Should I Believe This?

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That's BS. Doctors know medical stuff - breastfeeding is not medical. They know the health benefits of it, and if they've been trained, they know some of the logistics. Get a referral to a lactation consultant and talk to them before you have the baby. Hospitals usually have LC's on staff but they tend to be busy and not always have the time to spend to really help (that was my experience). The one I got after the hospital was a huge help. Good luck!

What? Well, I'm glad she was fired; sounds like a quack!!

As for breastfeeding; I wasn't very successful with my first child for various reasons (none of which had anything to do with genes!) but I never gave up; just supplemented with the bottle; but with my second child I/we were very successful for 18 months. I loved and cherished every minute spent with both of them breastfeeding.

Good luck!!!

Did she put the crack pipe down before this silliness spilled out of her pie hole?

If there was a medical cause (tongue tie, cleft palette, etc... that has a STRONG probability of repeating), something structural with yourself (inverted nipples), or if they've seen something in the ultrasound (which they would have talked with you about)...

Then absolutely they could be right. And, of course, any good doctor is going to try and reassure their patient that no matter how much they might WANT something, genetics will out. You can't make a baby with a cleft latch well no matter how well you want to. If tongue tying runs in the family... unless it's snipped... it's not going to happen.

DITTO breastfeeding is pushed *really hard* both medically and peer pressure wise (for good reason) BUT what some ignorant people don't understand is that while most can, not everyone can breastfeed their child and that it's NOT always best (and sometimes the worst) option available. Your doctor may just be trying to let you know that NOT all women can breastfeed and NOT all babies can nurse, and it is absolutely NO reflection on your parenting. Formula is lifesaving for those who need it. Bottles (or NG tubes) are lifesaving for those who can't latch.

An absolute "not gonna happen" would seriously surprise me unless there is a known medical reason. However a "don't expect, because it's more likely that #2-#X won't be able to latch either because of genetics" would not surprise me.

Wow! Your what happened says it all! Hope the other patients she talked to are okay and figured out she's an idiot!

What a bunch of phooey. I had one who nursed like a Pro from day one, and two that had to have a little more patience and guiding...you can nurse if that is what you want to do, it may just take patience and trial and error. Different babies sometimes take longer to get the hang of it, and definitely try different methods of holding the baby. Sometimes changing the position is all it takes. Good luck to you...Doctors are NOT Gods...they do not know all and they are NOT always right.

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard a doctor say regarding breastfeeding! Ignore him/her. Talk to a certified lactation consultant if you have concern. My first baby had issues latching on at first...it took us about a month to get it worked out, but we had no problems with our second baby.

I agree that it's not true. My SIL VERY much wanted to nurse her 1st baby. She tried for weeks and did everything she could. She worked with a lactation consultant, tried tube feeding, etc. Nothing worked, and she was devastated. Her 2nd child took to it right away, and she never had a problem. Bottom line: every baby is different :)

I had one preemie baby that took two months to latch...we just kept trying in between bottles until we worked it out. I had one latch on day one and aggressively nurse to the point of bleeding and then my last one COULD do it, but didn't WANT to do it because, as a early but not preemie, they decided he was losing too much weight (he was 9 pounds for chriminy sake!) and gave him a bottle in the NICU.

Point is, unless the problem is physical (tight frenulum, cleft palate, ect.) , you can try, and know that it can take up to 8 weeks to get the hang of things and it get easy!

Good luck!!

Well, two of my children were excellent nursers and my last baby took 4 weeks to latch....for no known reason (not tongue tied). Every baby is different and that doctor sound like a quack.
L.

No, don't believe it. Every child is different. My first had trouble nursing and getting enough at first but my second had no troubles at all.

That is the craziest thing I have ever heard.
Some babies just take a little longer than others.
And if it were genes, how does that doctor explain a wetnurse?

