Black Breastfeeding Week 2013: How Breastfeeding Made Me a Better Pediatrician

I breastfed my daughter and son for 19 and 24 months, respectively. Yes, they had teeth. They were talking and walking. In the end, it was one of the best gifts I could have given to my children. I loved the bonding experience of breastfeeding my kids, but it didn’t start out that way. As a pediatrician, I understood the importance of the first precious food. When I gave birth to my daughter, I told the nurses no formula supplementation. I gave birth in a hospital with a breastfeeding center so the lactation consultant came by to see if I had any questions or needed help. I was all in.

Then, about three weeks into motherhood and breastfeeding something happened. Breastfeeding became a painful and not-so-fun experience. Every time my darling daughter latched on, I got a shooting pain. It was so bad my husband would sit in front of me so I could brace for the pain by pressing my foot against his back. All the while, she was nursing like a champ. Happy. Growing. Now let me be clear, I’m no wimp when it comes to pain. Natural child birth—TWICE. So for me to say it hurt, well, IT HURT! So here I am, a pediatrician with no clue as to what was going on. I had discussed breastfeeding with tons of moms and they had never shared this experience with me. In reality, I hadn’t shared it with my pediatrician either. After days of pain and doing my own research, I broke down and called the lactation consultant. She immediately knew the problem. My daughter had oral thrush which is a rash in the lining of the mouth caused by a fungus called Candida albicans. It is common in babies and I had diagnosed it probably thousands of times. I looked in my daughter’s mouth. I saw nothing. She said, “Trust me, you don’t see it yet, but it’s there. Your daughter needs to be treated and so do you.” So I took her to the pediatrician, explained what I was told by the lactation consultant. She trusted my judgment and treated both of us. From then on it was smooth sailing.

I became a better pediatrician that day. From that day forward, I asked breastfeeding moms if they were having difficulty with breastfeeding. I specifically asked them about any pain and I was surprised at how many said yes. I am grateful that I gave birth at a hospital that supported my choice to breastfeed and that I had free access to a lactation consultant even after I went home. But for most African American moms that choice isn’t available

The hospital where I gave birth is very similar to a “Baby-Friendly” Hospital. “Baby-Friendly” hospitals are maternity hospitals that have passed a set of guideline established by the World Health Organization to assist brand-new parents to begin breastfeeding. Unfortunately, a recent review by http://womensenews.org/story/reproductive-health/130828/baby-friendly-hospitals-bypass-black-communities#.Uh9TMBYSOfQ” target=”_blank”>Women’s eNews found that very few maternity wards with large African American populations have the designation. For nearly 1 in 5 African American babies, there is no ‘Baby-Friendly’ hospital in the state.

So when people ask why we have a Black Breastfeeding Week, the answer is simply this: WE NEED IT!