“Great physician, and very personable”

My visits at Dr. Smith's office are usually done with 4 kids, which can be very hectic. However, the professionalism with Dr. Smith and her bedside manner and patients makes our appointments very smooth. She thoroughly examines the child being seen and if a sibling possibly will catch what the sick kid has then she will go ahead and see the siblings and treat them as well as preventative medicine. The appointment scheduling is very easy as well, usually I am offered at least 3 to 4 different appointment times of the day. Of course there are times if I call to late in the day then I will schedule for the next day, but that is expected.

“Good bedside manner but does not support breastfeeding”

To give a little background on myself, I am a registered nurse with years of experience in the pediatric field. I thought I had done enough research on Dr. Smith before choosing her as our pediatrician, but I was wrong.

Dr. Smith is a very nice person with exceptional staff; however, she does not practice in accordance to the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) or WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines. She does not support breastfeeding and does not understand basic infant nutrition!

We are fortunate to have a very healthy baby girl with no medical problems that has been exclusively breastfed since birth. At our 6 month check up, she has gained about 11 lbs and grown about 7 inches since birth, placing her in the 75th and 90th percentiles for weight and height. Dr. Smith tells my husband and I that breast milk looses it's nutritional value at 6 months and we need to be feeding our daughter 3 jars of baby food a day. This information is false! Breast milk does not loose it's nutritional value, it actually changes as your baby grows to meet nutritional demands! Formula companies must be paying Dr. Smith to say things like this! Also, the AAP and WHO state at 6 months it is safe to GRADUALLY introduce solid foods but breast milk (or formula) is the primary source of nutrition for the first year of life.

I am torn at this point whether or not to find a new pediatrician because Dr. Smith has seen our daughter since birth and has administered all of her vaccinations thus far in accordance with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) schedule. For this. we are grateful.

Also, expecting and new moms please do your homework! Breast milk is the best gift you can give to your child, and it is perfect in every way! I recommend reading New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding (published by the AAP). It is a wonderful book and covers all the basics of breastfeeding. Additionally, when starting solids at 6 months don't forget to give breast milk before the solids as it's your infant's primary source of nutrition!