As a member of PR/Marketing for a hospital, I work on campaigns that teach patients to "Speak Up" about their healthcare. Our hospital is dedicated to empowering patients to tell their caregivers when they have an issue or think that they aren't being given the best level of care. Because, though doctors and nurses are incredibly smart, sometimes the patient can give valueable info that can positively effect their outcomes.
My whole experience with breastfeeding has been really rough. Partly because I am a first time mom and, though I went to classes and got books, I didn't have a great grasp on how this whole thing works (not to mention it's a learned skill). I did, however, take a class at my hospital that equated to little more than a militant lactation consultant telling us how breastfeeding is SO GOOD for you and that you can't, Can't, CAN'T do formula or you are, in essence, a terrible parent. She gave us techniques for breastfeeding and talked about "emptying yourself" but never talked about how long you should feed, how to deal with "sleepy babies" (which are common with c-section deliveries) nor did she address any of the health issues you may encounter that inhibit breastfeeding (plugged ducts, thrush, mastitis, etc.). I think this was because she was worried that this info would scare women off even trying, as it's hard stuff. But still, an educated woman is an empowered woman.
Then, the nursing staff was totally 20 years outdated on their nursing support while I was in the hospital. Telling me, in effect, that my baby feeding for 5 minutes total every two hours was totally fine (the norm should be at LEAST 15 each side, or 30 minutes or more on one side), which resulted in my milk supply being hindered and Story losing more than 10% of her bodyweight while in the hospital. Because of this, I had to bust my butt to get my supply back up.
On top of this, the nurses didn't listen to me when I told them my catheter was backing up, causing me to have a very painful UTI.
Then, finally, my "breast infection." When I first contacted my ob/gyn, the nurse insisted it was an infection. But I told her it didn't seem like mastitis (I googled it and the symptoms didn't match up) and asked if I should be examined. She said it was just an infection , that I should take the meds, use the cream and only pump that side. She also told me I couldn't store my milk from that breast, as it could cause reinfection. When the meds seemed to not be working and my supply greatly decreased, I finally called and insisied on being seen.
So, what did the OB do? Took one look at me and said, "You don't have mastitis. That's a clogged duct. That's why your meds didn't work. The onway to solve the problem is nursing. " So, basically my pumping, dumping and antibiotic taking was for nothing. If I had been seen like I asked and properly diagnosed, my supply wouldn't have diminished so much and I could have cleared this up a week ago. As it is, I'll be lucky if I can get my supply up enough again to continue exclusively breastfeeding her.
It just makes me so mad when I'm not listened to. Especially when the OB shrugs and says, "well, you can just quit if you want."
NO, I shouldn't have to quit breastfeeding because YOUR staff doesn't listen, because your practice is so large and busy that you'd rather give me meds than actually examine me.
ok, end of rant.
