Hello Dear Boobjuicers and Friends!
Sorry to report that ranty Suzi is back.
So I've had an interesting week, and yes it's only Tuesday. I got a UTI, and no, I didn't even get to do anything fun to earn it, but thanks. So okay, no biggie, do like a grownup and go to urgent care for a visit. Piece of cake. "Is that antibiotic safe to take while breastfeeding?" Blank stare. Click, click, click. "The computer says probably safe." That's nice. What does your education and vast experience caring for the total human including her nursing offspring say? It says cricket noises, that's what it says.
Okay to be fair this young chap is used to sprained ankles, food poisoning, and UTIs from pre/non-mamas who *did* get to do something fun to earn it and are *not* breastfeeding. But it's just a classic example of what I consider to be shocking ignorance in the medical community about breastfeeding. When I was struggling with yeast in the breasts when Kiddo was more dependent on me for food, I had an ob/gyn tell me I had to stop breastfeeding to use Diflucan. Um, hello, you're an obstetrician. Don't you know stuff about breastfeeding? "He's already been exposed to tons of Diflucan." "oh, hm, let me see (pulls out handy reference guide from pocket, leafs to appropriate page) Yeah maybe it's okay." HELLO!!!! Is breastfeeding so unimportant to you, a freaking obstetrician, that you can't be bothered to pull the booklet out of your pocket to start with? Do OBs only care about uteruses or something? What the hell! Okay to be fair the guy (yes, man) who pulled Kiddo out on his birthday was WAY more sympathetic, not less ignorant about yeast in the breasts but totally supportive of breastfeeding, and completely cooperated with the research I sent him and trying those regimens (again click the link above for the yeast entry to see more). So I'm painting a lot of doctors with one brush, but hey, I'm curled up on the couch with a UTI and an upset tummy (mmmm, Macrobid...) so a little leniency on being polite is fair I think.
So we mamas get told to wean or to pump and dump so that we can take a particular drug for some problem which most of the time can probably be treated with some kiddo safe (and probably generic read cheaper) alternative. There is totally not enough research on drug tolerance and breastfeeding out there. And the manufacturer's website (not to name any names but this drug was really popular when the anthrax letters happened) was hilarious, basically boiled down to "our lawyers told us to disclaim any and all responsibility for decisions, children, and our own products and to send you back to the doctor who gave you this bad advice in the first place."
What is a boobjuicer to do? Well, write your congressperson, sure, but meanwhile, get pushy. Your doctor knows a lot but not everything. You get to insist. You get to say, "no I will not pump and dump or wean, you need to find me a safe drug." There are a bazillion drugs out there, and there is probably an alternative. Usual disclaimers, I am not a doctor, you and your doctor(s) have to make the decisions, I'm just a mom and a lactivist. I know very little about medicine. Don't sue me, I have no money. But that said, I do know this. You can't just be a passive consumer of health care in this world. You have to be your own best advocate, and your kiddo's best advocate until kiddo is old enough to do it for kiddo's self. You *can* push back politely to your doctor. Most of the time when I have done so they have actually been appreciative for the new information.
Ugh, I'm tired and ranting. But you get my drift. Get pushy with your medical providers and let them know how important nursing is to you. Make them take the booklet out of their pocket for your kiddo.
And here is a quick shout out to the angel mamas who helped me this week. True friends and healers are such a blessing and I am grateful for the ones in my life.
Much love,
Suzi
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