But the doctor says....
By gapeach65
@gapeach65 (805)
United States
May 19, 2007 9:52am CST
This question is to those with children, and those thinking about or expecting children. Did you(or would/will you) listen to every word the doctor said about newborn babies, and take what the doctor says as the "law" and follow every instruction to the letter? When my children were babies, I was lucky enough to have my mom there to help, but I also went with my gut on a lot of things. I was 19 when I had my daughter, so I may have still been in that"you can't tell me anything" stage, but I didn't listen to her pediatrician on every thing. I took my daughter out at a week old, in public, no less, I was giving her cereal at a month old and by 6 months she was taking 2% milk. I'm afraid to tell you this too, but I didn't tell any one I was pregnant, so I didn't have any prenatal care. I was young and scared, but that's another discussion for later. She's the healthiest of my children too, God has a really big plan for her! I did the same for my sons too, except that I had prenatal care for them, they both have ALL of the same allergies I have, but over all they're healthy too. My younger sister on the other hand, has two daughters, ages 5 and 3, she stills follows every word the doctor says, her girls have bronchitis and always seem to have some sort of cold or something, they catch every thing that's going around. We tried to tell her when they were babies that she need to let their immune systems get stronger, and to do that, you need to expose them to small doses of people, she didn't agree (she didn't even let people in her house the first 8 weeks) and now look at her girls, I love them I just feel sorry for them always being sick. My brother-in-law (my older sister's husband) used to tell her to give them a roll at family dinners (he tried once when she was 1 and my sister had a fit). He always told her she was starving those poor babies, at a year old she was still nursing and only giving them strained baby food and obviously it wasn't satisfying them, but she stood strong and said, "but the doctor says not to...." So did you (or will you) follow your children's doctor "advice" as though it were law?
6 people like this
8 responses
@Gemmygirl1 (2867)
• Australia
19 May 07
I didn't see a point in listening too much to the Dr - they just deliver the babies - more or less.
If i needed any advise, i asked the midwife since they're the ones trained in all aspects of babies & such.
I mainly did things on how i thought they should be & things have turned out very well - she's quite advanced for her age too so i guess i didn't mess up too much along the way - she isn't even 1 year old yet though!
Some people just feel more comfortable listening to their Dr because a Dr is someone you trust, they have done this SOOOO many times before & are trained to be helpful & to give advise if asked for it.
I cant believe a Dr would tell you only to give them milk & strained food up to & including 1 year old though, my daughter was having 3 meals a day, plus bottles & snack at 7 months - she's very healthy. I think some people just don't want to risk relying on their own gut instincts & that's really what they should be doing.
Oh & as for taking a Dr's advise - it is just that, Advise & advise is just a helper, not a set law!
2 people like this
@gapeach65 (805)
• United States
19 May 07
Like you said, Doctors are trained and give advice, but that's just it, my thought is that they are "trained" and it's just advice. I appreciate what they say and I use it as a guideline, but every child is different, and every mom knows her own child. Sounds like you're doing a great job, keep it up!
@KissThis (3003)
• United States
13 Jun 07
I have to admit when my daughter was born I did do what all of her doctors told me to do. Mainly because she had some medical problems and I was afraid that if I didn't do as I was told to that I could make things worse for her. When my daughter was about five or six months old a specialist prescribed her a type of medicine. When I asked what it was for she told me it was to make her bladder grow because it is too small. I trusted what this doctor told me so I faithfully gave my daughter the medicine. A few weeks later my daughter started having urinary tract infections. She would have a new one every couple of weeks, as soon as you got her better from one she would get a new one. The specialist didn't seem concerned when I brought this to her attention. So I was upset an decided to take my daughter to another specialist to see if he could tell me what was wrong. When I explained what medicine my daughter was on and why she was taking the medicine he explained to me that there isn't a medicine to make the bladder grow. The medicine she prescribed my daughter did damage to her kidney and bladder that would require surgery to fix. Since that experience I no longer trust what a doctor tells me. Before I follow their instructions I try to look the information up myself. Doctors don't always know best.
2 people like this
@awonderfullife (2893)
• United States
20 May 07
I think I listened to my mom and sister's advice more than my doctor's. I was also 19 when I had my first child and I did get good prenatal care, but whenever I had a question about my baby, I'd call Mom. I remeber the first time I changed my son's diaper I wasn't even sure which way the diaper went on-- so I needed a lot of help, LOL!
2 people like this
@lillake (1630)
• United States
20 May 07
No, I don't take my doctor's word for law. Doctors are human and make mistakes and can be wrong. They also can be very biased and push their personal opinions instead of solid medical fact. I follow my instincts and I research the facts so that I am making a good choice.
2 people like this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
20 May 07
Though this discussion is dedicated only to a certain target audience, I cannot help
chipping in even though I do not belong to the the target audience :P
I would think that most of us tend to listen to the doctor and listen to their advice faithfully. If not, why go to the doctor? I am of the opinion that doctors want the best for their patients (or maybe to protect their own reputation. lol.) and would give appropriate advice. If I have doubts, I would have seek second or third opinion.
1 person likes this
@michaelalwynrabago (256)
• Philippines
20 May 07
I would certainly not follow what the doctor's advice. you of all people know your child and so to speak i know my child well. even if it's the law, you still know what to do.
@GeorgiaPeachie (66)
• United States
20 May 07
I guess this is why I insist on having a pediatrician that is also a mom. Sure the books tell you what to tell parents but give me some real life answers! I don't think I would have done the 2% at 6 months old though. Just me.
