i just wrote this. would you tell me what you think? 
obviously if i could go back, i would have just gotten up and left a LOT sooner.
here it is:
Dear xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
I want to start by saying that I am glad for what Valley View is trying to accomplish in our community. I appreciate that there is a place for low-income people to go and receive medical care. I am writing this letter to address an area of concern.
I recently needed to be seen by a dentist due to some pain I was having. I am new to Valley View, but called and was given an appointment. To be frank, I was nervous about how I would be treated in a low-income clinic, and worried that I would not receive the same level of compassionate care I would somewhere else.
However, I was not really concerned about how my newborn breastfed baby would be during my appointment. She is a very happy baby who had never really cried, mostly due to me following the directions of the hospital and the American Academy of Pediatrics by cue-feeding her when she shows early hunger signals.
I did tell the Valley View receptionist that I was a new mom, and needed to know how long the appointment would take because of my breastfed baby. She said it would be quick, just an hour in length.
My husband came with me to care for our newborn, so she could stay near me. My baby was asleep in her car seat when we arrived, so my husband stayed in the car with her, and I went in a few minutes early. I completed about five-minutes of paperwork and sat in the waiting room.
Half an hour went by. I asked the receptionist when I would seen, and she said it was just now time for my appointment. She said they had told me my appointment started half an hour earlier than it actually did, so I would fill out the papers. This untruth was unnecessary, and I would have brought my baby in and nursed her during that time had I been told the truth. This would have assured her being happy during my actual appointment.
Finally, I was called back to see the dentist. When he was looking in my mouth, I suddenly heard my baby frantically screaming. She has never screamed before in her life. She was in the waiting room with my husband. When the dentist was done in my mouth, I asked about nursing her in the chair or in the waiting room, and was told no because of my appointment, even though by this time the dentist was done looking in my mouth, the x-rays were taken, and I was then left alone for an extended period.
I didn’t know, but my husband had taken our completely hysterical baby back to the car to avoid disturbing other people. I checked the time and saw I had been there for almost two hours now. The dentist still had not come back to talk to me, and I was alone, just waiting and waiting.
After sitting there for a while, I decided to tell someone I was just going to leave. The dental clinic seemed deserted and it took some time to find anyone to tell that I was going.
This should have been a situation where some simple human compassion and dignity would have went a long way.
As a woman in Washington State, I have the right to nurse my baby in any place I am legally authorized to be. I’m sure you have heard about the lawsuits in this very matter. I strongly urge you to educate your staff on the needs of a mother-baby pair, and on the Washington state breastfeeding law, RCW 43.70, 9A.88.010 . I also strongly urge you to get a copy of The Washington State’s Human Rights Commission “Guide to Breastfeeding and Washington State Nondiscrimination Laws,” and make sure it is understood by your entire staff.
To quote Washington State law, children should be breastfed when they show signs of need, rather then according to a set schedule or the location.
Obviously, I did not expect to be able to nurse when the dentist was seeing me, but clearly there is no harm to anyone if I nurse while continuously waiting in the chair alone, or in the waiting room.
According to Washington State law RCW 43.70, 9A.88.010, most mothers want to breastfeed, but stop due to lack of societal support, which is what happened to me at your health care facility- ironically a place where one would expect healthy practices to be supported and encouraged.
I would think that your clinic, as a place for many low-income and minority families, would be especially accommodating to a nursing mother-baby pair. After all, surely a medical clinic should be aware that both low-income families and minority groups have lower breastfeeding rates, and thus need more support in this area. Washington state spends money each year to do just that, where your clinic could have done it for free with just a little common sense.
With all due respect, in order to prevent what happened at Valley View from happening again to my family, I will be spending thousands of dollars my family ‘doesn’t have’ to see my regular dentist, who respects the individuality of my family’s situation, is compassionate to the needs of women, and is truly patient-centered.
I genuinely ask that you train your staff properly, according to Washington state law and the basic functions of women and babies so this does not happen to any other families in you care.
Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
obviously if i could go back, i would have just gotten up and left a LOT sooner.
here it is:
Dear xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
I want to start by saying that I am glad for what Valley View is trying to accomplish in our community. I appreciate that there is a place for low-income people to go and receive medical care. I am writing this letter to address an area of concern.
I recently needed to be seen by a dentist due to some pain I was having. I am new to Valley View, but called and was given an appointment. To be frank, I was nervous about how I would be treated in a low-income clinic, and worried that I would not receive the same level of compassionate care I would somewhere else.
However, I was not really concerned about how my newborn breastfed baby would be during my appointment. She is a very happy baby who had never really cried, mostly due to me following the directions of the hospital and the American Academy of Pediatrics by cue-feeding her when she shows early hunger signals.
I did tell the Valley View receptionist that I was a new mom, and needed to know how long the appointment would take because of my breastfed baby. She said it would be quick, just an hour in length.
My husband came with me to care for our newborn, so she could stay near me. My baby was asleep in her car seat when we arrived, so my husband stayed in the car with her, and I went in a few minutes early. I completed about five-minutes of paperwork and sat in the waiting room.
Half an hour went by. I asked the receptionist when I would seen, and she said it was just now time for my appointment. She said they had told me my appointment started half an hour earlier than it actually did, so I would fill out the papers. This untruth was unnecessary, and I would have brought my baby in and nursed her during that time had I been told the truth. This would have assured her being happy during my actual appointment.
Finally, I was called back to see the dentist. When he was looking in my mouth, I suddenly heard my baby frantically screaming. She has never screamed before in her life. She was in the waiting room with my husband. When the dentist was done in my mouth, I asked about nursing her in the chair or in the waiting room, and was told no because of my appointment, even though by this time the dentist was done looking in my mouth, the x-rays were taken, and I was then left alone for an extended period.
I didn’t know, but my husband had taken our completely hysterical baby back to the car to avoid disturbing other people. I checked the time and saw I had been there for almost two hours now. The dentist still had not come back to talk to me, and I was alone, just waiting and waiting.
After sitting there for a while, I decided to tell someone I was just going to leave. The dental clinic seemed deserted and it took some time to find anyone to tell that I was going.
This should have been a situation where some simple human compassion and dignity would have went a long way.
As a woman in Washington State, I have the right to nurse my baby in any place I am legally authorized to be. I’m sure you have heard about the lawsuits in this very matter. I strongly urge you to educate your staff on the needs of a mother-baby pair, and on the Washington state breastfeeding law, RCW 43.70, 9A.88.010 . I also strongly urge you to get a copy of The Washington State’s Human Rights Commission “Guide to Breastfeeding and Washington State Nondiscrimination Laws,” and make sure it is understood by your entire staff.
To quote Washington State law, children should be breastfed when they show signs of need, rather then according to a set schedule or the location.
Obviously, I did not expect to be able to nurse when the dentist was seeing me, but clearly there is no harm to anyone if I nurse while continuously waiting in the chair alone, or in the waiting room.
According to Washington State law RCW 43.70, 9A.88.010, most mothers want to breastfeed, but stop due to lack of societal support, which is what happened to me at your health care facility- ironically a place where one would expect healthy practices to be supported and encouraged.
I would think that your clinic, as a place for many low-income and minority families, would be especially accommodating to a nursing mother-baby pair. After all, surely a medical clinic should be aware that both low-income families and minority groups have lower breastfeeding rates, and thus need more support in this area. Washington state spends money each year to do just that, where your clinic could have done it for free with just a little common sense.
With all due respect, in order to prevent what happened at Valley View from happening again to my family, I will be spending thousands of dollars my family ‘doesn’t have’ to see my regular dentist, who respects the individuality of my family’s situation, is compassionate to the needs of women, and is truly patient-centered.
I genuinely ask that you train your staff properly, according to Washington state law and the basic functions of women and babies so this does not happen to any other families in you care.
Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Don't ask, just do it, particularly if they're not even attending to you!!
(unfortunately). I too would have gone out to the waiting area to nurse. The thing is, you can't know if they were discriminating against BF or just not allowing extra people in the patient areas.
