Parenting Australia

Staying Sane with a Reflux Bub

Both of my children suffered with reflux to varying degrees. My daughter was a back arching, screaming little chucker. I spent weeks pacing the floor with her in my arms, her little head thrown back while I sang every nursery rhyme I knew in an attempt to calm her, or drown out the screaming, or both. I would count down the minutes until her Daddy’s car pulled into the driveway and I could hand her over. Thankfully I got better at managing it, and she grew out of it by about six months.

Unfortunately having one child with reflux doesn’t mean you will be exempt the next time around! My son suffered with reflux too, though he was less distressed with it (possibly because I was less distressed?) and more of a “happy chucker”.

I am certainly relieved to be through those years, but at least I can now encourage other mums dealing with reflux by sharing what worked for me. Here’s how I stayed sane:

1. Propping – Lying flat is problematic for babies with reflux so I propped the kids up any time I could. The cot was propped up, the mat on the change table was propped up, and I made good use of a rocker which was, you guessed it, permanently propped up.

2. Timing – I timed things to accommodate reflux if possible. For example I would always do a nappy change before a feed to eliminate laying them on their backs with a full tummy.

3. Routine – Reflux bubs can range from unsettled to never-settled. I found a feed-wake-sleep cycle worked wonders for both children and really helped me too.

4. Clean up - Not all refluxers are chuckers, but mine were. I had splatters on the legs of every piece of furniture in every room of the house, and usually my husband and I had splatters on our own legs too! I always had a cloth nappy on my shoulder to protect my clothes and they were also useful for wiping up the floors and furniture. (Thank goodness for wooden floors!)

5. Clothes – Thanks to the last point, I always made sure I had cute bibs which matched the kids’ outfits. That way when they chucked I could remove the bib and replace with another cute matching bib from the nappy bag without having to completely change their clothes.

6. Emergencies – Emergencies are inevitable with babies, but more so with refluxers. I always had at least 2 complete changes of clothes in the car for the kids, and one for myself too! I also always had several cloth nappies with me everywhere I went. A dry face washer could even be tucked into my pocket if I was without the nappy bag.

7. Support – if you have a child with reflux the first few months can be exhausting, isolating and disheartening. Get support. I was blessed with a friend who had experienced severe reflux with her own son. Her support was invaluable. If you don’t have someone to turn to for advice and support, talk to your GP, paediatrician or an organisation like RISA.

___________________________________

Catherine Oehlman is a SAHM currently being raised by a terrific toddler and a curious crawler. Her background in primary education, love of the mothering journey and compulsion for writing collide on her SquiggleMum blog. Cath encourages other parents from all walks of life to maximise the time they spend with their children.

Add Comment

Name

Email (will not be published)

Personal Web site/Blog URL

Subject

Comment

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Enter the letters you see in the image.

Click to get a new image.