Thanks for that Pinky. I am still generally skeptical, but certainly agree that
in all professions or occupations there are some who will have outstanding
results!
Megan
----- Original Message -----
From: Pinky McKay
To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 2:34 PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Reflux/ chiro
Hi Michelle Suzi and Meg
I absolutely agree that some babies do have reflux/ colic -I had one baby
who vomited and screamed - baby no 3 - reflux wasnt a diagnosis in those days
and I lived through it with her in a sling against my bare skin and a poncho
over both of us. I actually wasnt worried that she had 'something dreadful'
despite the first two being fat happy boys. I do believe allergies contributed
- but certainly didnt have Michelle's experience of constipation as well.
I would never undermine a mother's claim of 'reflux' -but I do seem to find
that aboiut 2/ 3 of babies in my massage classes have been diagnosed AND
medicated for reflux so I wonder if some of these are more of an 'unsettled'
baby rather than a truly distressed one - there are definitely degrees eg the
definition of colic - 3 hours of crying, 3 days a week for 3 weeks - I dont
think two hours screaming is any fun for any mum but does she miss out on
support if her baby cries less than the definition?. Or are there are other
contributing causes to the crying that are simply being palmed off as 'reflux'.
I believe what mums say and would especially never question a mum of
multiples as having unrealistic expectations as they have comparison of their
own previous experience. Perhaps I only see more desperate people and many mums
are very isolated - who is taking a screaming baby out? In such cases it isnt
easy for a tired, worried mum to see what is a range of baby behaviour when you
are adjusting to a whole new life.
Re the chiro - I had suggested to this particular mum ( with breech bub)
that perhaps a chiro or osteopath would be helpful ( I was thinking more of
hip/ nerve pinching) . Could an arm have been up by babys head and 'squashed'??
I havent seen the mum privately to ask this - when I asked did he favour one
side/ seem more unsettled on a particular side, she didnt know as according to
her, he was always so miserable that she couldnt tell and prescribed reflux
meds werent helping. She is a vet herself so made her own choices. The chiro I
referred to is paed trained (not many are), married to an osteopath and very
gentle with babies -I have heard him speak ( he has spoken to midwives at RWH
Melbourne) and seen him work ( on my own child and grandchild who was a gentle
waterbirth but commando crawling asymmetrically, using one leg only - pushed
off with the opposite leg a couple of days later ?? coincidence or treatment, I
guess we wont know but I have seen 'slower' babies crawl the same week as a
treatment) .
I used to be a skeptic myself and would never refer to anybody I wasn't very
confident about- even then I am gentle about suggesting anybody other than MCH:
LC or GP - However, I have seen some wonderful results both from this
particular chiro and some osteopaths - eg babies who favour one side/
positional turns and in particular one baby who was very 'sicky' dribbly and a
very slow feeder (already on bottle before I met him) - baby came without his
bib to class and I commented -I didnt know he had been to the chiro. The
parents beaming, said, "we took him to Braden yesterday and he feeds in twenty
minutes now and has stopped vomiting/ dribbling."
Pinky
----- Original Message -----
From: suzi and brett
To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 2:39 PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Reflux
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
