4 months, was a beanpole, OH was weaned at 4 mnths and he was a fat bod - but he is 6ft 1 and a healthy 14stone (not fat!) I however have taken after my mum and am larger - bt then both my grans are larger, and all the women on my dads side are chunky (Bradys don't appear to have ankles, lol) I know that it involves a LOT more than just when you wean - I could wean her at 6 months, then sit her in front of the tv and she will be fat, compared to being weaned on fruit and veg at 4 months and being an active child!

 

[tricky nicky]

you are her mummy you make the decisions dont let them lecture to you

 

[Hollys_Twinny]

You know your baby hun. Morgan was on baby rice at 3 months old! He's was big at birth and milk just wasn't satisfying him any longer! It clearly says on any jar of baby food you buy weaning can be started at 17 weeks anyway so your HV is wrong!

My HV tryed to tell me the same thing, you just need to nod and agree with them Hun, but you do what you feels right!

 

[Abz1982]

I am a HUGE chicken though . I actually had a nightmare when I first started weaning that SS would come and I would get into trouble .

So far today we have gone through 700ml of milk and 2oz baby rice since 10am = Breastfeeding, so I am going to see what she takes before bed and if she doesnt sleep more than 5 hours straight(as she did until about 2 weeks ago) then its deffo back on purees.

What I also note now is that her weight today its 7.42kg, a month ago was 6.98kg, and 6 weeks ago it was 6.58. So she has gone from being just below the 98th percentile to only just above the 90th. So her weight gain is dropping....................That happened to me as a child tho, I was skin and bones no matter what they fed me up until I was 6 and discovered sweeties!!

 

[honey08]

well i think thats disscussting for her to tell u to go bk to milk when emmas obviousley been enjoying her meals and anyways on all babyfood etc it says from 4mth !
morgans guna end up weaning early hes only 10wk nearly and as been aving 8oz bottles every 4hrs( goes 8hr thro night for past wk ) and im not guna give him any more so its not filling him properley is it, so he will be on rice in a few wk !

ur her mum and u shud do wot u feel emma wants

 

[Jkelmum]

Lily is younger and being weaned on advice of hv they really need to stick to same advice across the country ..17 wks is earlyist u can and as near to 6 months as possible ...Emma is your baby and u judge wats best ...just dont tell her x

 

[Jelly Bean]

My baby clearly was ready to start food at 4 months. As long as you're reasonably educated on the subject, mum knows best when baby's ready.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

well i think thats disscussting for her to tell u to go bk to milk when emmas obviousley been enjoying her meals and anyways on all babyfood etc it says from 4mth !
morgans guna end up weaning early hes only 10wk nearly and as been aving 8oz bottles every 4hrs( goes 8hr thro night for past wk ) and im not guna give him any more so its not filling him properley is it, so he will be on rice in a few wk !

ur her mum and u shud do wot u feel emma wants

I don't think it's 'disgusting' for a HV to advise sticking to the government recommendation, which is to give nothing but breastmilk or formula for the first 6 months. By doing this, she is just doing her job.

However there are a small number of babies who for special reasons do need weaning at 4 months. If Abz thinks Emma is one of these babies she should not be 'ranting' at her, but having a proper discussion and giving advice!

Honey08, don't assume your baby will need weaning early because he is big. I have done lots of reading about weaning recently and lots of experts now dismiss the idea that there is any link between the size of a baby and their internal readiness for solids.

My LO weighs nearly 20lb and is having 9oz every 4 hours and goes 10 hours at night. She doesn't seem to have got any hungrier in the last 2 months, and if she did, I'd add another bottle.

I'm not lecturing, I'm just offering an alternative viewpoint.

 

[Caramel]

You know it wasn't that long ago that the guideline was weaning at 4 months, and it never did those babies any harm. Obviously there's been a reason for the change in the guideline, but as everyone has said you're her mum and you know best. My friend is a HV and she's said that if you do need to wean earlier you need to avoid wheat and gluten, so baby rice is fine, and I think veg purees are ok too. It's a shame your HV went straight to the 'nothing but milk' view, instead of listening to you and advising you of the safest way to start weaning.

 

[Fossey]

Lily is younger and being weaned on advice of hv they really need to stick to same advice across the country ..17 wks is earlyist u can and as near to 6 months as possible ...Emma is your baby and u judge wats best ...just dont tell her x

I agree, my HV said I was fine to start at 18weeks because of the milk Liss was having. I'd go with your judgment, Liss cheered up no end when we started her on solids. She seemed much more content.

