Need help on solid routine, HV really peeing me off!

[chezzie8]

HI everyone,

My health visitors are really annoying me about Ellies solids/ fluid routine. I dont know where I am right now. ANyway this is our routine,
Ellie has bad reflx, was weaned early cause of it and poor swallow, she is on thickened feeds also. On neocate formula.

They have told me the last few weeks she has put on too mch weight. Use to be on about 60th centile when breastfed, had to stop, and with increase in meds she does feed better, and with the solids and formula she is on on the 98th. But, she is also on the 98th for her height. She is a big baby. My friends mum is a pead and she says because she is now on the same centile, then she does not need to lose weight as she is in proportion, and the health visitors obviously cant read centile charts. I had previously dropped to four bottles a day, and this is hard as with her reflux she feeds to soothe her throat still. Now they are telling me to drop to 3! I mean fat chance! I'm struggling with the four. She can only take little and often. This was yesterdays routine.

7.30 wake and medicine.
8.00 Formula  6 0z ish.
10.00 Breakfast one oatabix, with 1/4 tub soy yogurt. 1 oz formula sippy cup.
12.30 lunch. 1/2 jar stage two meat with veg. Same amount of fruit. 1oz ish of formula sippy cup.
3.00 bottle formula, 6 oz ish.
5.00 dinner. 1/2 jar stage two meat with veg, same amount fruit again. 1 oz sippy cup.
7.00 bed bottle, 7 oz.

Any advice would be great, I just dont know if what Im doing is right or not. I'm seeing her consultant in two weeks so will ask her too.

Cheryl

[woopster]

Cheryl, how old is she?  How often do you see your HV? Do you go to the clinic or do they come to you?

[chezzie8]

Hi ya,

Sorry, she is 7 months. I go quite reguarly to clinic, cause of her reflux, i need to titrate the meds. We are also on the coni system, care of the next infant, cause we lost our first, they keep an eye on us.

Cheryl

[Johno & Aurelias Mum]

Hi

The only thing I thought might be good would be to swap the early bottle and breakfast round so that you have the solids interspersed with milk and you've then got your three meals you want to end up with in pretty much the right places.  When we got to that stage I just carried on as I was until DS naturally started dropping bottles.  So the mid morning one went first, then the mid afternoon.

[EmMUK74]

I can't see anything wrong with your schedule and speaking as a mum of a girl who had extremely bad reflux (but she therefore had the problem of not putting on weight) I would say stick with it and ignore the HVs.

and on the subject of HVs - we hear all the time that Rachel is too tall and too thin and we should feed her more - you should see how much she eats!!  she's just lean and that's fine so now I ignore the HV.

[shanaz]

Hi

I've got no advice really as my dd is 6.5 months old but I was interested re: the dropping of bottles. 

My DD had reflux (not as bad as most though thankfully) so was also put onto solids early.  She took ages (about 2 months) to get the hang of them and then since she hit 6 months she's just gone crazy for her food!  My nursery are telling me that she doesn't need her daytime bottles but I feel that she does - she should have about 500mls/16.5oz a day and she only has about 4.5oz on average at each feed.  We've dropped the 11am feed quite naturally but feel she should still have the 3pmish (we tend to do it at about 3.30) milkfeed.

How does this sound?  I then do dinner at about 4.30pm so that she's ready for her bedtime milk at 7.  The problem with this at the mo is that she's staying awake for so long now - sometimes 4 hrs!! 

It sounds to me like you're doing well and I agree, if her weight & height centile charts match then there isn't a problem (that's what I was told by DR and HV).

Good luck
Shanaz

[chezzie8]

Thanks everyone,

I will do as suggested, and swop the bottle first thing to her brekkie. She still wants about 2 oz after it though, but I wont lose sleep over this at the moment.  I think I will then let her drop her bottles, and deal with it when I need too.

Thanks for all your help. Reflux babies are a rule to themselves arent they! Thank you for the re-assurance ladies, I will def ignore those HV's!

Cheryl x