grr blomming HV.. advice needed re milk & food intake

[mum2A&L]

Well i got alice weighed yesterday, and asked the HV about if i needed to change alice up to the step up formula. she asked how much milk alice was having, and how much food.

Alice has 6 lots of 7oz bottles (some times she may only take 5 oz though), she still wakes at night for milk - water just don't cut it, and she has three meals a day. Breaky tends to be scrambled egg on toast, or something on toast. lunch is a sandwich of sorts (dairylea that type of thing), or rice cakes with stuff. dinner is what ever we are having - potatoes, veg, chicken. i don't offer desert becuase by the time she has finished feeding herself she gets bored of the whole idea. during the day she may have the odd snack - but of fruit, etc.

Well, firstly, i couldn't speak to my hv as she has been moved to a different clinc, so at the moment i don't have a named HV (whihc ive been told i need becuase of my pnd ), so i have to have who ever is free. 2ndly when i said alice feeds herself i got the oddest look, almost like she didn't believe me

well then she said that alice should only be having 3 bottles a day?! that i was filling my baby up on milk. she said i should be offering more soilds? that i should be feeding my daughter desert. baby lead weeners - any ideas on what i can offer alice for desert that she can feed herself? she has rice cakes that i dip in yogurt.

then she suggested watering down her milk at night!!!! my other HV said never to water down bottles. now i don't know what to believe. she said to water down the bottles, so i don't fill her up on milk over night. i might be a bit slow, but isn't a baby who has a full belly going to sleep better at night?!

what does all your 7 month olds eat and drink? im confused, on the one had, alice is doing great, and now ive been told she is drinking too much milk and not eating enough

Help!!

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

I have been told this as wel when i got Keeley weighed on monday i was told she should only be having 2 bottles a day.... but to me i think thats not enough????

So what i do now is when she wakes up i give her breakfast
then about 10.30 she has a 8oz bottle.. then lunch at 12.30... then a bottle at 2.30 then dinner at 5.30

I dunno whether its me tryin to keep the bottles so in my head she's still a baby


If she wakes at night i just give her some water or a dummy... after one night she stopped waking

Hope that helps

 

[kayzee]

Hi sam

I struggle to get 3 bottles into tia in a day

She just seemed to drop them on her own and i was worried at first, like nic, that maybe she wasnt getting enough.

Have you tried to space her out a bit during the day so she only has bottle around mealtimes?

Maybe seems shes having so many and still hungry earlier than usual, what about trying the milk for hungry babies instead of the step up?

With tia she has a bottle about half 7 then an hour later her breakfast

She has lunch which is a sandwich and fruit, yoghurt or even a tin of baked beans and bacon, followed by a bottle as a drink, sometimes she'll drain it other times only take 3 or 4 ozs.

if she wants something in the afternoon she'll have a biscotti biscuit or some organix carrot puffs (look like giant wotsits) and a drink of water

Tea time (5ish) she'll have equivalent or more of a whole jar of main and a jar of pudding with a drink of water

Then a bottle before bed 6-8ozs

It does sound like she could be filling up on milk hun, try giving her weetabix or porridge for brekkie with a bottle and see how she goes and if she wants something mid morning offer her a snack with a drink instead of milk, then off a bottle at lunchtime with her food. Then again in the afternoon a snack with a drink instead of a bottle and see how she goes.

Shes such a happy healthy little girly and shes a credit to you, all babies are different so try not to worry

Youre doing great xx

 

[Nicky_Jones]

I was being told similar things when Ellie was about 6months. However I was giving Ellie 3 meals a day + 1 snack. Each of those meals were 2 courses. However Ellie just wouldn't eat much. I do find that a change of pallet does encourage her to eat a bit more.

I am not doing BLW but suggestions I have for dessert:

Strawberrys (Ellie loves these)
Any other fruit really.
Cakes

I am a bit stuck as almost everything else really could use a spoon, I give Ellie fruit, yogurt, icecream, strawberry flan, creme caramel, something & custard, semolina.

I did try not feeding Ellie so much (I am BF) but she wasn't having any of it.

 

[mum2A&L]

thanks ladies.

