Hugely conflicting advice

[MummaSue]

I just popped in to the MCHN to get DD measured for her baby book.

The nurse was asking how she was going with solids etc. I told her fine and that she has varying degrees of interest but we're doing BLS and it's good.

She told me that if she has days where she's not that interested, then I should withhold breast feeding so that she's "hungry" when offered solids.



According to the BLS book, babies don't make the distinction between food and hunger until at least a year old. Hunger is satisfied by milk.

So what she is telling me to do is make my baby go hungry.

I challenged this and she got annoyed with me. I just left.
I didn't go to cause a fight, I went to get her measured. Hell, we didn't even weigh her.

WTF?

[Snowy Love]

Idiot woman! Food is fun...until they're one (and I give my 13 mth old extra bfs if he wants regardless of how much 'food' he's had)

Good on you for challenging her.

[Olive]

maybe she needs a gentle reminder that its 'food is fun til they're one'

[MantaRay]

I find it very unfortunate that health department employees are not expected to follow health department policy when talking to new mums - grrrr. It is so hard to receive conflicting advice especially from medical professionals. Many health nurses are fantastic but sadly they all are not. You are doing the right thing hun - just keep following your instinct. And if in doubt consult BB LOL!

[Jennifer13]

Gah, you're sure better informed than she is!!! Can you just imagine if someone took their baby in and the baby wasn't gaining weight and then said they were withholding feeds to encourage interest in solids? Doesn't make any sense, does it!

I stopped going to the MHCN from much younger than your DD. I just weighed and measured her at the GP for her vax and occasionally then I'd pop into a chemist for an idea of where she was at. There's no rule that says you have to see your MHCN.

[MummaSue]

The thing is guys, if I didn't know about BB I would more than likely have taken on board what she said.
BB has given me soooooo much more confidence to follow my instinct and has opened up a whole other world of reading and research!

I went away from there absolutely furious. How many other mums is she telling that to? This was in the same practice as my GP who told me I need to be "forceful" with solids. GRRRRR! I'm never going to see another baby nurse again. I have seen 5 different ones now and not one of them has given me sound advice. I'll measure DD myself!

[ss_storm]

err no...constantly amazes me how much misinformation parents are given! Feel sorry for the babies of those parents who aren't as informed and take the nurse's word for it

MummaSue does your local chemist/pharmacy have a set of scales you can use instead?

[MummaSue]

Yeah, I can use the scales in the pharmacy if I want to