French Mums - advice re finding a paediatrician please

[FlingonTheValiant]

I want to find a paediatrician for DS in 76. We don't live there at the moment, but we're there about 3 months of the year, and we will be moving there in a couple of years.

I admit it's also because we're getting rubbish care for him at the moment in the UK and are still waiting for referrals and all sorts, so I'd quite like to have him looked at by a paediatrician rather than my useless GP.

So how do I go about finding one? Do I just look in Les Pages Jaunes and book an appointment?

Ideally I want to find one whose answer to CMPI won't default to "stop breastfeeding and give him special formula", and who won't be too horrified by BLW. I know other Mums in the area but none who breastfed, so I don't know that they'll be able to recommend one. ILs live in 13, 60 and 75 so I cant ask them either, which is a big shame as lots of them are HCPs and have lots of paediatrician friends.

Is there a way to ask in advance, or is there a website I can look on for paediatrician recommendations?

Thanks very much!

You can find paediatricians in France who support breastfeeding for up to a year, but I have never, ever heard of a paediatrician who has even heard of BLW! Ask around! Good luck!

Thanks Bonsoir.

We really need some dietary advice for DS; our appointment with the paediatrician, who will then refer us to a dietician, isn't for another 3 weeks here. I don't really need them to have heard of BLW, but I'm hoping to find one who won't freak out when we ask what we can feed him that isn't puree, if you see what I mean.

I'll ask around for one who supports breastfeeding as I suppose that will be a good start. Thank you!

French paediatricians have very different ideas about feeding to English doctors (and are generally exceptionally prescriptive).

Would you be prepared to come into Paris?

Wherever you stay three months of every year, you must know someone well enough to ask who they would recommend as a pediatrician. Word of mouth is the best way to find a good doctor ime.

That's the problem, CoteDAur, I know plenty of people who would recommend a paediatrician, but none of them breastfed past 6 weeks and all of them say they stopped on advice from their paediatrician, so I don't really fancy seeing any of theirs.

I pretty much grew up there, but we always just saw the local GP, and he's now retired to the South, so I can't even ask him for a recommendation.

Bonsoir - I wouldn't mind coming into Paris for a one off, but as we're going to be living there I'd quite like to try to find a good doctor. But yes, for an immediate solution it might be worth it. Is there someone in Paris you would recommend?

I know what French doctors are like, but my ILs in Marseille claim that you can find more relaxed paediatricians if you look around, but without a recommendation I just don't know where to start.

^CoteDAzur, sorry for the typo!

Very strange. I haven't heard of any pediatrician around here who recommends stopping BF, least of all at 6 weeks. I didn't see any encouragement, either, but hey ho.

Well I can't be sure that the paediatrician did necessarily tell them to stop, but they certainly claim they were told to. In one case a friend was told to give night bottles to make the babies sleep as it would be more filling, and then she filled in the blanks from there, so it's possible the others just did similar.

Both my SILs and a cousin also claim they were told by their paediatricians that their milk was no good and they had to swap, MIL was at the appointment with one of them and backs SIL up.

Although the amount of surprise that my milk is "nourishing enough" for a 6 month old makes me wonder if it is true.

Anyway, I just want to find someone who will actually be encouraging about me BFing a 6 month old still, as I already know that doctors think the easy way to treat CMPI is to swap to neutramigen, and I want help not doing that.

I was lucky - my paediatrician turned out to be very pro-breastfeeding, but I didn't see her on recommendation - she just turned up in town the same time I did so was taking on new patients.
You could try posting on one of the French parenting forums - e.g. magicmaman. (There are several, this is the only one I can think of off the top of my head).

Bonsoir (waves)
My French paed (in 92) is pro-breastfeeding, pro BLW and...wait for it...pro co-cleeping! She is an absolute star. But I think she is very much l'exception qui confirme la regle.

Thanks Brioche, I'll start a thread on one of the French ones.

:o

Glad to hear you got a good paediatrician!

Greythorne, you are the person who inspired this quest! I read about your paed on another thread and decided I wanted one of those :o

Just think I'm asking for the impossible in rural Normandie. Maybe we can commute....

Paeds like that do exist, but you need to ask around, I think. I saw one in the maternity hospital here (I'm in 84) who was pro co-sleeping, extended BFing, etc. She has since moved to Toulouse, though.

Even if your contacts haven't or wouldn't consult a paed like that, they may well have heard of one, in conversations. Most Mums in our town are aware that there is a homeopathic GP in a nearby village, though they don't all see him.
Maybe you could contact osteopaths/homeopaths, etc in your area and explain what you are looking for. They may well know of a paediatrician who is less traditional than most...

DCs's paed is all for breastfeeding- DD is 26mo, still bf and the paed is always giving me the thumbs up at every check up. Lovely woman as well.
PM me if you want her contact info

Ah, forgot to say, she's in the 11th arr.

This morning MIL suggested trying to find a homeopath as well, AuldAlliance, so I think that's what I'm going to try to do. She is very big on homeopathy and said that she remembered an old paed/homeopath that they used to go to who always told her that it was a shame she didn't breastfeed, so she has deduced that this is the kind of doctor for me :o

She then followed up with a lecture on why I wasn't weaning DS properly and that he is far too young for spaghetti bolognese and steak; I didn't correct her assumption that the asparagus and broccoli that DS loves so much is pureed :o

Thanks Winny, if I struggle to find one locally I might take you up on that :)

Call the local laleche league group leader and see if she has any recommendations. That's how I found a paed when I was having urgent bfing problems

Flingon, there is another mnetter who lives in Normandie, called jamaisjedors.

Glad to read that! Can you tell me his name? Thanks!

Hey! Can you send me her contact details as well? Thanks!

In my experience, French Paediatricians do not promote formula vs breastfeeding, nor do they push on purees.
What they do however is push on real food. BLW might be criticised not because of the way the child is in charge, but for what is in the plate.
A stick of cucumber, a cube of cheese , a toast or a s slice of banana is not considered an adequate lunch.
They are big on soup, with or without pasta or rice in it, risottos, braised veggies, and more that the UK carrot stick they would favour grated carrots, all things you can't really eat with your fingers. French toddlers eat independently with cutlery from a very young age. Children do not eat sandwiches for lunch, they will have a piece of meat, fish - not a fish finger but a sole cooked in butter - and crisps is something you find a birthday parties, not something you would give weekly to your child.

The paediatrician will ask what does your child eat or what do you eat if breastfeeding, so prepare a food diary. They won't care so much on how it is presented (blended, small bites, ...) but far more on what is in the plate. Rice cakes or crackers are not considered part of a balanced diet. A piece of baguette with a massive chunk of brie on top might be acceptable.

The lack of prolonged BF comes more from the women than the doctors. One of my friend didn't want to BF as she didn't want to ruin her breasts. Another did it only for 3 months as she wanted to be able to go out, others because she wanted to go back to a demanding job involving travel, get her figure back, ....