HELP! MCHN says night BFing is causing DD's weight to be "Borderline" underweight

[black_rose]

I use pentavite from the chemist but the supermarkets do have chewable ones just don't know if they have iron.

[misty]

Can you recommend the multivitamin you use? And can you get them from supermarkets?

Multivitimins can only be take by children over 2yrs of age. IF the dr runs tests and finds a specific deficency they may prescribe a specific supplement, but I know our dr even then preferred to try and supplement with natural vits and minerals in foods and once we weren't breastfeeding, we had to go onto toddlers formula rather then just plain cows milk. There are some toddler multivitmin mixtures (like flavoured milk drinks) you can purchase (can be found in the chemist or in your local suppermarket) which you can use in addition to breastfeeding - we tried them, unfortunately the child in question didn't like the taste, so his older sister drank it all.

[Lenny]

I could count on one hand how many times DS2 has slept through. He's almost 18mths.

He's just hit 10kgs with clothes on. (we weighed him because he needed ab's). He was a chubby bub but is so active and busy that he just shed weight once he started crawling and walking (and running and jumping). I am not changing his diet. He eats with the family, and sometimes he is hungry and sometimes not.

I was told I shouldn't listen to what other mums say about their children who still wake at night. i.e. It's not normal

This 'other mum' says it sounds normal to me! I would take a bet that 'other mum's' lie to her, just to get their appt over with and get home.

[Phteven]

Can you visit a different MCHN?

[helle]

Well I'm at the other end of the scale. DS at 16 months weighed 10.5 kgs and BF to sleep both at night and for naps and would wake for three feeds during the night, sometimes more. My milked dried up due to pregnancy about a month ago and my god what a nightmare.

I can't see how BFing would be causing your daughter to be smaller, when DS had the same habits. I'd say that's just the way she is!

[MrsBexie]

This mchn sounds like an idiot!!!! Do not listen to her. How dare she aay bf ia hindering your dd's development! Boo.
Find a different nurse. Some kids are just small!! My niece is almost exactly a year older than my dd bur weighs only 1kg more! She is just little.
Like your idea if giving cheese etc as a snack,

Hugs!!


Sent from my iPhone so sorry for the spelling and punctuation!!

[goddessofdawn]

Thanks again all. My self-confidence has taken yet another beating

I've decided I won't be going back there. This MCHN spends a lot of time telling her own personal anecdotes! Not helpful.
Funny though, when I told her that my DD started sleeping 11-12 hours a night at 17 months of age (and I didn't change anything, I was still BFing her to sleep at the time) she had no answer for me!!! Unfortunately it only lasted for just over 3 weeks, but still, it debunks her theory that kids "can't" sleep through the night if BFed to sleep.

My DD weighed barely over 3 kgs at birth - I'm pretty sure this is lower than the 25th percentile, so I think the marking on the weight graph thingy is wrong...

Still a bit sad, but I'll get over it.... I think I need to remind myself that my DD is NOT underweight. Looking at her without clothes on, she has the same rounded belly as other toddlers, and chunky thighs.... she's just little. And she's very healthy!
She has had exactly 2 colds in nearly 20 months.

[Jellyfish]

It sucks she has shaken your confidence honestly, she really has no idea! My DD is 27 months and feeds to sleep still and often wakes for feeds overnight but she has slept through plenty too (usually a couple of nights a week) and I've never done anything but wait. She also sleeps over at her Grandparent's house and her Dad's house and manages fine, gets to sleep and is just cuddled if she wakes, there have never been tears! I was always told she wouldn't be able to settle for anyone else if I kept feeding to sleep but babies/toddlers are smart enough to realise things are different with other people!

She does sound healthy! Sounds very like my DD, she was 2.9kg at birth and always been smaller but she has a rounded belly, there is fat on her thighs - definitely not wasting away! Some people have to be the little ones

[Lenny]

Can you visit a different MCHN?

As Onyx said. You are perfectly entitled to visit a different MCHN. It was common in my neighbourhood - we had one terrible MCHN, and a really well liked one nearby.

[onthefly]

Where are you? Maybe someone can recommend another nurse nearby? Or just don't bother with them. She certainly doesn't sound very helpful.
My DS was dreadfully sleep deprived for years and is sharp as a tack. He'd be starting school by now if he'd gotten enough sleep (according to her illogic).
I night weaned my DS at 14 months and I did notice him eating more during the day. However, he also ate food during the night to replace the milk and his weight gain did not increase. (he's also fairly slight, though a bit bigger than your DD).

[black_rose]

Dd1 was 2.5kg and off the bottom of the chart so it wouldn't surprise me if your dd had been on the bottom. At almost 4 she is still in the 25th percentile for her weight but she eats a lot and looks healthy.

[Miss E]

I honestly can't believe you've been given this advice!

My advice would be to direct your MCHN to the WHO website. Then to find another MCHN. I changed mine early on because every time I saw her I left feeling like crap. Started seeing another one in the same centre (recommended by a friend in my mothers group) and haven't looked back.

Also, if you are concerned about her weight (which by the sounds of things is pretty normal given her size) then I would be looking to add a bit more fat to her diet, rather than cut back on BF. At this stage fat is essential for brain developments, so cooking with butter and adding a little to her veggies etc won't hurt.

Anyway, that's my ten cents worth. But at the end of the day you're her mum and you know what's best for her, so do what you're comfortable with, not what some MCHN (or me) recommends. AFWIW I think you're doing a great job! BF'ing to 20 months is fantastic

[CrazyLady]

OHHHH!!!! Forgot to say that she says I AM AFFECTING HER DEVELOPMENT!! Because if she wakes during the night, she is being sleep deprived and so during the day she won't learn properly etc!!
She equated it to being on a long-haul flight and being dead tired but not being able to sleep... apparently this is what I am doing to DD!! She wants to sleep, but I haven't taught her how to self-settle!
!

Sorry but that mchn is full of ****. My 25 month old still doesn't sleep through the night and she hasn't had boobie since 3 months old. Just last night I was in her bed all night getting woken every 20-40mins. It's a stage she's going through or possibly just how much sleep she needs.

[goddessofdawn]

My advice would be to direct your MCHN to the WHO website.

Thanks, I looked at the WHO growth chart yesterday, which puts DD above the 15th percentile! ... How come we don't use those charts?! Is it true that the ones the MCHNs use are based on formula feeding?

[wysiwyg]

From what I have heard it depends on how old the charts are that your area are using, the very old ones I believe were based on formula feeding, the more recent ones used by MCHN are based on a mix of formula and breast feeding (so better but still not the best for assessing BF babies). I always just used to go home and check out the figures on the WHO charts after each appointment.

[kelebek]

DS only night weaned at 30 mnths (cause he was really only feeding once a day and that was at night ) and that was still hard.

DS still wakes once/twice a night most nights lol When DS was little I did a lot of reading and read a great site that explained night waking in another way.... When babies are born a lot of thier nural pathways are still developing and through touch it helps those pathways to connect so in fact you are doing your little girl a favour by responding to her night waking and helping her brain to develop.

As you said she is well proportioned and if she is active and healthy that is all that matters

[Kmn]

You may want to take some action if it seems that your DD is unable to go to sleep by herself (i.e. she is waking every couple of hours). But if she is just getting hungry in the night then I wouldn't bother night weaning.
good luck!

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