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Need advice - just back from HV (also in BIMarch)

Had LO weighed and she is now 18lbs! Little chuncky monkey.

I have been keeping a feed and sleep diary as I think she is beginning to get hungrier ifkwim

Anyway the hv said to start her on hungry baby milk as she is still sleeping through the night. I queried it (dont get me wrong I am not desperate to start weaning) as she is feeding every 2.5 to 3 hours during the day and taking between 220ml and 260ml at each feed, which as far as I am aware is more than a 6 month old should be taking.

I am a bit hesitant to start her on HB formula as it makes babys consitpated and she already suffers a little with constipation (really does not like water or juice although I force it down her). And I just know the minute I put her onto it she will get a sore tummy. The HV poo pood this today.

So just after a bit of advice really
- Do I stick her on HB formula and hope for the best
- Keep feeding her every 2.5 to 3 hours
- Start to wean

Purple Sox and Little Sox 18+5

Replies

  • I think weaning has to be something baby is ready for otherwise it will be a complete battle for you and upset you both! other than being hungeir does she show any other signs of needing to be weaned? did you want to wait til 6 months to wean? It is very possible to do so and alot of the born in jan 2010 mums have waited til 6 months. I started to wean lizzie at 17 weeks but this was on doctors advise.
    my hv did say not to give HB formula when we were in baby group and feeding more oftern would be the answer.
    sorry this hasnt been much help but ask yourselof a few of these questions and if you still feel unsure is there another hv you could talk to for a second opinion, just say you werent sure and wanted to double check.x
  • I would say wean but only if you think your lo is ready? I think sometimes HV's just trot out the same old answers without looking at the individual?

    I spoke to the HV as at 18 weeks about exactly the same thing as I was considering hungry baby milk as lo was still feeding every 2-3 hours and she straight away said not to wean without suggesting any alternative.

    I made the decision that my lo was ready at 18 weeks due to her feeding pattern amongst other things, it was my decision to ignore the HV. If you are concerned then start slowly and see how you go. I started on one breakfast of baby rice every day for a week, bubba hated it so I changed to one breakfast of baby porridge every day for the second week and went from there?

    ;\)
  • I am starting to wean in a very gradual, casual way for the same reasons. Maddie is a very similar age to your LO and bf, and having gone 3-5 hours at night is now waking every two hours. As soon as she has fed she settles back down again, so I'm taking this as a sign that milk is beginning not to satisfy her for long enough.

    So far she has had a suck of chunks of fresh fruit and I gave her a little pear puree today. I'll introduce baby porridge soon, which unlike the fruit I would expect to fill her up a bit. Like I say I have no weaning schedule, as such - but although I'll be going fairly easy until 6 months I do feel the time is right for us now (this is backed up by the way she has evidently enjoyed the fruit she's tasted - if she wasn't interested, I would wait obviously).

    Follow-on milk made my first LO a bit sick as her little tummy wasn't used to it so for similar reasons I'd be reluctant to use HB milk, too.

    So I guess that answers it - in your position, I'd start to wean very slowly, and in the meanwhile feed milk on demand. Not saying that's the "right" answer - just what I'm doing myself.
  • If it was me, I would just continue to feed her every 2.5 - 3hrs. I bf mine, and all of them were feeding that frequently at that age. From what you say, I would avoid the hungry baby milk and start to wean v slowly instead if you really think she's hungrier - but try to put off weaning till as near to 6mths as possible.

    xx
  • if she is happy to be feeding that often and it is just in the day i would keep up with this until you think she is ready for weaning, we went onto hungry baby at 8 weeks as LO was not satisfied after a bottle, it didnt make him feed less and was not constipated on aptimal hungry baby (he was on sma hungry baby though)

    every babys intake is different, if she need that much milk and is not bringing it back i am sure it is fine, we were on a lot of milk and did wean early but i belive my LO was ready for solids x
  • My LO was on hungry baby milk for about 2 months before we started weaning and I didn't notice a difference in her poo's, amount or consistancy.

  • I agree my lo has been on hungry baby since she was about 14 weeks, she is 9 1/2 months now and it hasn't affected her poo at all.
  • I would probably just keep feeding her as and when she needs it. It is only in the last couple of weeks (dd is now 24 weeks) that dd has gone 3.5-4 hours between feeds - although she is bf. Babies go through another growth spurt at 18-20 weeks that can make some mummies think they need weaning when they really need more milk. If she still seems really hungry in another week or so you could consider weaning but i would try to ride it out. She is sleeping through the night so i don't think you are in that bad a situation at the moment.

    Good luck x
  • I agree with ladybird. We've had a nightmare few weeks with lo but just the last week he's started going a bit longer at night again (he's ebf too though) - apart from tonight buy hey ho. Was all set to wean and even tried baby rice once but he screamed so stopped and now is definitely less hungry. He's 2w weeks!

    Whatever you decide good luck!
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