My second daughter seemed to me to be heading down the path of acid
reflux and we had tremendous success with treating it
homeopathically. She still vomited a lot but seemed to have less
associated pain - changing pretty much over night into a "happy
chucker".
And I have to say that whenever I tried to convey the volume she was
bringing back up everyone always responded with the stock standard
"Yes it looks like a lot doesn't it, but it's not". Interestingly
enough after gaining poorly from 10w onwards she has started has now
started solids and is gaining weight very well - and she is not
eating huge amounts yet (1.5 solid meals a day), but none of that
comes up, only the breastmilk. There may not be any connection
between the reflux and her poor gain but I have to wonder a bit given
how dramatically her weight gain has increased (average weekly gain
has doubled) with the introduction of only one to one and a half
meals a day
On 03/02/2007, at 1:28 PM, MHOOK wrote:
I don't know about over-diagnosis- my second baby (now 17) had
reflux and it made her first six months the worst of my life. I'd
had a perfectly normal time with my first baby, he was unsettled
like most and woke at night until over 12 months but I considered
that that was normal and looked forward to my second child with
pleasure and anticipation.
It was a nightmare- not hte birth, that was fine, but from about 3
weeks of age she screamed constantly, vomitted even while attached
to the breast, never slept for more than 10 minutes at a time day
or night- no one understood how terrible it was, she was obviously
in pain, poor mite; my toddler was seriously shortchanged because
how can you leave a child who is shrieking with pain to go and play
with the other one. Just things like the carpet (whole house was
carpeted, even the kitchen) being simply filthy from her constant
vomiting, which was not projectile but which managed to defeat the
towels etc I had strategically placed. The crying got me down
dreadfully, this was nothing like I'd experienced with my first
child. There was just no way to soothe her. I still have a colour
chart I filled out at that time, showing her behaviour in ten
minute slots over a week to show the baby health sister- red for
unsettled, blue for feeding, green for sleeping etc. That sounds
excessive but truly, I felt I needed evidence for people to believe
me; they said things like, Oh yes it's difficult with two, in a
patronising way as if it was just me not coping with an unsettled
baby when I knew it was more than that.
We tried all the normal things, positioning, Early childhood
centre, paediatrician, medication, nothing worked. Although she was
fully breastfed she had the most atrocious constipation, stools
like pieces of chalk that had to be drawn out when half expelled
because she couldn't get it out. Finally I went to a homeopathic dr
and whatever he gave her (smelt like pure alcohol but I was
desperate enough to try anything!) fixed the pain overnight. She
still vomitted and still was very wakeful but without the constant
crying and pain behaviour it was so much easier to cope with.
I'd been told it would probably get better when she was standing up
and it did, over about a week all the vomitting etc stopped and
life became about a thousand times easier.
So I think that 'reflux' is very different from 'unsettled baby'
but after what I went through I'd be inclined to give any mother
who said her baby had reflux the benefit of the doubt, and the
offer of a little help.
Monica
----- Original Message -----
From: Helen and Graham
To: ozmidwifery
Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2007 9:22 AM
Subject: [ozmidwifery] Reflux
Just found this article whilst surfing the net. I feel anecdotally
that both reflux and colic are overdiagnosed. I am a midwife but
not a MCH nurse. If it is so common maybe it IS a normal
variation......what do you think about it? It just seems to me
that some people aren't happy until they have a label and a
medicine to treat it with when they have an "unsettled" baby.
Maybe I am being too simplistic about this subject.
Interested in the thoughts of some of our online listers.
Helen
http://www.bubhub.com.au/newsletterdec0601.shtml
Reflux is so common it is almost seen as 'normal', or even trivial,
and most people just don't understand how difficult life can be for
many families, or understand the impact reflux can have on their
lives! They may think of it erroneously as 'just a bit of
vomiting', or 'just a behavioural issue'. They don't see how it
impacts on the child's eating, sleeping, growth, behaviour or
quality of life; or on the family's quality of life, relationships
between partners, siblings or other children; finances; and even
leisure time. The truth is, only families who have experienced it
for themselves really understand.
Many families:
Have difficulty getting people to believe just how bad the vomiting
and/or the screaming really are
receive conflicting and confusing advice
become socially isolated
feel like failures as parents
have family and friends who just didn't understand
Even when a baby is suffering from relatively uncomplicated reflux,
families often need reassurance, and enjoy talking to someone who
understands. For the families whose infants suffer complications,
it is even more important that they can talk to other parents, and
have the support, reassurance and understanding they need to get
through this stressful experience
