[cjanelles]

My dd is almost 3 weeks old now.

We took her in for her second peds visit, and she is doing great. She's exceeded her original birth weight (was born at 8lbs10oz, dropped to 8lbs and is now up to 9lbs3oz), is eating like a professional and just a healthy baby, all around.

I was very pleased to get the confirmation on the weight thing because I was tired of my DH questioning whether she was "getting enough milk" when I breastfed because she was eating pretty much around the clock, and I was feeding on demand. No matter how many times I tried to explain it to him, why new babies breastfeed around the clock for the first several weeks, he is just a nervous new daddy and very anxious...

But I was really disappointed in our new pediatrician when he asked how she was doing with the breastfeeding and I told him she was still eating every 2-3 hours, most of the time, and he said that I needed to start "Watching the clock, and not the baby, with regards to how often I fed her so that I can start to get her on a schedule."

Uh, ok. Whatever. She's not even a full 3 weeks yet. I'm not about to try to SCHEDULE my infant, especially since we're BFing and I've never done it before...no way am I setting myself up for failure.

Good grief.

 

[guestmama9908]

Ughhhh such awful advice. I heard it to though when my DS was little. Just follow your mommy instincts and keep feeding on demand. Your LO will thank you.

 

[hipumpkins]

My ped has said, "you can let her cry a little now" in regards to not sleeping through the night. I just said, "No I can't"

My soon to be x ped is actually very funny and nice but just not what I want in a ped...especially after she saw DS penis and asked why I didn;t circ him.

I finally got the bill paid so I can get new ped.

Make sure you don't fall victim to their advice..I always went to WBCs with the idea that I was going to teach my ped something today.

I have over the years taught her about
E/C
rescue remedy
nursing on demand
no vit D

I did not have to educate her on Co sleeping b/c she has 4 kids and says she always wakes up covered in them

 

[saratchka]

I've never understood the desire to put an infant's nursing on a schedule. I just don't see any great advantage to it. You're completley right not to listen to his breastfeeding advice. Maybe you should give him a copy of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding or some such literature. Sounds like he's got some bad information and he's surely passing it on to others!

Why on earth aren't pediatricians required to learn more about breastfeeding? I'm always baffled by the fact that those who are supposed to provide medical care for babies don't even understand what they eat. Soooo frustrating!

 

[mamaverdi]

So why do you like this ped?

 

[broodymama]

Watch the clock instead of the baby? Why, is the clock hungry? Sheesh!

 

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Sonja Watch the clock instead of the baby? Why, is the clock hungry? Sheesh!

: that was really funny.

 

[boscopup]

What an ignorant ped.

:

Someone on one of my lists had a 6 month ped visit and her ped told her to stop using the paci for going to sleep and to let baby CIO for 2 hours. Um... why are peds even handing out parenting advice like this? It's not medical advice, and they're not trained in parenting, apparently! Letting a 6 month old cry for 2 hours? Argh! Thankfully, the mom recognized that the ped was not a parenting expert, and she is sticking with what is working for them - using the paci to go sleep, and nursing baby in the middle of the night instead of letting him cry.

I'm thankful my ped never gives parenting advice like that. She sees that I'm happy with things and is fine with me continuing with what I'm doing. She asks if I'm still breastfeeding, and when I say yes, she says good. At 4 months she said I *could* start solids if I wanted, but that I didn't need to. She also said baby didn't need any water or anything like that if he was just breastfed. And at 6 months, when I'd been feeding solids for 2 weeks (my son was ready at 5.5 months), she reminded me to keep breastfeeding as his main source of nutrition, etc, etc. I don't think she's even asked about his sleeping (although he was sleeping all night at both visits... only started waking 3 days ago, and he's 7.5 months! I think we've hit a growth spurt).

 

[Trixie Pixie's Mom]

Thats so odd! our pedetrician told me the oposite! SHe told us to watch Trixie and follow her cues, and that Trixie would set her own schedule in a few months.This was at her 4 month check up.

