My Pediatrician Thinks Breast Milk Fixes Everything

Have you ever seen the movie, “My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding?” Do you know how the father carries around Windex because he believes it is the cure-all for everything? My pediatrician is like that. Just replace Windex with breast milk.

I went to his office this morning because my toddler has been sick, so of course the sickness has transferred to my infant as well. She’s pretty miserable. Her eyes are watery, her nose is running and she started tugging at her ear last night. She also has the most pathetic-sounding little cough. It’s one of those that makes you say, Awww, every time you hear it. It’s Friday – his office isn’t open on the weekend so I just wanted to be safe and have him see her today – just in case she needed antibiotics like her brother did.

Well, it turns out she has basically a head cold and the very early stages of an ear infection. He prescribed me some antibiotics, along with this advice:

Don’t fill this unless you need to. Just keep breastfeeding. Breast milk is best – the antibodies in it will help her fight infection and ward off a fever.

Awesome. I don’t want to give her antibiotics she doesn’t need and I am really happy to have a pediatrician that doesn’t want that for her either. I figured while I was there I would ask him about some diaper rash that I’ve noticed that has appeared out of nowhere and looks pretty bad.

Breast milk. He says. It will treat the rash and prevent it from spreading.

Cool.

Then I remember a few months ago we thought my baby had been exposed to pink eye. We asked our doctor about this at her well visit and he said, Breast milk. Just squirt a little in her eye. Okay. Then there was her four month visit where he informed me that he advised women who feed their babies formula to start them on fruit juices at that point – but that I shouldn’t supplement with anything because I am giving her breast milk, the absolute best. 

Now I’m sort of starting to feel like I’m walking around with boobs full of liquid gold. He really mentions the breastfeeding every time I go in for an appointment. He congratulates me for making it this far, and reminds me I’m doing the best for my baby every single time i’m in there. I love the support and I think that it’s great that he gives it to me. I’m just wondering – what happens with the moms who don’t breastfeed? What is he telling them?

I think he is an amazing doctor. I’m sure he makes all of his patients feel supported, whether they are breast feeding or formula feeding. I just can’t help but wonder what our interactions would be like if I weren’t breastfeeding. To be honest, he’s popped into my head when I have thought about starting to introduce formula. Every time I go in there he makes such a big deal about the fact that I’m breastfeeding – I’m almost afraid to tell him I don’t really have any intention of doing it too much longer.

So I thought I’d ask – has anyone ever had their pediatrician make references to “breast being best” when they were formula feeding? Has anyone ever been guilt-tripped by their pediatrician? I have to know.

(photo: Getty Images)  (By the way, WTF?)