Our Fight to Breastfeed (Part One)

Sorry I've been on hiatus from blogging recently, summertime is filled with exciting events & reasons to leave the computer off. But aside from all this I've really hit a mental block when it came to blogging, I just haven't known what to write about lately, & on top of this we were dealing with the largest battle our family has ever faced behind the scenes of all the summertime fun.

So I am going to open it up and share it with you & break the writing hiatus.

First a little background: For those of you who are not aware. Breastfeeding is of a huge importance for us. Without going into lengthy details we believe it is the healthiest option for a mother/baby pair. And again, without going into details, we are aware that there are many health hazards to using formula (Visit IBC for more info)
So for these reasons, breastfeeding was the only option for us, but we never thought we would have to fight for that right.


It all started at our new doctors office....

Sugars 1st Appointment (7 days)
I was unimpressed with their treatment of him. First, they weighed him incorrectly at over 8lbs. I knew this was wrong because he had only been weighed two days before at just over 7lbs. So after they weighed him incorrectly at over 8lbs, & ignoring my suggestions to reweigh him while he was already undressed, they later made the decision that the weight didn't seem right & made me undress him again & weighed him at over 7lbs. A BIG difference for a newborn.
{Hmm...}
I was also shocked at their demands of our parenting style, informing us we HAD to give Sugar vitamin D supplements & he HAD to sleep in his own bed (we co-sleep).
{Hmm...}
Finally they asked that I come back with him in a week so they could weigh him.
{Yeah right.}


Sugars 2nd Appointment (8 weeks)
We never rescheduled another appointment until 8 weeks. This was apparently a HUGE mistake. The doctor informed us with a not-so-caring tone that it looks 'suspicious' when people don't come in for appointments.
{Suspicious? Did I just hear him say suspicious? What is he suspicious of? I'm going to kick him in the suspicious if he thinks what I think he's thinking we're suspicious of.}
Nevertheless, we had him weighed & made an appointment for the next week when he could get his vaccinations.

Sugars 3rd Appointment (9 weeks)
This was the beginning of a worse situation. After giving Sugar his shots & weighing him. The doctor informed us that he was not gaining weight very well...averaging about half an ounce a day. The doctor agreed to 'allow' me to breastfeed exclusively...
{Hmm...}
...as long as I pump like a cow when he's not feeding & get Sugar eating more on. Sure. No problem. See you in a week for another weigh in.

Sugars 4th Appointment (10 weeks)
Sugar was still only averaging a half an ounce a day after 7 insane days of doing nothing but feeding him & pumping in my spare time. It was disappointing to say the least. The doctor who was hoping for better results suggested formula saying that she was concerned about his brain development if he didn't get enough calories. We declined the formula suggestion. She then took a closer look at Sugar (actually picking him up this time) & noticed a possible tongue tie which might impede his ability to suck effectively. She referred us to a specialist who would 'clip it' if he deemed it bad enough and after that we would weigh him again. So we decided to give it another week.

- - The specialist said there was a tongue tie but not "bad enough" to clip - -


Sugars 5th Appointment (11 weeks)
At this appointment Sugar didn't even see the doctor.
{Hmm...}
He was simply weighed, to which he met the doctors minimum requirement, & we were told to continue as we were & come back next week.

* * *
Here's where we interrupt these appointments to throw in a few other lil tidbits that happened on the side...

As we became increasingly unsatisfied with the care we were receiving from this doctor and had a growing awareness for her lack of respect for breastfeeding we decided it was time to look for other help. We contacted the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic in Toronto. A famous clinic with a breastfeeding expert at the reins, someone who could help us solve Sugars slow weight gain without telling us to just switch to formula. We made an appointment for which we needed a referral from our doctor. They never sent it.
{Hmm...}

Then, a day or so later, I get a phone call from a Health Center in our area. They were told I wanted some breastfeeding help & called to see how things were going.
I told the poor lady on the phone, I never asked for any help. As far as I was concerned things were going just fine. No pain, no latching issues. Nothing really wrong other than slow weight gain. She was so embarrassed & apologized throughout our whole conversation. Our doctors office had given her our information...apparently without telling me.
{Hmm...}


* * *

Sugars 6th Appointment (12 weeks)
Once again for all our efforts Sugar was still only averaging half an ounce a week. The doctor again told us she was worried about his brain development & asked if we were concerned at all. We said no.
{No, we weren't concerned. He was happy, strong & bright eyed, he didn't look ill & never had lethargy or screaming colicky fits. As far as we could see, other than being a little guy, he was healthy.}
Nevertheless, she assured us we SHOULD be concerned, insinuating in her tone that we were stupid not to be.
We informed her that we were taking the situation seriously...enough that we would be visiting the Newman Clinic that very day in Toronto & we needed her referral. To which she replied, "I love & hate Dr. Newman"
{Hmm...We don't recall asking for your opinion}
She then told us we HAD to start giving him a bottle of formula a day.
{Excuse me? We HAD to?}
Her reply: Yes, you HAVE to. What do you think is so bad about formula?
{We don't have to tell you that. YOU as our doctor have to RESPECT that we don't wish to use formula & furthermore, you should know the hazards of formula yourself & you should be the one telling us about the hazards of formula.}
Sadly, those were NOT the words that came out of our mouths...we were so stunned we barely replied & instead of respecting our desires to breastfeed she then told us if we don't give him a bottle of formula a day & start gaining better weight by his next visit, she'll have to call Children's Aid.

...


{To Be Continued}