Spit Happens - support thread for mums with reflux babies [Archive]

Bron

09-11-2007, 12:55

Do you wear a spew rag over one shoulder all the time? Can you tell the difference between a little spit and a full on reflux-y chunder just by the sound your baby makes? Shrug it off when a stranger at the shops tells you that you have spew on your clothes? Get pleased when your dog cleans up the spew on the floor, because it's one less for you to worry about? Eliminated all sorts of food from your diet? Know all too well that disconcerting feel of spew dribbling down your cleavage? Love the smell of Zantac in the morning?

Here's a place to share our stories, questions and survival tips. I know I've been flippant, but reflux can really be a struggle, so this is also a place to unload if you need to and have a cry with those who know what you're going through.

tickle

09-11-2007, 13:00

Or when you hear the lovely splat on the tiles at the shopping centre. :laughing:

I have felt your pain lovely Bron. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Mine only refluxes out and about once a week or so now. :D You'd think she'd be over it by 18 months. :rolleyes:

EsSjAy

09-11-2007, 13:11

An absolutely fantastic idea... Was only thinking we needed someting like this the other day... I think i'll live here:(...
Thank's Bubhub x x:thumbsup:

Bron

09-11-2007, 13:14

Not forgetting those with silent reflux babies. Less spew to worry about, but the screaming is so heartbreaking. :(

reAllytee

09-11-2007, 14:12

I was thinking about this the other day but being that im already complaing about Boof being a spirited child i thought maybe i shouldnt !

I just love how you 'know' without looking that you have been vomitted on.

The last week being cold & wet has seen me wearing the same jumper cause even though its been spewed on 50 million times it means only washing the one jumper :o

Oh & whats with them managing to spew in your hair ?!?!?!?!?!

Bron

09-11-2007, 14:36

Spew in the hair is extra special.

Anyone else's husband been woken up with a face full of projectile in bed in the morning?? That was a special moment.

Honestly, I've eliminated dairy and the difference is enormous. Yesterday I had ONE slice of Jarslberg. Just one tiny, thin slice on a sandwich. I thought one slice after all this time without dairy would be OK.

He's been spewing all day. Back to the no dairy diet for me then. Although he seems to be keeping his lunch down (for now).

Oat milk isn't half bad, actually.

2sweetgirls

09-11-2007, 18:17

Oh how i feel like I have been fighting a loosing battle with my DD2... going from breast feeding, trying elimination to neocate to soy and now back to neocate.....:gloomy:

I really think i was or maybe still am in denial that my DD has a problem..... she goes from WONDERFUL to absoloutly uncontrollable....

she was a serious silent refluxer, then calmed down now she is:barf: a little as weell now, i thnk cos the neo is so thin...

oh well enough about us

REFLUX SUCKS THE BIG ONE:thumbsdown:

EsSjAy

10-11-2007, 09:56

Daniel (5.5 months) is my last and i love him to bits and can't get enough of him.... It's sad that i cannot enjoy him as much as i want to because how painful it ends up being for him... Rolling on the floor, tickle time, even sitting on my lap and having a chat upsets him after a while...
I know he will grow out of it and 'gravity will win in the end...hopefully:( but my memories of Daniel as a baby are tainted from the pain he has experienced and as mentioned, the strain it has put on the family purely and simply because there is nothing we can do to ease it and it's so incredibly frustrating.... At the end of the day we are a loving family and get through each day... Daniel is our pride and joy and we regret 'NOTHING'...

Mikenzeesmum deserves everything good to come her way.... This woman has been through hell and back and still has time to help others... The resilience of the human being is remarkable and i tip my hat off to you... Mikenzee is a lucky girl to have a mummy like you.... I hope you get all of the support you need AND DESERVE!!!...

I hope more mummies get involved with this thread as i know i'll need it, and it's terrific that bubhub have provided it as who knows how to give support/advice that other mummies....

X X & :hugs: & :wizard: to you all!!!!!!!!

Sammy

mum23girls

10-11-2007, 19:48

This is a club that I know a lot about!! DD1 was a silent refluxer...she was not diagnosed with reflux until about 6 months old, I just thought I had a screamer baby. This was back in the day (of 1999:rolleyes: ) when I didn't have access to internet and had no idea what reflux was. I think the fact that she was a constant screamer, she never developed any type of sleep pattern, this year has only been the first year in her 8 years of life that she has actually slept through a whole night because of it.

Come DD2, she was a happy chucker - projectile. After what we went through with DD1, we got back to the peads and we just put her on normal formula with the Karicare food thickener.... my godsend!!

