Health nurse says need more formula

Thanks again everyone.

I have mentally put down his feeds today

4.20 am
8.00 am - did a BIG pooh
10 am
11.30 am (one side and did a big pooh as I was stripping him for the MCHN)
12.15 pm (both)
2.30 pm
4.30 pm
6.00 pm
6.30 pm - in the shower then he'll have another feed

We have our 'sessions' approx every 2 hours. they last for approx 10 - 15 mins each BB

I have rung the ABA here in Shepparton and spoke to a lovely lady called Liz. She was so helpful. She said getting a second opinion was the best thing I could do. Your post echo's exactly what she said Barb.
Ive spoken to Jed who is...shall I say not amused by the MCHN's antics especially after the battle we have been through. God, I take 2 multi vitamins a day plus Im taking Herbal life shakes to get extra nutrients into me incase I accidently miss a meal.

Barb - what you said about replacing a BF with another FF is exactly the reason I dont want to go there. I have already decided to give Mateauz one bottle at night as he is still hungry for that extra feed. But the MCHN told me I should be waking him at 10pm at night and downing another 180ml down his throat and another BB feed then. I just cant justify it..he needs his sleep to help heal aswell. He is a cat napper through the day and I really dont mind that because we do do the physio 4 times and I would prefer him to be awake in that period.

Anyway im not going to let this woman who has seen my baby boy for half an hour over the last 2 months make a judgement call on what she thinks of my mothering skills anymore!

I am mother..............HEAR ME ROAR!!!!!!

Good on you, hun! :clap:

WTG Maz :clap:

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There should actually be a medal struck for mums like you. ON mothers day it should be you on the 6 o'clock news with a tiara and a cape - not some celebrity mum.

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Well said Barb. I couldn't have said it any better myself! It's so true Maz, there IS such a thing as superwoman!

You are doing a fabulous job - never forget that. There should actually be a medal struck for mums like you. ON mothers day it should be you on the 6 o'clock news with a tiara and a cape - not some celebrity mum.


Well said Barb. I couldn't have said it any better myself! It's so true Maz, there IS such a thing as superwoman!

Nahhh - you guys just have to much BB juice squirted in your eyes!!!!

Big Hugs your way Maz!
Though not exactly the same - I have battled with my MCHN's as well for the choice's I have made for James. The hardest thing for me is that at our clinic you take whoever is there so you often have different people at different visits. I had one lady giving me HEAPS of grief about the fact that I still demand fed at beyond a year of age and co-slept! I was in tears by the time I left!
You are doing an AMAZING job with Mat and you should be really proud of yourself. Seek the information you need and want from elsewhere (glad to see you are already doing that) and know that deep down you are doing everything you possibly can for your boy! I will look forward to further updates on here as to how things are going...

Now that's the Maz we all know and love :D Like I said earlier, you know what's best for your little man, and you make sure you give him exactly that.

Maz, I am SO happy that you're feeling better about things! Good on you for reaching out for more advice, you truly are a supermum :D I couldn't agree with the others more :clap:

Ohh so glad to hear you're sounding brighter Maz! :D I would have thought that the weight expectations might be slightly different for a Cerebral Palsy kiddo too, so definitely find out a bit more on that, you might be able to find something out to ease your mind, or come up with something that won't compromise your breastfeeding.

Also, like Jol's Sophie, Riv always was skinny and people would make comments about how at his age he should be fatter and was he sick and was I feeding enough, did I have enough milk, blah blah. I remember how it was to be so discouraged, even though I knew in my head that I was doing everything right, ticking every box. But now, our little skinny man is a chubba at something ridiculous like 14kg, and some people are telling me he seems unusually big! :P And I know he eats less than many kids and I'm doing everything right AGAIN.

Just thought I'd encourage you that each kid dances to their own tune, develops differently at different stages, and will never be exactly the same as any other kid. Obviously as Mat's mum you're keeping an eye on him, and it's fantastic that you're getting some other opinions too, but I have a feeling your parenting is spot on, no-one knows your little guy better than you. :hug:

Hey Maz, so glad to see this and that you are giving a big raspberry to the MCHN ;) He is doing just great as he is. Check out this link too for BF baby weight gain kellymom.com :: Average Weight Gain for Breastfed Babies (Metric) - Mat isn't that far under what the average is, so in my book that means he is doing great.

BTW - what you said about CP kids, that might have more to do with it than you think. My neice has mild CP from birth trauma and was fully BF till 12mths and she was a tiny little thing too until about 8mths old (she is now 16mths and still BF, but has cows milk now too) and she was having a lot of intensive physio too.

Maz, just wanted to let you know I think you are an amazing woman and an inspirational mother :) :hug:

The only people i know with CP are very very lean. It makes sense - the brain is misfiring electricity to the muscles the whole time, there is often constant muscle activity of some kind, think how many calories that uses! Plus his brain is healing. Then the PT on top for your little guy...he sounds spot on what one would expect to me! You MCHN obviously doesn't encounter families like yours or women like you much! Probably she sees so many chubby FF babies she's forgotten that the %tile chart actually means anything ON the chart is normal!