I say let it go in one ear and out the other

 

[alegna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamaverdi So why do you like this ped?

:

-Angela

 

[cjanelles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamaverdi So why do you like this ped?

We just changed docs in the practice I've been taking my 10 yr old daughter to for the past 3 years, so it's kind of like anything is better than the ped we just left...

Aside from the bad breastfeeding advice, this new doc doesn't seem too far out in left field (and I live in a medium-sized town in GA where AP isn't promoted and most docs are out of their minds). He actually listens to us and has said more than once, "Keep doing what works for your family. You know your baby better than anyone, and you know what to look for and be concerned about."

He seems to have more faith in the parents than most doctors do, and I appreciate that, especially since the old ped treated me like I was an idiot. (My 10 yr dd has Crohn's and I had to practically fight with the ped to get her the care she needed because the doc thought I didn't know what I was talking about.)

He has not suggested that we NOT co-sleep...and he is against CIO.

He also made a few comments yesterday about the challenges couples face when there are children in the house and how parents need to make sure they make time for each other and nurturing their relationship because kids thrive the best in homes where the parents have a good, solid, healthy relationship.

Unfortunately, I didn't take the opportunity with the BF advice yesterday to do too much educating (mostly because I'm not even too sure of my own self re: the BFing since this is my first time and I have NO experience and the baby is only 3 weeks, etc), but I did tell him that everything I'd read told me "watch the baby, not the clock" and that I wanted to continue nursing on demand to make sure that my milk supply was well-established.

This is only our second visit to this doctor...and I've had experience with MANY of the docs in our area, and so far, he seems the most open to my ideas of the best way to raise kids. I'm not above changing docs if it comes down to it, but honestly, I'm running out of options. LOL

 

[paquerette]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjanelles he said that I needed to start "Watching the clock, and not the baby, with regards to how often I fed her so that I can start to get her on a schedule."

"Wow, you must be a really smart guy indeed to have access to information that contradicts every single expert in the field of breastfeeding. You should really share that with all those internationally renowned experts who say breastfeeding infants should not be restricted to a schedule."

:

 

[cjanelles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paquerette "Wow, you must be a really smart guy indeed to have access to information that contradicts every single expert in the field of breastfeeding. You should really share that with all those internationally renowned experts who say breastfeeding infants should not be restricted to a schedule." :

 

[humblegyrl]

LOL @ clock being hungry. My pedi was ignorant about breastfeeding also. I had a lactation consultant speak to him and I also dropped off a packet about nursing on cue, average growth patterns of breastfed babies (courtesy of kellymom.com) and a couple forum discussions I had with other moms and "educated" him in that way. You'd think they'd be knowledgeable about that sorta thing. *sigh*

 

[Xenopus]

Hey Mama,

Sounds like you and DD are doing smashingly. Well done. She'll put herself on a "schedule" when her stomach is big enough to handle it, when she's developmentally ready. Doesn't this doc know that BFing is much more than nutrition? Little ones need to be held by mommy.

He sounds better than your old ped, but man, some docs are nitwits. Everything has to be measured, weighed, analyzed... the relationship between mother and breastfeeding infant is natural, perfect, and cannot be quantified...

Many hugs to you and your beautiful babe.

Best,
Xen

 

[cjanelles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xenopus Everything has to be measured, weighed, analyzed... the relationship between mother and breastfeeding infant is natural, perfect, and cannot be quantified...

Bingo!!!

This is exactly what I was trying to explain to my husband when he was disbelieving of my assertation that doctors are not very supportive of breastfeeding.

I was trying to tell him that doctors want to apply equations and tables to everything, want to be able to measure every single patient by the same criteria even though it is impossible to do...

It amazes me how some people just don't get that.

 

[Ann-Marita]

I'm going to quote myself here...

Quote:

I think a doctor that gives parenting advice is sort of like a car mechanic that tries to tell me where to drive!

 

[cdahlgrd]

:

You guys are SOOO funny!!! Is the clock hungry? A mechanic telling me where to drive.

: