Doctors should be required to take a breastfeeding info class or something.

[ChristusG]

Seriously, doctors should be required to take some sort of breastfeeding informational class before being allowed to practice. I've run across so many that are just clueless.

 

I went to the dr today because I've been having some annoying symptoms. As soon as a dr finds out that you are nursing, especially a toddler, all of their medical knowledge flies out the window.

 

The dr told me I could take a decongestant.....I said no, it could decrease my milk supply. She insisted that since my dd is 23 months old, my milk supply is well established and will not be affected. A decongestant is meant to dry up fluids....it won't differentiate between mucus, a well established milk supply, or a new milk supply. It just dries things up.

 

I also told her my back and neck had been hurting. She immediately tells me that since I'm nursing a toddler, the weight must be pulling on my back and neck muscles. Seriously.....I've nursed two other kids straight through toddlerhood and never had this issue. Not to mention that my nearly 2 year old toddler only weighs 22 pounds. I'm thinking more along the lines that I may have a disc issue in my neck. Not nursing.

 

After I had my first DD, I had a nurse practitioner tell me that she couldn't believe I was still nursing my 18 month old because milk was supposed to dry up when the baby turned one. Huh???

 

The only good dr I've run across was an ER dr who I saw when I had a gallbladder attack and hadn't been diagnosed with gallstones yet. DD #3 was only 2 months old and he went over and beyond to tell me about the medications they wanted to give me in an IV.....he actually took the time to research them himself right there in the ER. Otherwise, my experience with doctors and their knowledge about breastfeeding hasn't been very good. It's actually scary to know that a young mom could run across one of these doctors and really harm her milk supply. I research things into the ground lol.

[2_girls_mommy]

I am not looking forward to going through all of that w/every dr. I meet again either.  I nursed dd9 til she was almost 3.  I had some tests run and several hospital and dr. visits during that time.  They all had weird reactions to a nursing toddler.  As did the judge when I was called to jury duty who didn't know the law excusing nursing mothers.   This is one problem I am not looking forward to again when new one comes next year.

[Ellie]

:sad:

 

It has always been thus. Sad but true.