You're doing a marvelous job beautiful mama, don't you forget it.

Bx

it's hard to always be strong enough at the right time, to come back with the one liners - when you are tired yourself.

you know in your heart what's best for Mat, you're the one that cares and observes him all the time, so what someone, who doesn't know him and his situation, sees him for 30mins - you know that's just random stuff deep down.

i'm not sure teh reason you went to the baby nurse today, but if it was for vaccination, health check up etc, could you go to your gp instead? Cos that would be one CONSISTENT person, instead of a brand new nurse each time you go to the baby nurse place. dunno, just an idea.

everyone else has said what i think too, and i'm glad FJ and Barb put their ABA caps on for you.

don't feel alone darling - you just post and we'll listen.

we all know, if Mat was failing to thrive, YOU would be the first person to notice and go get help - he's doing a sterling job - coping with the physio etc - good on him, good on you. ANother thing that burns the calories, is the actual sucking. I don't know what the deal is with his tongue, but all that sucking of the milk, that is alot of exercise for bubs too. *bilby looks like a trumpet player - gets called chubby cheeks, i suspect by people who are only used to seeing FF bubs.

she's just one person
with just one opinion
let it go hon
you know you've come so far with Mat, and you will continue to advocate adn care for him - don't let the misinformed ratfinks get you down!!:hug:

Maz, just wanted to let you know that J was FTT for a while in that first year with all the medical stuff and hospy visits, but stayed pretty much fully BF with a small small FF until 11 months, by which time she was topping the charts.

You ARE woman and we know you roar real loud when you want. That weight gain is fabbo, don't let her knock you down. Katanya fully BFd Felix with his respiratory issues for ages when he was losing weight and stuff. Because....and here's the kicker......it's not the mode of feeding which causes the FTT sometimes!! It's the other stuff going on.

He might be at the bottom of the charts if he were fully FF, purely because he has other stuff going on. In a perfectly healthy baby, you can't even blame the type of milk for low weight gain (which that 700g isn't really), so why do you think you can in a bub with medical problems? I had people telling me to put J on Formula too, puhlease! She has LIVER DISEASE!!! She's going to be a slow gainer, why take her off boob juice.

You've gotta look at his whole health. He is much better off with BM, his weight is one of the least of your concerns unless he's losing weight or not gaining at all. He is healthier with BM over F hands down and you need to look at his overall wellbeing not just how much he weighs. And stick those ruddy growth charts in the bin, they are garbage and we all know it. There has to be a spectrum of normal you know....it's all still normal. We can't all be average.

Love you Maz, you are so amazing.

Maz Hun do you see a paediatric dietician? it might be enough to simply add an extra scoop of formula to the one bottle he is having, which is what the dietician did for Em when she was FTT (but she couldn't BF - all the LC's said she was attached right, just didn't have the strong suck and what she did get made her sick). A dietician will be able to give you something to increase the calories that he gets from your milk if needed too. don't worry about him unless his nappies are not wet and he doesn't poo. the MCHN obviously only ever sees babies without SN and has no idea how fast he burns calories. as long as he is gaining then he is doing great hun.

UPDATE

I had a wonderful woman called Mandy call me and she's a LC here in Shepparton. She was utterly disgusted in the treatment that 'Val' had given me yesterday. Mandy said I was the 3rd mum to ring here this week aobut the same person and issues. She was also peeved that 'Val' recommended Nan formula to me and another mum. Soooooooo with my ok she is reporting her.
Mandy told me to keep doing what im doing and dont stop or FF if I dont want to. She said that 'Val' should have taken into account Mateauz history. She was so happy that I had continued BF as she remembered me from when Mateauz was born and how I fought the midwifes to BF him back then.

im so glad that I reached out and spoke out about my doubts in my MCHN. I just really feel for those women who go to her and listen to her as if she's right.

I honestly think the woman has a rather large 'god complex' and it so saddens me. She's ment to be there help woman like me and guide us with what we feel if right...not make us feel incompetent and useless as mothers. It really gives me doubt of the whole medical indsutry when soemthing like this happens. This woman almost wreaked my mothers day.

I am so glad that my LC Mandy is standing up for us woman here in the region and is doing something positive about this witch! I have told her I will be backing ehr all the way.

now girls.... wouldn't you all like to be a fly on the wall when I go back in 2 weeks time :)

PMSL fly on the wall, yes please!
I think all MCHN's seem to have a god complex. Mine does too...

Maz you are doing such a wonderful job with your little boy, and he is just gorgeous. She is obviously silly for not taking into account all of the 'variables' that could affect his growth.

You are one amazing mummy, don't doubt yourself girl!

Love Mandy!! She really is great!! Don't ever go and see that MCHN ever again!! I am so sick of hearing these sorts of things that come from them!!

You are doing a bang up job!! Keep at it :)

Tanya