tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post6337386116053419119..comments2023-03-31T05:59:51.984-07:00Comments on The Mule: Health VisitorsThe Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06786143388807016249noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-21008510194959287482011-06-10T14:26:09.970-07:002011-06-10T14:26:09.970-07:00thanks Michelle, that's an interesting story. ...thanks Michelle, that's an interesting story. especially of interest to me the suggestion to supplement. you could well have felt vulnerable at this point and reached for the formula. <br />i have just emailed the MP so watch this space! xThe Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06786143388807016249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-1166170587017194572011-06-10T13:41:15.926-07:002011-06-10T13:41:15.926-07:00My health visitor experience was neither positive ...My health visitor experience was neither positive or negative really. She was super-pro breastfeeding, to the point I where on more than one occasion it crossed my mind that if had been a formula feeding mum, I probably would've felt very ashamed for not breastfeeding! <br />I can't remember much as the first 6 months of my baby's life were a blur, but I can remember feeling like she didn't have much time and I never knew if it was ok to ring her or not.<br />We also had some weight gain issues in the early days where my baby lost over the average amount of weight and took 4 weeks to get back up to her birth weight. I do remember feeling very stressed and I didn't like the almost daily weigh-ins. But my HV kept stressing that it was only a precaution and that my baby appeared to be very alert and fine in every other way, so that was quite helpful, but I still could've done without the constant monitoring. She did mention supplementing with either expressed breastmilk (yeah right! My baby was nursing round the clock, I didn't have time to express!) or formula, but I didn't do either in the end.<br />But I have heard some horror stories from other mums regarding their experiences with HVs, so I do agree this is an issue that needs to be addressed!Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01125037227531010188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-39452589794731028432011-06-08T12:01:26.862-07:002011-06-08T12:01:26.862-07:00thanks lysterical i quite agree. xthanks lysterical i quite agree. xThe Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06786143388807016249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-25975869333191042992011-06-07T14:27:30.708-07:002011-06-07T14:27:30.708-07:00I couldn't agree more! I have repeatedly been ...I couldn't agree more! I have repeatedly been shocked by how uninformed the advice of HV's and midwives can be. I was better read after a year of having a baby than any health professional I know. Do they not have any continuous professional development? And if they do, what on earth are they learning? Certainly nothing of what I have learnt, and though the books I have read are by their very nature 'popular science' and therefore dumbed down for the lay person, I can sort out for myself the ones that apply with common sense the findings of real science (unlike Gina Nazi Ford).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-20288024720900613592011-04-29T13:07:49.551-07:002011-04-29T13:07:49.551-07:00Hi! I'm really glad you wrote about this, beca...Hi! I'm really glad you wrote about this, because very sadly, I'm sure these sad difficult experiences are shared by so many many mums. I was very lucky in terms of HV, as I had a very calm very experienced HV who had travelled much and it seems had been exposed to many different ways of doing things. However, after she left, I did meet some HVs whose advice I just generally ignored and I went on doing my own thing, co-sleeping, picking her up when she cried, pretty much the same things that you have done, (attachment parenting, I believe). I too looked at Elizabeth Pantry's No Cry Sleep Solution, and did a lot of it.<br />We did eventually move G in to her own room, with a little trick, we moved her in to her own room, straight after a holiday, and have never looked back since. But we have also played musical beds etc. I suppose the mantra, this too shall pass, is so very true. I try to remind myself that it won't be long before she's a teen who won't want to be seen with me (I hope not!:)) Good luck and sounds like you're doing great! (Sorry for the long comment)Li-linghttp://www.thegeorgous.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-18711730522478992832011-04-23T13:49:44.280-07:002011-04-23T13:49:44.280-07:00thanks tanya!
i checked out your post. i've ha...thanks tanya!<br />i checked out your post. i've had weight gain issues too with my second baby and it is so hard, very emotive, as we so desperately want them to thrive, and especially when breastfeeding and we cannot see how much they are getting...it's tricky.<br />i am getting lots of stories about HV's at the mo and intend to gather them together over the next few weeks and forward to my MP.<br />i will be writing a follow up post soon.<br />thanks for reading xThe Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06786143388807016249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-35542599322360551712011-04-23T12:49:30.646-07:002011-04-23T12:49:30.646-07:00I previously posted about my frustrations with HVs...I previously posted about my frustrations with HVs: http://chatty-t.blogspot.com/2010/08/fed-up.html<br /><br />I do really think it's the luck of the draw as have heard from some who had fanstastic experiences, as well as others who had terrible ones with HVs.<br /><br />Also, after writing the above I didn't return to a HV until my daughter's 1 year appointment at which I had a new woman who also had young children, could relate to being a new mother much more and who looked at my daughter within her own context, rather than as an out of context number on the chart. Aside from sometimes pushing misinformation, this seems to be a common downfall of health visitors. They have standard charts and benchmarks and if children don't measure up to them they often see that as a red flag before considering the wider circumstances and evidence.<br /><br />Hear hear to your mission!Tanya (Bump2Basics)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11190613569079236305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408457313131912061.post-75655910902534803682011-04-19T12:52:41.445-07:002011-04-19T12:52:41.445-07:00My first experience of a health visitor was fantas...My first experience of a health visitor was fantastic - I lived in a small village and you actually got a proper appointment in a private room - so much nicer than the bun fight that is most "baby clinics"... When we moved we had the same health visitor for nearly a year and she was great. More than happy that I was having the babies close together, encouraging of breastfeeding, baby led weaning, home birth etc etc. But then she left...<br /><br />And we had an un-ending succession of different people so I just dropped out of the system. As with you the only advice I was ever given re sleep was the Richard Ferber method of leaving them for going back to them repeatidly leaving a bigger gap. I dont disagree with him if nothing else has worked but it would have been nice to be presented with some options! She took the attitude of - You want her to sleep? Do this.<br /><br />My general opinion of anyone in the health care profession involving children is that some are great - some are awful and there are varying degrees in the middle. Once again, as with all my crusades... I want Health vistors and Midwives to all be of top standard, uptodate in training and basing their decsion on fact and experience, not their own personal belief or misguided ideas from the 70's...Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10690078158754200368noreply@blogger.com