DD3 started off ok, but within a week she too was diagnosed with reflux. She was a contant spewer... it just dribbled out constantly. Zantac was prescribed and I then put her on the thickened formula as per DD2 and she was as good as gold. I also started seeing a Chiropractor and that gave her good relief, but was still a spewer, I could not afford going twice a week, but found the once a week was ok. I just kept up the thickened formula. The chiro did fix her warped shape head though!!

My advice to reflux mummies... take time out for yourself. Quite often the reflux mum is forgotton about and no one realises just how much hard work is involved with taking care of a reflux baby. :hugs: :hugs: And if you can afford it, take baby to a chiro or osteopath. It has more success with some than others, but even though it didn't stop the spew, it settled DD3 heaps.:angel:

:wave:

EsSjAy

11-11-2007, 09:53

My advice to reflux mummies... take time out for yourself. Quite often the reflux mum is forgotton about and no one realises just how much hard work is involved with taking care of a reflux baby.

:wave:
Well said!!!....
It's so true... Unless you deal with reflux on a day to day basis it's hard to understand how tough it is...Even when you try and explain it people still don't get it....
Only my sister-in-law who suffers from reflux issues herself (she's 36) understands exactly what it is like and the pain ds would be experiencing....

Your poor DD1.... Poor you.... you must have gone through hell for it to be undiagnosed for so long....:hugs:to you as well...
Thank's for sharing x x:)

Nowhere

11-11-2007, 16:43

thanks sjhar thats really nice what you wrote

We are having bad reflux day today even bad for mikenzee im going mad, she has been having a bad week and peaked last night whiulst i was on msn chatting to bossoflatch

mikenze decided to wake up screaming in pain 15 times last night and i am not exajerating, she was screaming and reflxing and gagging ang retching and spasmsing all the things kenzee does best, my poor dh finsished up getting up at 5 to watch a dvd with her and cuddle on the couch so i could get 2 hours sleep, i can survive on 2 hours lol we have been doing this reflux thing for a while now lol

So any way her bad day of her bad week has continued onto today she has screaamed non stop didnt want to see nana or pop or grammy or other pop just wanted to scream, she is also having major bowel issues at the moment so is having trouble passing stools which as you can imagine plays havack with her reflux

GRRRRRRR when will this **** end, its not getting any better, lets hope her next operation wil actualy help

Okay vent over lol im in a bad mood can you tell i hate reflux not sure if i have told you that before lol

Hugs to all reflux mums, it really does suck, dont forget reflux is more then a bit of spit up its dam hard work, and you all do a great jobs with your little refluxes

wel better go mine has just got out of the bath and dh has just led her down to get dressed so the refluxing and screaming is in full flight DH is yelling for me to help lol

delirium

11-11-2007, 16:59

Oh yes, I know how mums feel here. We have a silent refluxer, who has screamed continuously for 3 months. We've had him on every medication and nothing worked. His Ped said in his 25 years of being a specialist, the thing that worked the most was solids. I fought this for about 2 months, as I've always had strong feelings about delayed solids.

But things got so bad a few weeks ago I tried him. I was ready to have a nervous breakdown (and I'm not joking one bit). Since then, he has been so much better. He still has bad days, but before he might have one good day out of 7, now it might be 4. Even 3 bad days a week is easier to deal with than 6 bad days.:thumbsup:

I still stand by delayed solids in general, but as a mother of a child with severe silent reflex, there has to be exceptions :yes:

bossoflatch

11-11-2007, 17:12

it really does stink amy .. never ending hey :rolleyes:

reflux sucks..

need i say more :laughing:

i will though.... :p reflux is the worst medical condition i have come across the pain .oh the pain.. why should a child be in so much pain .. my dd suffered for months when no one could explain to me why she is/was in pain.. we now have her on neocate .. and triallling foods atm.. (not to gloat amy :o ) but she has her moments like all reflux babies i guess -some days are worse than others ..

Now they say that not only does she have gerd but allergic rhinitus, mulitple food allergies and undiagnosed bowel issues.. hmm so tell me as a mummy what does that mean for my dd?:confused:

we are lucky i gues in a way ..after 9 months of a screaming baby .. we have meds and yes we have a few.thankfully not as many as some mums.. but omg .. she seems to be getting pain free.... now how long can i give her these new meds :devil6:

2sweetgirls

11-11-2007, 18:58

:barf: Reflux is HORRIBLE,

I am sick of people saying, oh yeah my baby had that, its not that bad they will grow out of it...

