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Home › Articles › Breastfeeding Basics › Doc Talk

Doc Talk

How Much Does Your Doctor Really Know About Breastfeeding?

By Gwen Morrison

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"I have brought in research that I pulled up online," Warren says. "I feel that if I, [a layman], am able to find this information, that a doctor should already have it."

Dangerously Uninformed
"In July of this year, we had no less than five babies come into the hospital suffering from dehydration," Spatz says. "If a mother doesn't know if her child is getting enough milk, she won't know if he becomes dehydrated or worse."

This is the scary part: You leave the hospital with your baby with little knowledge of what to expect and without appropriate information on how to handle problems as they arise. So, you make an appointment at your pediatrician's office only to discover that he doesn't have any more than a vague idea about the basics of breastfeeding.

"Having lactation specialists is a wonderful thing, but they can't be the only source of information for a nursing mother," Spatz says. "They simply can't handle the volume. The fact is, that as wonderful as it is to have a specialist in this area, it doesn't absolve the doctors from acquiring current information on this complex area."

If talking to your doctor isn't getting you anywhere, and sharing your well-researched information is not sinking in, you may have to consider changing physicians. If you do, it might be wise to do a little research first. It would be to your advantage to interview physicians to get a feel for their thoughts and education on breastfeeding. Keep in mind it is possible to find pediatricians and family physicians who are also board-certified lactation consultants (IBCLCs).

"I switched obstetricians after my doctor tried to convince me that breastfeeding was causing my postpartum depression," says *Harriet Eden of Fort Dodge, Ind. "I came in very sick and was sent home with a prescription and the advice to quit nursing. When I asked for a more baby-friendly prescription in case I decided to continue to nurse, he was insistent – almost to the point of being angry. That was the last time I went to that doctor."


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