I have one of those coloured charts too - diary of a mad housewife! I always
planned to blow it up and make art - its quite graphic and pretty! We could
have an exhibition! mine did help explain to the Child Health nurse that - yes
my baby never slept for 45 mins at a time then and hour of crying...for 7
months! I am absolutely convinced now that im more informed that it was REFLUX
even though every one said its over diagnosed and mythological at the time.
Sitting up, eating solids, general maturation of the oesophageal sphincter all
helped and proved retrospectively what the prob was. If only some one had
diagnosed it earlier and i had treated with homeopathics (and ive heard a great
Bowen therapy technique helps too) I might have had a second baby after all !
Love suzi
----- Original Message -----
From: MHOOK
To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2007 1:28 PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Reflux
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:
a.. Have difficulty getting people to believe just how bad the
vomiting and/or the screaming really are
b.. receive conflicting and confusing advice
c.. become socially isolated
d.. feel like failures as parents
e.. 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
