Is This Bad?

[ChetMC]

The pediatrician we see here has some misinformation about breastfeeding. In particular, he wants no night nursing because of tooth decay, and he wanted DS to be on iron drops at 6 months because of low iron in breastmilk and the fact that DS had no other iron sources in his diet.

At the appointments I do whatever combination of lying, ignoring, and nodding vaguely that gets us through our visit. I feel mildly guilty about not standing my ground and attempting to educate this man.

What do you do when a medical professional gives you misinformation about breastfeeding?

[Ophelia]

Well, here's some great info and links on the dental stuff:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=896720

Can't help you with the iron though as I don't know much about that.

[Kappa]

I just never totally "got" this advice. Sure, baby bottle mouth is real, but even if it applied to night nursing (it doesn't, breastmilk is not formula), you'd think docs would present it as a risk/benefit type of choice. Sure, there is the risk of decay, but it's up to you to decide what's important. Not a blanket "don't do it," just a "Here's this information, decide what's best for your individual baby."

[birdie22]

Usually I just bite my tongue. In an egregious case like the one you mentioned, I have said "That contradicts what I have been reading. Can you direct me to to a resource for that information?"

I was actually asking this question of an OB who cited a ridiculous statistic to scare me out of a VBAC. As soon as I said this, he started backpedalling and basically admitted he really didn't know the most current info.

[annekevdbroek]

Well, what did he propose for you to feed the baby at night? Or were you just not to feed at night at all under any circumstances?

If he really was concerned about tooth decay, wouldn't suggesting giving a quick wipe to teeth be more effective.

I tend to do what you do - I ignore, mostly,. nod polietly. I do sometimes say "really? That isn't what i've heard..." I should do as PP suggested and ask for a reference.

[lacysmommy]

Well, my daughter had some pretty serious decay and had to have two teeth removed and extensive dental work done (it got to this point mostly because of incompetent dentists), but I don't think it was the night nursing alone that did it. I think if I had done a better job and brushing her teeth she would have been fine. I also think getting her teeth in early played a roll in it. Sure, there's a risk of tooth decay, but I wouldn't night wean before 12 months and I would focus more on healthy teeth habits before then.

[calebsmommy25]

It is so frustrating that some doctors are misinformed on so many issues. It makes my heart sad for those parents who do not question and just go with what the doctor says. My doc wanted to put my little one on iron, flouride and vitamin d drops because we were breastfeeding. The same doc said to start cereal at 4 months and partially retracted (I grabbed his hand to stop him) my ds. We are in the process of finding a physician who can properly care for him, who is well informed and is more in line with our views. Unfortunately, we are not having any luck.

If you plan on starting solids at 6 months, there are plenty of naturally iron rich foods your baby can have, but if you hold off on solids and your child wasn't a preemie, and/or you don't have any problems with your iron levels, I don't think you should worry about it.

I think you need to look at all the correct information out there and make up your own mind. Make a choice that is right for you and your family. I hate confrontation, and normally back down in most situations, but when it comes to my ds...watch out! I am Mama...Hear me roar. Next time you have an appointment, try to prepare yourself with things to say to your doc that will come up. If you feel strong enough to speak and educate, go for it. If not, you can always print out some information and hand it to him and simply say something along the lines of, "Here is some information I thought you might want to look at, or I think you should look at" or just hand it to him. That will make a statement too.

Here is a link about iron:

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html

[ChetMC]

To clarify the question, I know that the doctor is wrong. An exclusively breastfed baby, carried full term with no other health issues does not need iron drops. All of this iron paranoia came out of a generation of babies drinking unfortified formula. Breastmilk also protects teeth from decay. It has an amazing capacity to impede bacteria growth.

My question is, is it irresponsible of me to not attempt to educate this doctor?

[ChetMC]

Originally Posted by annekevdbroek

Well, what did he propose for you to feed the baby at night? Or were you just not to feed at night at all under any circumstances?

If he really was concerned about tooth decay, wouldn't suggesting giving a quick wipe to teeth be more effective.

I tend to do what you do - I ignore, mostly,. nod polietly. I do sometimes say "really? That isn't what i've heard..." I should do as PP suggested and ask for a reference.

The doctor feels that at nine months a baby shouldn't need to eat at night for hunger. I disagree, especially in the case of babies who are reverse cycling, which DS has done, but he suggested a bottle of water or a soother if DS needed something to suck for comfort.

This particular doctor is opposed to babies developing sleep associations where they need a person with them to go to sleep, or to get back to sleep when they wake up. This is part of the reason that I've avoided getting into it with him because it's not just breastfeeding info, but also ideas about sleep, and I feel like it would be opening a massive can of worms.

[beru]

Originally Posted by ChetMC

To clarify the question, I know that the doctor is wrong. An exclusively breastfed baby, carried full term with no other health issues does not need iron drops. All of this iron paranoia came out of a generation of babies drinking unfortified formula. Breastmilk also protects teeth from decay. It has an amazing capacity to impede bacteria growth.

My question is, is it irresponsible of me to not attempt to educate this doctor?

