UPDATE on my "give your vomiting toddler Ribena instead of breastmilk" complaint

[mawbroon]

I had a meeting today with the clinical director of the out of hours service where I took ds when he was ill and was given the Ribena advice.

Here's the last thread about it, which also links to the original thread

It lasted around 40 mins and she appeared to take on board all the things I was saying to her. She had contacted a paed at the Sick Kids hospital who (thankfully) told her that there are only a tiny number of occasions where stopping breastfeeding (even temporarily) would be recommended.

She then talked at great lengths about how the out of hours service is one section, which is unrelated to NHS24, which is unrelated to the hospital etc etc. I said that the patient doesn't see it this way and unfortunately I will be wary of any breastfeeding advice given to me by any health professional, preferring to ask a bunch of hairy handed truckers. HA HA no, I didn't say that, I said I would rather get my advice from a breastfeeding organisation such as LLL or the NCT etc.

Then we talked at length about the general lack of breastfeeding knowledge amongst health professionals. She asked me if I would be willing to participate in patient/partnership forum meetings which the trust hold. I am assuming from this that she thought my points were valid and that somebody within the health service should be hearing them.

And at the end, she said she had enjoyed our discussion.

And I got a free cup of tea.

well done for getting a positive outcome

Thanks

Excellent Mawbroon.
Only be speaking out can we change things and protect other women.
Good for yuo!

Well done you. Just read both the other threads! My DD has just got over a really nasty bout of gastroenteritis, she only weighs 2 stone and has lost almost 3lbs in weight - she could not keep water or even dioralyte down, but she would nurse, and even though some of it came back up, I am sure she got some goodness out of it. Only problem is I now have a cracked nipple - my poor old boobs are not used to such intensive action!

Oh, well done! It sounds as though you more than managed to hold your own. As someone else said, if people don't speak up, then nothing changes.

Exactly moondog (and vonsudenfed).

Hope you get over those cracked nips soon mrsmalumbas. Lansinoh!!

Hunker needs to see this..
And Mears and Tiktok

good on you mawbroon. We all moan, but it's great you gave up your time to follow this through.

Hope you got some free Tunnocks wafers

LOL. No Tunnocks wafers Highlander. A cup of tea was achievement enough given that the meeting was in a rickty portacabin

Oh, well done Mawbroon, more power to your elbow! Will you do the patient partnership thingy?

I missed the original threads but well done!

Bravo. Did she also utter the words 'I'm sorry that you were given totally pants advice by us'?

PMSL Can't sleep. That's fuuny.

Erm, no she didn't. Strange that.........

Well done Mawbroon

I think I will do it McEdam. Another opportunity to bend their ear about it all.

Well done mawbroon - a very good outcome.

Mawbroon, well done!

That's brilliant, truly.

How strange too - I've been pondering things re bf support in this country recently and thought of you this very morning, getting the Ribena advice from NHS Direct.

Glad to read such a positive update.

It's only by women like you (us!) complaining constructively that things get changed.

Would be interested to hear what happens in future - email me? hunkermunker at gmail dot com

brilliant, mawbroon, well done for seeing it through.

woohoo!!!! Well done.

Erm, thing is, it isn't totally bad advice. Ribena or flat coca-cola is quite a useful thing to drink if you're suffering from diarhoea at any age(thoug hbreast milk is better)- it's fluid and calories which a sickly DC will generally take.

Well done Mawbroon! You've got bigger balls than me, I very rarely complain or follow things through like this. Let us know how you get on at the forum meeting thingy.

(Madazmez - Ribena is not recommended for the under 3's)

Oh and congratulations Mawbroon, lets hope others will be inspired to ensure that the health care profession is kept on its toes

madamez, ribena, flat coca-cola or any other type of juices do indeed have calories and fluid, yes.

But breastmilk has:
fluid,
calories (lots of them and not just from sugar),
salts
and very importantly - antibodies to specifically fight the infection that the LO is suffering from
and it is more readily absorbed than any juice.

Not to mention the soothing comfort which the sick child gets from feeding and the convenience of being able to snuggle in bed together through the night with the child feeding whenever he wants.

Given the choice in our situation there was no contest between the two and that's why it was not good advice for my ds.

Also given that ds had been nursing almost non stop for 24 hours beforehand, I would have become very engorged and quite likely to end up with blocked ducts or worse still mastitis. The nurse practitioner also didn't give any pointers as to how I was supposed to deal with the engorgement.

And it's the opposite to all the advice given by WHO, NCT, LLL and all the other breastfeeding organisations. But hey ho, this woman thought she knew better than them all as when I queried her about it, she was very insistent.

That's why I complained.