Dr Asha Benakappa. This name sends the shivers down my spine even now. What a woman!
I went to this lactation consultant for guidance because my li'l tweety's swig taking sessions were unbearably painful for me. Thats besides the point in this post.
It was a rainy night and I was waiting in the car with dotzy for what seemed to be a promise of painless existence. Thats when I got a glimpse of a fiery woman (mehendi'd hair) striding purposefully into the clinic shouting out to her maid for a snack. I dint want to believe that was the doctor. For who had heard of a child specialist/lactation specialist (jobs which require a soft personality, or so I thought) being anything else but soft and demure? Still I dint let my confidence waver as I waited for my turn. In the process I heard her lambasting a small kid albeit for a correct reason. Now I was scared. The first thing I heard when I stepped in was a loud "Have you come about feeding problem?". From then on it only got worse. She scolded me for everything that I did and even chided me for having a baby when I stated a small problem. Ten minutes later I was waiting to run away but my dotzy was hungry so had to endure some more bellows. Another five minutes later my mom was fuming because the doctor kept calling her fat when she herself was twice her size! I had to calm my mum down and restrain her from giving her a wallop. I was due for another visit to her "to answer all my questions", a week later and I swore then and there that that would never come to be. I was a raging mama by the time I came home, enough to feed my baby without a fuss. Lol. By the third day thence I realised that I was not being fussy at all and had actually entered a painless existence. The shock at this discovery left me numb. The visit to the scary doctor had helped me!! From then on I have only been singing praises of the doctor to anyone who cares to listen. Under all the temper, scary personality and loudness lies a good doctor who treats patience without patience. Hats off.
All you new mothers in Bangalore, please visit her clinic in Banashankari if you any problems about swig taking.
The address is :
601 , 1st Cross, 30th Main, Banagirinagar Banashankari 3rd Stage, Bangalore
16 comments:
Tell me abt it..... i had the same experience with her....i never went back to her after my second visit.
But going to her really helped me!!
Why do you expect any sweet talk from the doctor. At the end of the what matters is solution to your problem.
I know Asha Benakappa for the past 25 years. She is one of the great child specialists I have come across.
Hi Anonymous 2 but I wish I knew your name,
Am not refuting the fact that she is a great child specialist. Its just that for a first timer trying anything new, the wrapper matters in a practical sense. In case of doctors, the comfort level that they instill determines a return visit.
~Siri
Very true Siri. For a mother it becomes essentially to not just have the problem solved but also to know the why and how of it. I prefer my kid's Paed to answer my queries, even if i am the 100th parent asking the same query.
My wife had a C-section delivery and the nursing staff gave a bottle to my child initially. That became a habit and he would not drink from his mother, although my wife used to pump it and give it to him.
It was nearly 3 weeks and after trying various advices(real world and internet) , you tube videos and pediatricians we took him to dr asha benakappa. And lo, he started feeding there. It took around a day or two more before the feeding became completely normal.
It was later that i came to know that Dr/Professor asha Benakappa has been teaching pediatricians in Bangalore for a couple of decades now. So if you are visiting a Pediatrician in bangalore, he/she probably would have studied under her.
-Muralidhar M S
who said she is good doctor ? she doesn't even know how to speak and has patience to listen. We have stopped going and think thats the same with others too..
Now this blog sends a chill down the spine. ;-) I had a similar experience with her, but thanks to the God Almighty, not yet a face-to-face one. I had my very first telephonic conversation(the shortest possible one) with her seeking her appointment. And she says she doesn't take appointments and specifies me the clinic timings. And then she continues by asking "Is it a breast feeding problem?" Mine can not exactly be classified as a problem..so, I went ahead to brief my problem as precisely as I could. Probably would have spoken for less than 10secs. Then she started preaching me by saying "If I ask you if it's a breast feeding problem, you should say 'yes'. I am in the middle of a class. If you want to see me, come between 7 & 8.". thhud...ended the call.
Now, what in the name of God, will I consult a lactation specialist if it was not related to breast feeding? and how in the name of God, can I know that she's in the middle of a class. Firstly, she should not pick any call if she's in the middle of a class. Secondly, she should not ask such a stupid question.
But I have this question haunting me. If everybody has such an opinion about her, who's going to her and why is she getting so popular for reasons other than the obvious...!!! She's not doing any free service. She's consulting for what we are paying. Now, what does this hostile behaviour count for?
A doctor need not be alms-giving in nature, but can at least have an ear for the patient.
BTW, is there any other lactation consultants who have an ear for the already worried mothers??
Murali and the other anonymouses: I agree tht she is a terror...but whtt would gv a nursing mother relief? Painless enjoyable feeding sessions or soothing talk? In my case I did prefer the former...but yes she wd b a better person with a little less arrogance
Yeah, even I had a very very bad experience. She was extremely rude and very impatient. After visiting I get even more nervous during feeding times. I dont think that is a very good quality for a lactation specialist
I agree that Dr. Asha Benakappa is not soft spoken by nature. She speaks only whats relevant.
She is a very good lactation consultant. Infact I visited several pediatricians with no solution to my problem. It was amazing to see that my little one was feeling alright just within a day. She taught me the right posture to breastfeed & gave me the right tips.
And also, I started working full time when my little one was around 4.5 months and Dr. Asha taught me how I could continue to exclusively breastfeed her for 6 months.
I feel this is more important for a nursing mother.
I would definetely refer my dear ones to Dr. Asha
-Geetha
She is the best! I'd recommend her to any new mother experiencing difficulty in feeding their child. Yes, she sounds authoritarian and I feel with that she leaves a sense of confidence that my baby is in the hands of a lady who knows her business!
All babies learn to feed, its a natural phenomina. There are some poses which makes both mother and kid comfortable for feeding sessions.
She just knows yelling perfect to be a police. Nobody can tolorate her rude behavior. Come on .. with little guidance from granny's and patience any one can feed the baby.
There are hell lot of illiterate women doing midwifery jobs with out head weight... she may be good but she should learn how to speak with patience. When i went i felt like i've taken my wife and kid to a jail.
She can learn to be more patient
One should agree that she promotes breast feeding, knows how to teach new mothers how to breast feed and she is a no-nonsense pediatrician. If a new mother is having any trouble feeding her baby I think this doc is the solution.
If someone is expecting anything beyond this from her, I think they will be disappointed. She curses, hard to get appointment, doesn't listen and at times scares parents with wrong (its true) information.
All a new mother wants to hear is that the baby is fine and whatever minor illness the baby is going through is a temporary phase and will cure on its own in a weeks time. I think this doc doesnt get this point.
Experience: 4 years. For first 2 years we were regular but now its very rare to visit her.
Latest Anonymous on the post :
I definitely agree on the appts part. Its very tough to get one with her. But I dint try beyond the first :)
I think she feels its against her ethics if she induces a false sense of comfort. She definitely blames all the problems with the child on its mother.
Your 4 yrs of experience with her speak a lot about your patience :)
~Siri
Lavanya
Can somebody pls give me her contact number.
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