Well, Oral Surgeon anyway. I got all four of my lovely wisdom teeth yanked today. As they were getting ready to knock me out the Dr. over-hears me talking to the nurse about breastfeeding and that I am and that my Lactation Consultant has advised me not to nurse for at least five hours after. He literally WHIRLED around with a disturbed look on his face and barked out "Oh, no! Much longer than 5 hours! 48 hours, at LEAST!" He repeated this over and over again. So I just smiled and nodded and said I would. I told him Maggie specializes in pharmacology, no dice. He DID say he would call over to the main hospital and ask anesthesiology just to be sure. As they were rushing me out the door (really, these peoples bedside manner was horrid) I asked if they had and the nurse said she'd ask and be right back. I overheard her asking. Doctor rattled something off and she came back and said "Sorry! He didn't ask." ???? Give us a $1,000.00, the end, goodbye. Yuck. The more think about it the more pissed I get! If I wan't a Lactivist myself and able to advocate, if Jimmy had been much younger and myself a little less sure, this could have permanently fucked up a beautifully functioning nursing relationship!
damn ignorant dentist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he should have said his opinion and left it at that instead of being so damn rude and ignorant. i tell you it makes me sad knowing that there are so many people out there that are just so unaware of how their actions and behavior could effect a nursing mama
he's a man, and a stupid one at that. Probably worried about covering his ass in terms of lawsuits if something wasn't ok even though he has no clue.
As someone who worked for a family physicians' office before I had my children, as well as a daughter to a hospital nurse, I have to say that, many times, due to all of the frivilous malpractice suits being filed at a ridiculous rate, physicians are simply trying to prevent a medical mistake. I realize the frustration with the manner in which the dentist handled the situation, but just chalk it up to him trying to be overly cautious. Now, there truly are some physicians that are against breastfeeding, I've actually had contact with pediatricians that do nearly everything to discourage a mother to nurse and push formula. Ridiculous. Hopefully this dentist wasn't against breastfeeding, but simply trying to prevent any possible complications. Hope your mouth isn't hurting too much from the tooth removal! {{{Hugs}}}
I can totally get where you're coming from hipppychickymommy, and I can have some sympathy. But this guys attitude in general was sucky. And really, he SHOULD have, after he said he would, checked with anesthesiology to make sure instead of just blowing me off. My mouth is WAY better than I thought it would be! I was sure I was going to be incapacitated but with the pain pills I don't feel a thing and really it would be bearable (though sucky) without them. I even went to the DMV today and FINALLY passed my learners permit test!!!! Yay! I think it's because I was slightly high from the pain pills I wasn't nervous. I guessed and passed!
I have always said, that Dentists and Pharmacists are the WORST when it comes to knowing anything about lactation. Here's the deal. They don't come home with you. I really love my pharmacist, but I was well aware that she (no kids) would have had an issue with the meds I take daily for chronic pain when Sage was a baby (and a toddler and a preschooler, and still nursing) I KNEW the meds I was taking were safe, her ped KNEW they were safe, my Neuro KNEW they were safe, so we just didn't tell the pharmacist I was still nursing. Not being a mother my guess is it never occured to her that anyone nurses past 4 weeks anyway. I had a similar situation with a denist many years ago. I have dental phobia, I get so freaked out, I get the shits, and I shake like a leaf and a start to dry heave, and that is ONLY in the waiting room. So, I need Xanax or Valium before I go in, otherwise I'd NEVER go to the dentist. When Sunshine was about a year old, my dentist gave me a prescription for about 4 valium, with a note to "pump and dump for 24 to48 hours." Now, there was NO WAY Sunshine (the hardest baby to nurse I have ever given birth to) was, at a year, going to go 4 hours without nursing, much less 48. I called my LLL leader (there were only approximately 20 Lactation Consultants in the Country at that time) and she looked it up and said as long as it was only one pill, I could nurse as soon as I got home. I actually hoped a little bit, that it might help her sleep (not a good sleeper that child) but I nursed her IN THE CAR in the parking lot, with my mother making all kinds of noises ("Dr. P knows what he's talking about.....blah blah blah blah.......what if what if what if" This, the womyn who ate Valium like candy during her entire pregnancy with me........) and, NO side effects on Sunshine at all. I learned later that the small amount I had taken would not have been expected to have an effect. And I don't buy the "Better safe than sorry." NOT nursing isn't neccesarily "safe", and you may be quite sorry, if your baby decides not to go back to the breast after a "pump and dump" decision. You did the right thing, JZmama. I sometimes try to educate HCPs, but if I am the one in the vulnerable position, I just say nothing and then maybe mention it MUCH later. A few years later I DID give this dentist some Journal artcles about sedatives, Xylocaine, gas and other commonly used dental drugs and their effect (or lack of it) on lactation and the nurslng. Surprise, Surprise, he had never read it (and it was in a dental digest, and an other was from and Anesthesiology Journal) but he did thank me, and I HOPED it sunk it. It's all one can do, sometimes to just hang on, when you are the one who is trying to do what is best for you baby, though. It's not always the best time to be advocating, unless you feel very sure of yourself, and have lots of written back up. For many doctors, telling them an LC said it is OK is enough, but many don't really even know HOW we are Certified and just how much study and continuing education we have to have, so no amount of telling them is enough. *sigh* I AM glad you did what you knew was best for your baby. With some HCPs, it's best to say NOTHING.
