Breastfeeding Misconceptions

Well, yesterday Julia wasn't feeling very well. Children always seem to do this on the weekends. She wasn't eating food, had a fever, and even nursing wouldn't calm her crying. Since we live next door to an urgent care, I decided to run over just to rule out an ear infection. It could be teething, or it could be a virus. I just wanted to make sure they couldn't see something that I at home might have missed.

The visit to urgent care started out great. The front desk ladies were really nice - talking to Julia and asking about the Mei Tai I was wearing her in. The wait wasn't even five minutes! We got into an exam room and talked to a really nice nurse who weighed Julia and took her temperature, pulse, and blood oxygen levels.

Now, I should throw in here that Julia has been a really small baby and slow to gain weight. I realize this, and I have been consistently seeing a lactation consultant and having her weight monitored. It is slow going, but she has been consistently gaining at her own pace.

When the Dr. came in she examined Julia's ears right away while asking me some questions. She started off asking about Julia's weight. I had expected that there would be questions, but figured when she heard that everyone else was okay with it she would move on to helping diagnose the cause of the fever. Well, her next question was, "Now, you do feed her powdered milk also, right?". "Umm, no." I say. "I feed her solids at breakfast and lunch and breast milk the rest of the time." At this point it was like I had flipped a switch. She went from examining Julia's ears to checking her for dehydration. She then left the room, coming back minutes later with instructions for me to immediately take her to the children's ER uptown. They would give her fluids by IV. While we were there, they would catheterize her to check for a UTI and do blood work.

At this point I think I'm just staring at the Dr. There have been no signs of dehydration. She is having plenty of wet diapers, clear urine, plenty of tears when she cries, and she is drooling all over the place. Still, when a Dr. suggests something, I of course want to consider her advice.

I left Urgent Care saying goodbye to the nice desk ladies and promising to go straight to the children's ER. Once in the car I called a few trusted friends to ask for advice. My mommy instincts are saying that since this is not an ear infection, it is most likely teething or something viral. At this point, neither of these scenarios would require IVs for my 6 month old. My phone calls validate my feelings on the matter and I head home where my mom is watching the other kids. She also agrees that it is way to early in the game for IV's and catheters. The symptoms do not warrant that kind of treatment.

Last night I made sure she got plenty of liquids through bottles and nursing. I kept a close eye on her temperature and kept her close through the night. She did have a large amount of gas and had a very full poopy diaper. After this, she started to sleep more peacefully. Her fever went down early this morning, and today she seems to be feeling a lot better!

I can't help but think of all the pain I could have put Julia in last night. Catheters and IV's along with possible blood work? I wish that health care providers were more educated about breastfeeding. If my child is sick why in the world would "powdered milk" help her more than a milk that has natural immune factors and the perfect balance of everything she needs. Why does the fact that I am breastfeeding immediately prompt her to check for dehydration and abandon the rest of the exam?

If this situation had occurred with my first child, or even my second, I think I would have followed the advice of the Dr. needlessly putting my child through pain and testing. It angers me that the Dr. would be giving this kind of advice to young mothers, and it saddens me that a lot of mothers have not yet learned to think for themselves. I am grateful for the friends and resources I have that have helped me learn to work along with medical professionals to keep my children healthy and not blindly follow every suggestion.