Last week Emma had her 2 month check up.
We saw a new doctor at a different hospital because our old hospital didn't have a pediatrician who spoke English. When we arrived, we discovered that the specific doctor we were referred to wasn't in, so they found us the next best thing: an older gentleman who knew a few English phrases. She's gotten longer, 57 cm, and appears to be doing well in that category. Her weight is a little on the low side.
During the appointment, I was told to go feed Emma so they could measure how much food she was getting while being breastfed. It took me a while to understand what they wanted me to do too. There were four people in the room, 2 doctors and 2 nurses and they were all talking among themselves, while one nurse held Emma and Mark tried to translate. I image their conversation went something like this:
Doctor 1: We've got the baby's current weight, now we need her mother to feed her so we can get another reading.
Nurse 1: Yes, I agree. Her mother should go feed her now.
Doctor 2: There is a room we have for breastfeeding, she should go there now.
Nurse 1: I know where that room is. If she would stand up and take her baby back, I could show her where it is.
Doctor 1: We really need her to go. We cannot get another weight reading if she doesn't go feed her baby.
The whole time I'm sitting there wondering what the heck is going on and if its really important because not a one of them actually looked at me. Eventually Mark caught enough words to figure out what we needed to do and I left to feed Emma. When I came back and they weighed her again, the doctor concluded that the breastfeeding wasn't working because she had only gained 30 grams after being fed.
What he didn't know, and I wasn't able to tell him, was that she had only fed off of one breast, and that she probably wasn't done with that side either. We were able to tell him that she falls asleep while eating. She was very sleepy at that time too. She gets hungry, eats a bit, falls asleep (even while I'm poking and slapping her), wakes up 10-15 minutes later, and eats again. But we don't know how to explain all of this in Japanese.
The thing that really bothered me though was his advice. "When baby cries, feed her."
Yeah, that's really helpful. Thanks.
1 comment:
So sorry the doctor encounter is frustrating. Even with English speaking doctors, my experience with doctors regarding breastfeeding has been of limited use. They were supportive, but didn't have a lot of information to solve problems or much practical advice.
I'd recommend contacting La Leche League International. In addition to online help, they have English speaking groups that meet in Japan. LLL might be able to help you, or direct you to a good lactation consultant. (I highly recommend going to one if there is a problem or concern. I did with my first and it was worth every penny.)
http://www.llli.org/japan.html
This website also has great resources:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/index.html
Chin up! Good luck. It might be that she's just a little squirt and doing fine, but no harm in talking with some lactation experts, if only to put your mind at ease. :)
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