I too suffer from this guilt when I don't "correct" doctors' bad advice. Usually I ignore, nod vaguely, etc. I have on two occasions educated doctors successfully or semi-successfully. 1. My daughter is in a rear-facing carseat and the doctor thought she should be forward-facing at 12 months. And 2. MY son's foreskin does not need to be retractable by 3 or by 4 or by any age as long as he has no pain and he can pee. In the first case, the doctor thanked me for educating her. In the second case, it was a PA who acted confused and agreed to "look into it more". I don't know how that ended up since I never saw her again.

Anyway, even though I am proud of these two instances, it was really very very hard for me. I got red and my heart raced. It was almost a full-fledged panic attack. I hate confrontation. It was so uncomfortable. So I can totally understand that if you can't do it, you can't do it. Your number one priority is to yourself and your child. You can only take on so much. Now, I have decided to pick my battles.

[smeep]

Originally Posted by ChetMC

The pediatrician we see here has some misinformation about breastfeeding. In particular, he wants no night nursing because of tooth decay, and he wanted DS to be on iron drops at 6 months because of low iron in breastmilk and the fact that DS had no other iron sources in his diet.

At the appointments I do whatever combination of lying, ignoring, and nodding vaguely that gets us through our visit. I feel mildly guilty about not standing my ground and attempting to educate this man.

What do you do when a medical professional gives you misinformation about breastfeeding?

I correct them. It's a hassle sometimes but, if the doctor is willing to listen, it's very important for future patients who may not be educated enough to disregard the harmful advice.

For what it's worth, night nursing poses no risks unless babe has obvious carries. Even then it's unclear as to whether weaning from night nursing will help, but weaning altogether will make it worse (DS developed carries, bad ones, around 18 months so I did a lot of research - we were able to significantly cut back on nursing after brushing his teeth before bed but we still nursed some at night). Also, if a babe really still NEEDS to nurse at night, night weaning is definitely not a good idea. Your doctor (as well as most who have this misinformation) base it on the fact that bottle fed babies are more likely to develop carries from sleeping with a bottle. The difference is due to the fact that breastmilk has protective effects whereas anything else does not and that with nursing a babe has to actively suck and swallow to get more than the occasional drop out so comfort sucking is fine but with bottles they often drip into babe's mouth quite a bit.

With the iron I would ask for an iron test to prove that my baby's iron is low and needs supplementation before prophylactically prescribing somethiing that has the potential to be more harmful than helpful if not needed. And advise that he/she test all babies' iron before recommending the same. Just go to kellymom for info on the risks that iron supplements, particularly in EBF babies, pose.

[Sanveann]

I don't agree with NO night nursing, but I do want to mention that DS1 actually does have tooth decay from us allowing him to fall asleep with a bottle of EBM. (I was an EPer.) We never let him sleep with it in his mouth all night, and he was never allowed sugary food.

I understand that the mouth works differently in BFing than when drinking out of a bottle, and that can help prevent cavities, because the milk doesn't pool near the front teeth. However, our pediatric dentist did say he's seen cases in EBFed babies (not ones who were drinking EBM).

That said, our family has genetically terrible teeth! So IMHO, all-night-long nursing might not be a brilliant idea in a family where everyone has terrible teeth. But I can't imagine ever saying NO night nursing.

[polykow]

Originally Posted by Kappa

I just never totally "got" this advice. Sure, baby bottle mouth is real, but even if it applied to night nursing (it doesn't, breastmilk is not formula), you'd think docs would present it as a risk/benefit type of choice. Sure, there is the risk of decay, but it's up to you to decide what's important. Not a blanket "don't do it," just a "Here's this information, decide what's best for your individual baby."

what you do is make sure once your child starts solids never go to bed without brushing, Actually start today to massage their gums and get them used to it. You can use a piece of gauze around your finger for that.
Breastmilk on clean teeth = no cavities
but added on top of food debris and it makes the mouth environment more cariogenic.
Also do not share utensils or food so you or nyone don't transmit .bacteria.
If your childs mouth is kept clean and no bactera is present there will be little to no chance for cavities.

[Siera]

I just nod, say "ok", and do whatever to get the appointment to end sooner! I don't believe anything I say will change what the pediatrician thinks.

[smeep]

Originally Posted by ChetMC

All of this iron paranoia came out of a generation of babies drinking unfortified formula.

My question is, is it irresponsible of me to not attempt to educate this doctor?

Do you have any resources on that mention about iron? That would be really helpful to me with my research paper! (Re: my iron thread).

And, no, it's not irresponsible IMO but not helpful to not at least try to inform him of his/her ignorance, for the sake of other moms and babies.

[smeep]

Originally Posted by ChetMC

The doctor feels that at nine months a baby shouldn't need to eat at night for hunger. I disagree, especially in the case of babies who are reverse cycling, which DS has done, but he suggested a bottle of water or a soother if DS needed something to suck for comfort.

This particular doctor is opposed to babies developing sleep associations where they need a person with them to go to sleep, or to get back to sleep when they wake up. This is part of the reason that I've avoided getting into it with him because it's not just breastfeeding info, but also ideas about sleep, and I feel like it would be opening a massive can of worms.

He's also clearly ignorant of the risks of nipple preference and confusion...many doctors don't think it exists or that it can't happen past a certain age but it can happen even in babies 9 months of age.