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JoyNChrist
04-13-2007, 03:17 PM
So I had my 6 week postpartum checkup with my OB yesterday. He checked me out and said everything looked fine, then asked what I was planning to do for birth control. Here's the conversation that followed -

Me - "Well, I'm breastfeeding, so I know I can't get back on the pill."
Dr - "Oh, you are?"
Me - "Yes."
Dr - "Well, that's right, you can't get back on the pill. I'd suggest just using condoms until you're done breastfeeding."
Me - "That's fine...that's what I'd planned on."
Dr - "When you come back in six months for your checkup, hopefully you'll be done with all that, and we can get you on the pill."
Me - "Huh? Hopefully I'll be done with what?"
Dr - "Breastfeeding. Hopefully you'll be done in six months."
Me - "Well, no, actually, I plan to breastfeed for at least a year, which is what the *American Academy of Pediatrics* recommends."
Dr - "Hmm...well...let's just hope you're finished by the next time I see you."

Okay, what the heck is up with that?!? I mean, you're a doctor. You of all people should know that breastmilk is best for babies. Shouldn't you be encouraging me to continue for as long as I can?

This (combined with several other reasons) really makes me want to find a new OB when I'm ready for the next baby...

deenass
04-13-2007, 03:19 PM
BEYOND STUPID!!!!!

Good for you ... and if it were me, I'd get a new doc!

elliput
04-13-2007, 03:23 PM
Idiot. I am sorry you had such an unsupportive visit. And just so you know, you can take the mini-pill while BF.

SnuggleBuggles
04-13-2007, 03:46 PM
IUD too, btw.

Your Dr. sounds like a major moron. I would send him AAP info and then I would tell someone like the area LCs or nursing support groups about his lack of bf'ing support and see what they can do. :) Maybe they could at least advertise in his office so if other moms feel like you and need support they know where to turn.

Beth

bisous
04-13-2007, 03:51 PM
Unfortunately, this happens way, way too often. I'm starting to lose faith in the medical community. I heard this constantly when I was BF but just didn't listen to my practioner, thankfully. Luckily I had read enough to know that breast is best and I understood the AAP recommendation to one year which I followed and even exceeded. Sorry you had to have that experience. :)

tylersmama
04-13-2007, 04:36 PM
Wow. You would think that an OB would encourage women to breastfeed, considering all the health benefits for *mom*: decreased risk of breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer, osteoporosis, anemia, etc.!

And just because you can't use the regular bc pill while bfing, doesn't mean there aren't other options besides condoms. I've been on the minipill since my 6 wk appt, and my OB also offered me an IUD.

I would definitely think about switching doctors. What a schmuck!

maestramommy
04-13-2007, 04:51 PM
Huh?! Um, yeah I would get a new OB or don't go back for a year. For us we're going to do condoms with diaphragm until we decide whether we want to go for #3.

Why can't doctors all be on the same page about their recommendations? Why do we have to find out all this stuff for ourselves?

o_mom
04-13-2007, 04:57 PM
What a moron!

First off, you can go on the mini-pill, but many, many people have said it killed their supply.

Secondly, why on earth are you going back in 6 months? I have always been told they don't need to see me for a year unless I have a problem or get pregnant again.

Thirdly, as an OB, I would think he would be recommending what is best for YOU as well as the baby which is to BF as long as possible.

Melanie
04-13-2007, 04:59 PM
Does this strike anyone else as creepy? He shouldn't have an opinion one way or the other on you breastfeeding. Tempting to say, "Well, since it will be a cold day in hell, I guess I will be." }(

caleymama
04-13-2007, 05:08 PM
My thoughts exactly (well, except I'm not on the minipill). I'm sorry you had to deal with that.

s7714
04-13-2007, 10:31 PM
Wow, what an idiot! :o I'd find a new OB and write the old one a letter making sure he (and his medical group if he's in one) knows exactly why his unsupportive and out of date way of thinking caused him to loose a patient.

Jennifer
Mommy to
Miss Pure Energy 3/03
Miss Limit Tester 6/05

Our bones may be brittle, but our spirit is unbreakable.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta www.oif.org

Sillygirl
04-14-2007, 09:14 AM
I'd find a new OB now, personally.

BTW, I love his options: pill or condoms. Hello, there are lots of other options out there! I just got a Mirena at my 6 wk post-partum and already love it.

overcome
04-14-2007, 10:02 AM
My advice..get used to it. I am AMAZED how ignorant many many people are about breastfeeding. I thank GOD that I found this board and kellymom.com so I was aware of the real deal with bf.

