Furious!

[Snusmumriken]

DS had an appointment today to have his tongue tie assessed. DS is 15weeks and ebf. We saw a lovely midwife. She determined that he was severely tongue tied. She wanted a clinician to have a look at DS tongue to see if it could be snipped right away.

DS started to cry when the Dr was in the room and the midwife told me that I could feed him if I wanted to and if I felt comfortable. I started to feed DS and the Dr asked me to wait until he left the room! I stopped feeding DS who became very upset.

DH and I had just spent the entire appointment telling the midwife about my breast feeding difficulties. I am so mad. I find it unbelievable that a children's doctor specialising in oral care in the presence of a breast feeding specialist midwife would ask a woman not to feed a hungry baby!!!

I have made a complaint with PALS but I just need to vent a little more.

I do appreciate that you were distressed and that your baby was about to undergo something unpleasant.

However, doctors have got other patients to see and can't wait around whilst a mother feeds a baby. I know it sounds harsh, but perhaps you could have anticipated the hunger and fed him a bit earlier - or put up with the crying and fed him afterwards (not sure if that is possible after sorting a tongue tie?).

I think you nee to see this from the doctors point of view (and from the other patients waiting to see him!).

Hope the op went well.

Choc I think the OP was meaning the doc was uncomfortable at her breastfeeding the baby while he was there - not that he was being required to wait. Is that the case, OP?

If it is this is absolutely awful - yes, complain to PALS and also, have a personal individual word with the bf specialist midwife and let her know you have done so.

Choc thank you for your reply.

I should have clarified in my original post that the Dr had already assessed DS and was filling out a referral for him. My breast feeding would not have inconvenienced him or his patients in anyway. He left as soon as he finished filling out the form.

We were in the midwife's office and she had suggested that I BF. We had been told that she would need to watch me bf DS in order to assess the effects of his tongue tie. I tired to 'time' his feed accordingly.

I bf DS after the Dr left the room and the midwife apologised for his behaviour.

Thank you tiktok- that is exactly what I meant.

Truly bizarre Dr. I echo tiktok suggestion re. complaining. Shocking behaviour from a Dr that must deal with bfing babies day in and day out. Is he rude to all of them?

Thanks TruthSweet!

The Dr was male. Probably in his 40ties-50ties. I don't know his nationality.

The person I spoke with at PALS said that he was familiar with the Dr's name. I assume he has received complaints in the past.

Thanks for the support. DH and I are feel much better knowing that other people think that his behaviour was out of line.

Glad you complained, doctors behaviour was out of line. I personally would have told him to leave himself if he didn't feel comfortable and that I would feed my baby when and where I liked!

I wish I would have told him to leave. I will have to become better at standing up for myself and DS now that I am a mother!

I've had similar recently - a nurse in A&E, when I asked for a chair so I could feed my hungry baby said, 'I can't allow you to expose yourself in the waiting room'. I had been planning to cover up with a scarf, not prance around in tassels

Untamed- Words fail me.....

update

First of all thanks for all the comments and support.

I took ticktok's advice and have just gotten off the phone with the midwife. I let her know that I had made a complaint about the Dr with PALS.

She told me that she had confronted him after our appointment. He said that he had asked me not to BF because he thinks women are usually embarrassed to BF.

The midwife was shocked by his statement and said that she would fill out a report. She said that he was new to the clinic and had never worked with him before.

thanks again.

Good on you - I hope he gets some education/training on bfing AND on sensitivity.

Your hospital isn't baby friendly/trying to go baby friendly is it?