Nic, thats kinda what my HV suggested - that im keeping her in 'baby mode'. where as im just giving her what she wants. she started doing her normal moans for a bottle earlier so i tried to give her some banana, but it was just discarded,and then the tantrum started till she got her bottle.

my aim for the next two weeks is to see if i can get her to drop one bottle. If i offer food and water instead of grabbing a bottle and see how that goes. If she is still moaning after 15 mins then i will get a bottle for her.

also, i still give her milk before i let her eat her dinner. is it worth swapping to after?

im trying not to be overly worried. i think its more the way the HV said it that has bugged me.

Thanks again ladies... where would i be with out you!!

 

[Nicky_Jones]

Yes I would definitely give her the bottle meals rather than before. Though saying that I give Ellie breastfeeds between meals if that makes any sense.

Also offer her a pudding after the main course, as I said before Ellie will take more food that way, after she has had enough of the main course.

 

[Princess_Puddles]

I really don't know what to suggest as every baby is different. Harrison has 2 bottles a day and sometimes 3, his routine is this:

Breakfast: Weetabix or porridge mixed with half of a 7oz bottle. Drink remainder of bottle

Lunch: Sandwich, crispies, rice cakes, bread sticks etc.. then a yoghurt or fruit and then either 3-4oz of milk or 2-3oz of water

Dinner: Spag bowl, Fish, Chicken etc.. and then a pudding and a drink of water

Bed time: 7oz bottle (Doesn't drink all of it anymore though)

As Harry started to eat more food he cut his own bottles out, i definately think you should give Alice her milk after her food, because (dont take this the wrong way) you are filling her up on milk and then when it comes to her solids she isn't interested and her getting used to solids is important now

 

[mum2A&L]

mmm.. thats what i was thinking, but i was told to give alice her bottle before her food, and i never really knew when to stop.


thanks for the tips ladies


so far today, she has had 4 bottles (although the last one, i only gave her 4 oz). Going to try offering water tonight and see how it goes.

she had banana covered in custard for desert, but it went everywhere but in her mouth

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

Aww Keeley has banana and custard but she spits the banana out so really she just has a bowl of custard

 

[mum2A&L]

bless her heart.

what other things can i give her with custard that she can feed herself? she doesn't know how to 'work' a spoon, and i want to avoid spoon feeding her at all costs.

i might overcook some rice pudding and see if it makes it really thick and gloopy, so i can plop it in front of her and she can make a lovely mess with it.

 

[Becky101]

I have read that once they get the idea of solids you should give them their milk after their meal. From what I understand about BLW she should start cutting out her own bottles as she eats more food. I am sure that Jack is cutting down on his feeds, I don't always get the timing right though so sometimes he doesn't want his solids.

How about a rusk for pudding, Jack loves them he chews on it for ages.

 

[mum2A&L]

alice has the odd rusk as a quick brekky if we are in a rush she some times turns her nose up at them, depends what mood she is in.

alice woke twice last night. her dummy soothed her waking the first time, and i tried water the 2nd - 2nd cut it, and she drained 6 oz of milk in the end.

and she has woke EXTRA early this morning

but, that means we dropped one bottle, just by offering water and food yesterday instead of jumping for the bottle.

 

[Nicky_Jones]

If this is any help this is Ellies routine for solids and has been since she was 6months.

90 Snack (breadsticks, biscuits, rusk, muffins etc) if in nursery or Breakfast (toast, cereal, banana etc) if with me
11:30 Lunch 2 courses, always cooked food like shepherds pie and veg + dessert
3:30 Tea (2 courses), sandwiches and fruit or yogurt, generally always finger food and she completely feeds herself this meal.
6:15 Dinner, again 2 courses, and always cooked food + dessert.

We are still on ~4 breastfeeds in 24 hrs. (occasionally this is 3 occasionally this is 5). Though the last couple of nights she has woken at 4:30 ish for an extra feed. We had been doing a lot better at nights. Though she hasn't had much of her main lunch course the last couple of days at nursery either. However I am determind to let her drop the feeds not me. Though once she turns 1, I am planning on asking the nursery to try and give her a cup of cows milk instead of her bottle as I would love to stop having to express at work. However if she isn't satisfied with that I will carry on for a while longer.