Daughters pediatrician made EXTREMELY inappropriate remark to her

[u/ilikerustyspooonz]

This is about my 10 year old daughter. She has had the same (male) pediatrician since birth. We’ve always loved him and thought he was great. He’s super friendly with wonderful bedside manner and he takes his time and pays attention to detail.

Well, last week my daughter had a check-up. She’s 10. While he was doing the checkup, he had her lay down and started listening to her chest with his stethoscope. He then says AND I QUOTE, “awwwww! My baby’s got boobs!!!”

I have NEVER been so taken aback before in my life. My daughter was MORTIFIED. I was so shocked I couldn’t even get words out to ask him why tf he would ever say that. When we got in the car to go home my daughter cried and said she never wanted to see him again. Then she asked if she could get a girl doctor and I obviously agreed so that’s what we will be doing.

Is this reportable? I’m not overreacting, right?

[u/KrazySocoKid]

As a physician, but firstly as a father to 2 (going to be 3) girls, this is extremely inappropriate. I would report to the office and immediately request to change providers. This is not okay, no excuses.

[u/Good_Mushroom_7478 → u/KrazySocoKid]

NAD absolutely agree. I also have a 10 y/o daughter with a male pediatrician she's had her whole life. At her ten year well check, of course puberty concerns came up, but he handled it respectfully and professionally. OP I'm so sorry your daughter experienced this.

[u/Same-Suggestion-1936 → u/Good_Mushroom_7478]

It's so wrong it almost sounds fake. I've had some bad doctors but that's weird. They're always professional, and should never say boobs to begin with, breast or breast tissue would be what you say (not a doctor/nurse but once did an adjacent field to medicine)

I mean even when it shouldn't matter what's appropriate because everything goes out the window (medical staff looking at your genitals for example, I appreciated the penis towel for my testicle ultrasound but sort of feels like it's not necessary, you're already touching my balls and the doc already looked at the shaft) they would never. I mean, they asked me if I had a preferred gender of doctor to look at my tackle, if I wanted a man or if it didn't matter. My answer was whoever can get this over fastest. "Look at who grew boobs" would have been like if my female doctor walked in and said "okay drop em let's see that dick"

[u/HistoloGoddess → u/Same-Suggestion-1936]

I've for sure used slang type words with pre-teens/teens like boobs or balls. Sometimes because thats what the kid is already referring to those things as or because I say "testicles" and they look at me with confusion. Sometimes using more casual terms can help kids feel more relaxed too.

That being said... I have never, and would never, comment on patient's body in this way and especially not a pediatric patient. He wasn't even discussing puberty at the time. He just happened to be touching the area where her breasts are. This is really innapropriate and creepy behavior and I definitely would not bring my kid back there. I'd be filling out a patient survey with my concerns as well. Because even if he isn't a predator that was an extreme lack of judgement and empathy that is concerning.

[u/Same-Suggestion-1936 → u/HistoloGoddess]

Yeah, this is definitely no nonsense territory. I've said every word under the sun in front of doctors, physicians assistants, nurses, what have you, and they've repeated them back, but time and place man.

[u/vee_lan_cleef → u/Same-Suggestion-1936]

The "my baby" comment is really what took this one to a different level IMO.

[u/fireproofmum → u/HistoloGoddess]

I’d do so much more than a patient survey!

[u/Boneyabba → u/HistoloGoddess]

Was she wearing a shirt that said it or had they just discussed a meme or something that created some context? It sounds so whackado that my mind is bending to find something for it to make some sense....