Annoyed! Doctors and breastfeeding.

We had a doctor's visit today (our general practitioner, there are no separate pediatricians in Estonia anymore), and I totally lost my cool there for a minute! :D

Unusual, because for most of my adult life I have learned to stay quiet and keep my opinion to myself, in order to avoid conflict. (Can argue, is it the best way, but I can actually get in a conflict very easily, as I have quite definite opinions, and having experienced a lot of conflict and fighting in my earlier years, I have learned to avoid it if possible.)

So.. When before she had suggested to feed milk porridge to my 5-month old, I just smiled and nodded.
I was quite prepared for some interesting opinions also this time, especially as many of my acquaintances with small babies seem to get those from their GPs as well, but this just came a bit suddenly..

The visit starts with weighing and measuring the baby (which is done by the nurse, doctor was filling her papers and asking questions), once she saw that baby has gained only 350 g in a month, she - without even looking at the baby or asking, how is she doing - said: That is too little to gain in a month, obviously you don't have enough milk or the milk is too lean! 

?!?

This just took me by surprise.. I knew she has gained less this month, and that it's perfectly fine, because it's a known fact, that breastfed babies gain a lot of weight in the first months, but around 5th or 6th month the weight gain reduces, as they become a lot more active and breastmilk is naturally designed that way.
Exactly yesterday I read an article Breastfed Babies Grow Differently, which talks exactly about this issue.
Problem is, many charts are made according to formula-fed babies, that gain weight more steadily. And if doctors know nothing about breastmilk, then at first they say that baby is overfed and is gaining too quickly, and later is not gaining enough.

Which is a lot of ...hogwash.

And lean milk.. Lean, seriously? Ok, our doctor is quite old. But I didn't think nowadays it's even allowed to use such word for breastmilk, as it just cannot be that.

And my milk.. My baby gained at least 1,5 kg each month for the first 4 months, has already more than doubled her birth weight, almost tripled it (she was born 3,32 kg and now is 8,45 kg), and now suddenly my milk is lean?! :D I guess I got so insulted by that, I lost it..

Once she looked at the baby, how cute and chubby she is, I guess doctor stopped worrying.. But that is exactly the problem - not viewing each child as an individual, not actually looking at the child and asking questions, but instead putting ridiculous and harsh, and plain wrong statements out there.

I'm not going to even write about other funny comments that she said.. Obviously Adelaide should soon be eating not only milk boiled porridges, but also vegetables and meat, with added butter and salt. (! Yes, otherways she might not like the food..)

It occurred to me, that this doctor is talking a lot about babies "refusing" to eat and then about all kinds of ways how to trick them to eat (like adding salt, sugar and so on), and I understood, that the pattern is the following:

1. She suggests to start feeding solid food to babies way too early, before the child is ready (before 6 months).
2. Mothers try that and come back, saying that their babies don't want to eat or even totally refuse. (Which was described in the Baby Led Weaning book as a common thing for spoon fed babies..) It's quite logical, as the child is simply too young and not ready to eat, at first he even allows to be fed, but then gets sick of it.
3. And then doctor together with parents is trying to figure out ways, how to get food into those babies.

So for us she is even skipping these ways, and right away jumping to number 3.

It's ridiculous and doesn't follow any logic..

Such people are viewing the baby as it would be starving (so - not trusting the baby, the mother and the breastmilk, that it's able to provide the child with everything it needs for a lot longer time than first couple of months) and like food has to be gotten into this 6 or even 5-month-old tummy at all costs.
Don't they realise, that the child is perfectly fine? That breastmilk is providing everything they need? That child will eat, when he or she is ready for it, at first only learning to eat and doing it his own speed and timing? And finally - that no child will starve with a full plate in front of him?

This doctors visit left me quite shocked. I myself am connected with the field of medicine in my profession, and I know that professionals are supposed to educate themselves continuously and update their knowledge constantly. However, hearing about it and now seeing it for myself, it doesn't seem to be happening effectively enough.

We are going to be fine.. Adelaide is doing great and is a healthy baby. But I wonder, what happens to mothers and babies, who go to this very same doctor, who are not so confident and educated and who believe that their milk is not sufficient? What if some problems occur in the beginning of their breastfeeding journey, I don't even want to think what the suggestions and outcome is then..

Sadly must say, even though in comparison to the rest of the world, situation with breastfeeding is quite OK in Estonia, obviously it still is not great. And even thought the official message everywhere is that breast is the best, the reality is a bit different. There seems to be a lot of room for improvement, and not only in educating the people, but professionals as well.

Breastfeeding my 1-month-old on the go

If I think about my not so long 5,5 month breastfeeding journey, even with it being so smooth, I have experienced a number of episodes, where professionals have demonstrated a serious lack of knowledge, when it comes to successful breastfeeding..

Maybe I should look into that more? It might be something to think about. I'm quite passionate about promoting breastfeeding.. And I have the medical background. An idea for future occupation for me, perhaps?