I am not really sure what TYPE of reflux these mums thnk their babies had.... but its NOT "NOT THAT BAD"

My darling Madeleine, is no where near the worst of the refluxers, but It makes me cross that people who have not been through this think its just a bit of :barf:

anyways thats my vent for the atfernoon

smiles

12-11-2007, 08:12

Hey ladies
Kalani is 6 months and has losec twice a day (10mg total) she is a comfort sucker and would stay on my boob all day if I let her.

I was at breaking point on the weekend, I was so angry and frustrated, because even though my DH tries to comfort her, and give me a break, it lasts for 1/2 an hour at most, then she comes back to me screaming.

I feel (felt) trapped and exhausted and sometimes I just don't want to be a Mum anymore.

Thank you to the previous posters, you've validated that it's hard work. I appreciate that others know what I'm going through.

Part of my emotional breakdown on the weekend was that DH doesn't (and will never) understand the position that I am in. And he is wonderful support, a great listener, and a fantastic Dad, his children and family have always come first.

I felt guilty that I was so angry at him, because he is so wonderful with us. All of us, and he tries his hardest.

Emotionally I went to a place I'd never been to before, and it scared me. I don't know what to do, I talk and talk and talk some more, but I get sick of talking too.

Thanks for this thread, I'll be around here for sure.

Mumma2Jack

12-11-2007, 09:37

reAllytee

12-11-2007, 10:56

2sweetgirls

12-11-2007, 11:04

I dont think anyone really understands the pain and heartache of having a refluxer unless they have beenthrough it or know of somone who has!!

What i find heart breaking aswell is having a toddler who always seems to miss out on attention when Ds2 is having a bad reflux day.

The whole thing breaks my heart.Having a child screaming in pain while another crying for your attention..:gloomy:

But somehow who knows how,we survive...

Good luck to you all.
What a great idea for a thread..:hugs:

Well said,

My poor DD1, those bad days I think she really does feel neglected....

But then the other days I wonder if i should be giving my darling refluxer daughter more attention.....

I feel somedays its a loosing battle

smiles

12-11-2007, 11:10

We have had a few bad days of late & i too feel like im totally trapped. Its overwhelming.

I hate that i have a toddler who needs attention all the time so struggle to meet his needs as well as Squeaks. I feel completely & totally useless half the time. I wonder if i really am good enough to be a mum.

We certainly arent the worst case & i shouldnt whinge, its just so bloomin hard. :(

:hugs:

I hear you loud and clear. You summed me up perfectly.

Kalani doesn't have a bad case of reflux, but it is still so hard.

Please let it out, you have every right to vent, I hope this thread helps you.

12-11-2007, 11:15

I just thought I would pop my head in and say 'hi' in this thread.

Isla had terrible refllux but is now quite well controlled by omitting everything with dairy (including traces of dairy) from mine and her diet.

It took us 9 and a bit months until her reflux was even remotely controlled and we still have some days where I forget and accidently eat something dairy and well the day may as well get thrown out the window as I get her glued to the breast for the rest of the day comfort sucking and if she isn't feeding she is screaming.

Mrs Little

12-11-2007, 12:54

What i hate most about reflux is the variables.

There are so many factors that can make it worse, so many reasons why they have it, so many methods to helping it/controlling it! Not to mention so many dr.s with variying opinions.

It's a never ending story. I constantly feel like i'm guessing.

I hear you about the silent battle. I don't know how many family members think they have the right to tell me how i should be parenting. (Mind you...most people share there opinion with DH...wonder why? :mad: They are too scared to tell me!). Even my own mother has told DH that i need to get out of the house more often, that i'm too wound up. But in the same breath...it's too hard for her to help babysit either the baby for one hr or my 2yr old for a bit.

I feel plain awful that my toddler doesn't get to go out half as much as we did b4 DS2 was born. But i just can't handle a screaming, inconsolable baby and a toddler..while trying to go shopping or talk to a mum at playgroup. I also can't handle people using the opportunity to tell me what i should be doing with my screaming baby. I am safer at home with my supportive friends on BH (and DH- don't know where i'd be without him), until DS2 is more settled with his reflux and intolerance issues. It will happen...he will settle..DS1 is proof. It's just a matter of time...and i'm prepared to fight this battle with all of my children. To make their lives as painfree and supported as possible. If that means not dragging them round the country side everyday (until they are older) ..then so be it. It's less then one yr of their (and my) lives that i have to do it for. It also means i can have some sanity..because i don't have to worry or stress about going out everyday.

BLAH...sorry for the long post.

Mrs Little & Sons.