I'd switch drs too.

Good luck and enjoy that new baby!

kozachka
04-14-2007, 03:00 PM
Personally, I am more concerned about this OB's lack of knowledge about birth control option for a BF mom, his direct responsibility, than how long you should/would BF, not his main specialty.

And if there are other issues involved :eyeroll, than I'd be def. looking for a new OB. Hugs.

ast96
04-14-2007, 05:43 PM
Ugh, you're right, stupid doctor!

I was on the mini-pill when I conceived my second. I don't exactly recommend it. Condoms work better until you decide what you want to do long-term, trust me!

alexsmommy
04-14-2007, 07:11 PM
Idiot.
Find a new OB/GYN asap. Talk to them - you have options and you want someone who is informed of the choices. FYI for me, the mini-pill decimated my supply so I had to stop (the mini pill, not bf)- but this may not be the case for you and as mentioned above, you can use an IUD which may or may not make sense for you depending on how "fullproof" you want your bc to be and how far apart you plan to have your kids.

Alaina
Alex Feb '03
and #2 in early summer '07

dr mom
04-15-2007, 10:42 AM
"let's just hope you're finished by the next time I see you" sounds an awful lot like "I have no clue about breastfeeding, and I don't want to learn, so I'm hoping you won't bring it up again."

What a moron. The real tragedy is that you expect an OB/GYN to be an *expert* in women's health, but it sounds like yours is out-of-date with regards to breastfeeding AND contraception.

PP's raised good points - the (progesterone-only) minipill is only effective while you are exclusively breastfeeding, preferably every few hours. When your baby starts sleeping through the night, you may start ovulating again. It is possible to ovulate and conceive before your period ever comes back. Also, while some breastfeeding women do fine with the minipill, others find that it decreases their supply.

Of course, there's no contraceptive like the sleep deprivation of a newborn baby. ;)

Your best bets for birth control would be barrier (condom, diaphragm) or copper IUD. Hormone-based contraception (pill, patch) will hurt your milk supply, and Mirena IUD can *potentially* decrease supply. It happens less often than with the minipill, but you won't know how your body is affected until the device is inserted.

Way to go with breastfeeding to 12 months, by the way! That's a great committment to make for your child's health. :)

deborah_r
04-15-2007, 01:15 PM
Yep. And wait until you get ANY illness, and you go to your PCP and they automatically want you to stop BFing for *whatever* medication they think you might need, without even researching to see if there is a comparable BFing friendly med. The hits just keep on coming. Question everything!

DrSally
04-15-2007, 08:49 PM
????? Weird. But then it never ceases to amaze me the misinformation coming out of people's mouths about bfing.

sadie427
04-16-2007, 10:50 AM
That's awful. Even setting aside the anti-breastfeeding part, for him to have such a strong opinion about "getting you on the pill" is inappropriate, since it's your choice and not his. I'm a physician myself, but have never felt like hormonal birth control was automatically the right choice for me, and have found that to be a bit of a bias. You might start looking for a new doctor--and you don't necessarily need to limit yourself to ob/gyn's--personally I've found family practice doctors to have more knowledge about breastfeeding because they take care of babies. DS and I have had the same doctor most of the time since he was born (not the same person because we moved, but two family docs) and it's always been very convenient, especially when we both needed to be treated for thrush, both needed flu shots, etc.

sadie_beth_1124
04-16-2007, 02:39 PM
Hopefully you'll be done with all that, beucase it would make things easier on him. He won't have to take the time to research and understand your position. And then he'll make his drug reps happier by pushing BCP. What the medical profession doesn't know (or care) about breastfeeding is astonishing.
Grrrr........

As for IUD, you could try the 10-yr, it's hormone-free. That was my plan, as discussed with my PCP while pregnant. My Medicaid would cover it. Wonderful. Only to get to my 6-wk PP & find that she's retired & her replacement tells me that I can't get an IUD put in until my cycle comes back. Which BTW, wasn't until 8 months PP, and of course my Medicaid was only valid for about 8 wks PP. And we're still BFing & using condoms. But enough about my rants.

Hang in there!

psophia17
04-16-2007, 03:28 PM
I would change right away. The stress of doing it now would be less than the stress of changing when you have a timeline.

When if comes to doctors, if I feel like I know more about an issue important to me than my doctor seems to know, it's time to get a new doctor. When it comes to something like BF, it's even more important to me - if the doctor hasn't kept up with the latest facts about BF, what other latest facts have been overlooked, kwim?