Is Yahoo Answers really a good place to get baby advice?

Question

I'm surprised at how many questions on here are of the "I do _____, but my doctor says I shouldn't. What do you think?" variety. Naturally, you get a few people saying that the doctor is right, and a bunch of people who agree with the mom and tell her that her doctor is an idiot. The answer that validates the mom the most, not necessarily the correct answer, is chosen as the best answer.

My concern is that some moms want to do things that they know they shouldn't and use Y!A as validation. How do you even know who you're getting advice from? I could be a 400 pound, dirty, sweaty guy named Cletus, who's scratching my balls with one hand and telling you that it's OK to give a toddler a hot dog with the other.

Also, people who give medical advice here, do you feel any sort of responsibility for the consequences if a mom takes your advice?

Answer 1

I can only give you my opinion on the matter. I have asked questions on here regarding my baby's health but only to here from people who have been through the same thing as I'm going through. It is a good way to share experiences. As for people pretending to be someone they are not, if a 400 pound guy wants to give me tips on how to ease my baby's reflux then he can. It's not like he's walking into my house and massaging her himself.

Your right when you say that people want validation. Anyone who has access to Yahoo will also have access to Google and could research the matter at a push of a button.

My main concern on here is people pushing their views onto people and a simple question can turn into a whole debate especially where breastfeeding vs formula feeding is concerned.

As for my advice, I only ever give advice based on my experience as a Mum, I would never pass it off as medical advice. At the end of the day we Mums make our own minds up re our child's health, people on here can not take the blame for their judgment.

Answer 2

medical advice is one thing, parenting advice is another. I dont listen to a doctor's parenting advice, unless they are a friend and already have kids.  if someone was being told to give a baby a hotdog, I would hope they would be smart enough to know better.  I usually offer suggestions or my opinions, and no, I never feel responsible for anything that might happen because I give good advice, so I hope parents follow it!

Answer 3

I know same way with pets health advice!  

Answer 4

if someone chooses to take medical advice form yahoo answers over their doctor's advice then they may need medical advice themselves...

Answer 5

I personally think that Y!A should strictly be to find the opinions and experiences of other mothers when it comes to babies and children. This site should in no way replace advice from a licensed medical provider. I would hope that anyone ANSWERING a serious medical question on here would advise the asker to contact their pediatrician and not try to give their personal opinion, no matter how right or wrong it may be.

Answer 6

Yes I agree with you on advice given to many people especially in regards health matters. My concern is that at the time people post the question they are unwell, in pain, scared or not sure what to do. Luckily in Australia we have a Health Line 13HEALTH and poisons information centres. As a nurse I will not diagnose as it is illegal for me to do that. I will give advice on seeking professional advice from say a doctor, specialist clinics eg Women's Health. I have on many occasions when reading the symptoms recommend they seek medical advice either soon or straight away.

Answers on Yahoo are like the person sitting next to you or a relative giving their opinion. Unless they have professional knowledge one would be need to take the advice cautiously. But on saying that I also believe that if one feels uncomfortable or ignored about their health they should seek out another doctor. I base this on having about six doctors tell us we were neurotic about concerns for my niece. It took till she was two to be diagnosed as having Autism.

No-one should make a decision on what a complete stranger suggests

as you said who knows who that person is.

When I answer a medical question I take my responsibility seriously and as I said will not diagnose, just suggest what they need to know. If they feel something is not right seek medical advice.

Answer 7

I've spent the past 6000 hours with my baby. The doctor has seen her a total of 4 hours since birth. While the pediatrician knows the "standard" answer I would like to think that since I have 1500x more experience with my daughter I know *her* better. Not babies in general. I also only care about info pertaining to babies my daughter's age and that is what I read up on. My daughter's pediatrician graduated many years ago and times have changed. Maybe SHE isn't as well read on the latest studies about 8 month old babies.

Answer 8

I find that people who are asking the questions tend to leave out important information and it is usually on purpose.  Because we cannot interview them to get the Full story, we can only answer them with the information we are given and that makes a world of difference.  They get the answer they are looking for that way and we validate their ego.

Answer 9

The really scary thing is how many times I beg women to find a doctor who will run some tests and it turns out I'm right -they do have a serious medical problem like hypothyroidism or diabetes.  Its made even more disgusting by the fact that I am not a medical professional, though I am vaguely studying to get some sort of certification in lactation (can't decide which one)

There is some bad advice from moms on here... ok well a lot -but its the same kind that mom's get from their mother-in-laws and friends and even strangers in the supermarket.  What scares me is the horrific advice they get from doctors.

But until the medical system stops being so bad I will be here, giving women accurate information and  on drug safety during lactation, and other health problems that I keep up to date on.  I also refer them to organizations like motherisk, AAFP, AAP, La Leche League, i-can international, waterbirth international, etc.

And most of my answers have references (except this one of course)

Answer 10

what do they call the guy who graduated last in his med school class?  doctor.  there are lots of pediatricians out there who give advice that goes against AAP recommendations.  doctors are an important source of medical advice, but they aren't parenting experts.  lots of doctors give inappropriate parenting advice.  i can assure you that your child's pediatrician did NOT take any classes on how to get a baby to sleep better or how to improve a breastfeeding latch or how to discipline a child.  doctors are just as ignorant as any parent on those topics.

yahoo is just another resource that parents can use to make educated decisions.  you shouldn't get all your information from one source for any major parenting decision, no matter what that source's diploma says.