EsSjAy

12-11-2007, 18:15

Hello everyone...:wave::hugs:

Happy and over the moon to say the least..... I've had the best day ever with Daniel...
He's been rolling, playing, giggling... Just sooooooo happy..... He's talking away at the moment with Daddy and we can't believe the day we have had with him..... We've been to the shops, we had lunch out and then did more shopping.... I actually got out of the house for a whole 2 hours by myself to for 'ME TIME'....
I'm a new woman somebody pinch me!!!:laughing:
I am so happy i could cry.
He has not cried once all day and no signs of reflux....
TODAY IS A GREAT DAY....
I wont put a dampener by thinking that it will be short lived because i know after today that it is possible that he can have a pain free day....
I'm wishing for many more....
I hope we are turning the corner...

I hope everyone is doing o.k and your day has been a good one....
Thinking of you all... x x:)

Sheer Bliss

12-11-2007, 18:56

:hugs: :hugs: :hugs: I can sympathise with the :barf: averywhere - our blue rug looks like it is almost white with all the white 'splotch' stains all over it! But thank god Ds is a happy chucker - it only causes him pain occasionally, and is usually short-lived. Just hearing the way he screams straight after a feed when he needs to bring it up makes my heart break, I can only imagine what you guys suffer hearing that cry all the time.

:barf: Reflux is HORRIBLE,

I am sick of people saying, oh yeah my baby had that, its not that bad they will grow out of it...

I am not really sure what TYPE of reflux these mums thnk their babies had.... but its NOT "NOT THAT BAD"

My darling Madeleine, is no where near the worst of the refluxers, but It makes me cross that people who have not been through this think its just a bit of :barf:

anyways thats my vent for the atfernoon

I hear what you are saying! I know that Nick is no-where near as bad as others - he still gains weight so he's keeping something down. But people say all the time - oh yeah my baby was/is a chucker, then they SEE Nick spew and go 'oh wow that was a big one' Then he does another, and another and you hear that all familiar 'splat, splat. splat' as several volcanos errupt from his mouth. The MIL is the worst, saying DH was like that - little puddles about the place. DS doesn't leave little puddles - he leaves major dams - the look on her face when she sees him do it - it's obvious she's not had a baby do it before.

BTW Bron - the opening paragraph with cloth nappy over shoulder, puke in cleavage etc etc - LOVE it!! Was sitting here laughing & nodding as i read!!

sjhar - congrats on a great day for ds!!!

indigoin0z

15-06-2009, 15:08

i just wondered if this thread would mind still going?

hello.:wave: i am indigoin0z & i have a silent refluxer who is now over 2.

i just wonder who he would be without the pain.

i have only just come to remember recently, that he is a screamer BECAUSE of his reflux.
we decided not to medicate, more to manage in other ways & over time unfortunately you forget that its not just their annoying PERSONALITY quirks... the poor little thing is in pain.
we have so much going on in our house all the time it just disturbs me of how easy we forget why he is like it so easy.

does anyone have a toddler still struggling with reflux &/or wind issues..
he is either screaming from the reflux [ie just had pickles & tomato on sandwich for lunch dad made, then laid down on lounge for sleep, woke up moved around & screaming pulling at his mouth and chest]
or
screaming with wind... eventually getting a massive burp out AT 2YRS OLD!! or other end.

can anyone relate..
pleez tell me i am not as alone as i feel on this journey, that i forgot is not normal.:dizzy:

VegieK

15-06-2009, 16:47

Hi everyone!
I just found this thread, and just wanted to say thank you for it! I have a 3 month old with diagnosed reflux (who is now on medication and such a different baby!), and it was really lovely to read your posts about your little ones. It's really true what some of you have said about people not understanding and making comments... I have found that to be one of the hardest things to deal with - my favourite is "oh yeah my baby had that too". Then when you ask them about it, they just spewed after a feed occasionally... Makes me really sad and mad when I think about how many weeks my poor little man screamed his lungs out in pain.

Anyway - I look forward to seeing more posts about it all and having some people to talk to who actually understand what you have to say about reflux!

shell1985

16-06-2009, 21:47

I have a 6 month old and she had quite bad colic to begin with, then she was always spewing and screaming in pain but the doctors always put it down to colic and not reflux.
I breastfed her until a few weeks ago and have finally found a formula that is gentle (Karicare) She is better than she was but still gets her moments in the day but what is getting to me is its disturbing her sleep in the night, i must be getting up atleast 5 times in the night coz she is crying and she arches her back alot. I havent gone overboard with the solids, she just has a bit of babyrice and fruit here and there. I wonder if i need to take her back to the doctors and ask them to properly diagnose her and maybe give her some medication. Do they do any medications for sensitive tummys? she seems to want to poo in the night aswell which is another thing that wakes her up!