Don't believe anything your doctor says about breastfeeding. I found that my OB, pediatrician, hospital staff after delivery etc. tell me exactly what is opposite of what is true. The things they say and papers they give me are how to fail at breastfeeding. I even had a lactation consultant tell me I probably won't be able to breastfeed my son who was in NICU for 8 days and on a bottle during that time. I'm currently breastfeeding my 17 month old and he's my fifth child that I've breastfed. I breastfed them all for two years. One of mine couldn't latch on at all. She was my second child. I had to work with her for 6 weeks before she got the hang of it. But my others did just fine. My boys learned faster than my girls but they all got it down in their own time. It takes time, patience and persistence and even if there is a genetic thing that makes it harder to breastfeed, I doubt that will prevent you from breastfeeding successfully. Personally, I think that people give up too quickly, or don't want to try because it might be too big of a sacrifice. I had a "good" reason why I shouldn't breastfeed my children and I had doctors and experts be more of an obstacle to me than a help. But I worked through it each time and made it a success. It took me 1-4 weeks to get the hang of it each time and with my daughter that couldn't latch properly, it took about 6 weeks. But we did it!! I hope that helps!! Good luck and congratulations!!

Your doctor is nuts! My first never really latched on but my second latched on right after birth.

Well if your daughter couldn't latch because of a tongue tie then yes it's possible that this one will have a difficult time too its genetic.
If she just couldn't latch and there was no physical reason for the difficulty then I say it's a bunch of bull.

Doesn't make much sense to me. I think it depends on the baby and the mom. Some of us don't have easy to latch on nipples, just physically... some babies also struggle. Try again - what can it hurt? If it doesn't work ,you have the bottles, and that is 100% fine too! Congrats on the new little one : )

My sister's children both had a horrible time latching on because they were both tongue-tied. Perhaps your first child was, and the doctor assumed the same would be true of the second?

Just wanted to say I'm glad that I saw your "what happened" post, because I was going to suggest that you change doctors immediately. I think it is sad that this doctor passed on this information and hope she didn't harm other peoples expectations. It is almost always possible to breastfeed, despite obstacles. They make products that help with latching, including nipple shields, and even if you aren't able to get the baby to latch well, you can always pump. It really depends on your own determination and how important it is for you to breastfeed your baby. It is very challenging but also very worth it. Contact La Leche League, go to your local library for books, or join an online group for support. Don't let anyones opinion bully you into thinking you are unable to do this magical thing for your baby! Good luck!

Um. Yeah. That's crazy talk.
Feeding my DD was like feeding an alligator-all 36 months of it.
Feeding my DS was great...until he got teeth.
Congrats and be determined!

Your doctor was fired....well, then don't take her word!

Every baby is different. Friend had 2 babies nursed til toddlerhood just fine. Third one had a terrible time. I would get informed with all the tips and tricks and find out who the good LCs are in your area or find your local La Leache League.

WOOOOW! That is awful! I'm sooo glad she is now gone! Yeah I highly doubt that it's because of genes. LOL It might be because of what is called tounge tied. In that case it's easily fixed. I'm glad you are going to a LC, just make sure she is a good one. I went to one and she was awful, but I trusted her and followed her info and it made things worse so I ended up bottle feeding. Not happy about it. Le Lache League might have some good referrals.

I can't believe someone would say that to you. I would switch doctors. Many things have to do with latch. The most important thing is to nurse within one hour of delivery. If you will be delivering by cesearian it can be harder to have a good nursing relationship. In this case a lactation consultant can be very helpful. Also there is a condition called tongue tie. This is where the flap on the bottom of the tongue is too short. It is corrected in a doctors office by clipping the skin. It takes two seconds and is not supposed to be painful for the infant. I think you have every chance of establishing a good nursing relationship if you educate yourself now. I would also highly reccommend visiting a la lechery meeting now. They can give you advice now to get this off on the right foot.

I wouldn't believe it. I've never heard that in my life...maybe if your daughter had a tongue tie, that could be considered because of genes, and it could also be something they fix! I wouldn't listen to her at all.

What a quack. She's wrong. And hopefully the fact that she was kicked out of the practice will discredit any information she offered on breastfeeding or anything else.