 

[NoSpringChick]

YOU decide what YOU want to do with YOUR baby

Look, there was no bigger fatter baby than my neice and now she is a beanpole - me on the other hand, never interested in feeding and my ticker says it all!
HV's only go by the book - mine doesnt even have children but admitted that her mum put porridge in her bottle and cut the teat bigger!

Mothers for centuries have been deciding what's best for their little ones, you know best - youre not stupid and you know the recommendations - thats all they are at the end of the day - recommendations, not the law x

 

[Abz1982]

Yeah. I am just seeing how it goes. She is happier - as in not being sick/windy/constipated - when getting purees, and just happier in general.

If I could give her another bottle I would but she will scream like she is hungry and if you try to give her any more milk she will get really upset, but if you giver her a wee bit of baby rice or puree she will take it and is happy. I read that babies will tell you if they are full, and she will certainly do that.

 

[NoSpringChick]

I had family visiting yesterday from Australia, and she works for Heinz. She was surprised mine wasnt on anything but milk, and mine isnt 4 months yet! She's had kids too - infact everyone was surprised she wasnt starting weaning already. I said 6 months is what they say which resulted in a room of women (all with multiple kids dont forget) saying they all weaned much earlier than that. Experience says alot.
I probably wont wait till 6 months - she's very interested in what I'm eating now and she sniffs all my food and watches me eat in awe! Probably around 5 months I'll be starting her if she is interested, as she isnt that interested in her milk these days - she'd rather play instead.

DO what we all do - smile and nod and agree with what your hv says.
They will tell you to not make up bottles in advance but plenty people do and no one jumps down their throats, even some health visitors will tell you it' ok to do - (probably the ones who are mums themselves.)

Try not to let her make you feel bad - you sound like a terrific mum and sounded like your baby was happy and having a better time of it. Wasnt like you were feeding her fish and chips

 

[Abz1982]

Wasnt like you were feeding her fish and chips

Lol, deffo not, But I have caught her the other day about to lick my steak pie on my plate - thats what I get for turning around with her on my lap and food there! She just got her hand in it and covered her face in instead.

 

[NoSpringChick]

Haha so she's learning how to put a face mask on, just it was pie! How vain
One of my other relatives let their babies all have a taste of everything they were eating long before weaning - not eating anything just a taste. Alot of people think todays government get too involved with their policies. It'll be all changed in a few years time!
Look at all the things we went through when pregnant - to have peanuts or to not have peanuts? Can we have a little drink or no drink? it's just the same now they are out of our tums!

 

[Abz1982]

I am actually surprised I wasnt lectured by my dad. He goes on about how humans are not designed to drink milk as adults etc etc, so was sure he would have something to say about baby issues.

Also, I was told by a doctor that food tolerances are different depending on where in the world you are from - like going back generations and generations and generations. People whos genetic make up originates from areas like Europe are more likely to be intolerant to fruits as they would not have made up a substantial part of the diet back then. And that some people just cant eat certain foods, and that it doesn't have anything to do with when they were younger as there are soo many other factors now that influence our bodies etc.

 

[taperjeangirl]

A few years ago HV were advised to tell Mummies to wean at 4 Months..... then a few years before that it was 3 months.

I would just do what you feel is right. I weaned both my girls early, they are not fat at all!

Go with your Mummy instinct and by no means let your HV bully you into anything. If you are unsure, ask to see another one and I can almost guarantee they will have different views. xxx

 

[NoSpringChick]

Well he has a point, milk is for baby cows not humans , but we get along fine on it is the main thing, just like we do most things.

So are you going to stick with a bit baby rice and booby milk?

 

[Abz1982]

Well, baby rice - and some pureed carrot - and booby in the morning and she gets formula the rest of the day(so she is doomed already so say some, haha). She seems to be going off the booby in the morning though, but I have come down with a cold so wonder if its that.............

 

[alice&bump]

omg i'd have told my HV where to stick it if she told me that! i told her i was weaning katie at 11 weeks and she basically said she did it with her kids and they're fine, but guidelines say blah blah blah...but she said some babies just need food earlier than others! katie was feeding for around an hour every hour or so, it was a nightmare! we did try and hold off a bit, but lasted like a day just on milk again!

like andrea said, the governement cant make up their minds with these guidelines! when i was a baby it was wean at 3 months, there was even a stage where they said 8 weeks! its the same with milk, i was on cows milk at 6 months cos thats what they said to do then!