How The Baby Reflux Lady Cured Thomas: Eleanor's Story
If you have a baby with reflux, I get it. It is heartbreaking. I am here to help. If you would like to know what it's like to work with me, Áine, The Baby Reflux Lady, then read this case study and testimonial from one of my clients, Eleanor.
Baby's Symptoms
Thomas was 7 months old when his mum started working with me. She was at her wit's end and had stopped trying to give Thomas solids because it was making his reflux so much worse.
Thomas’ ongoing suffering was unbearable; he would spit up a lot, vomit after feeds (which was often green or yellow), have choking spells and sleep apnoea. He would literally stop breathing in his sleep.
He wouldn’t and couldn’t sleep properly. Rarely would he sleep for more than 40 minutes, and when he was up in the night, it could take up to an hour to help him settle again.
He had a blocked nose, congestion and difficulty breathing. It seemed as though he always had a cold, and sometimes, he would have such difficulty breathing he would turn blue.
Thomas also suffered from a tummy ache a lot. He had acid-smelling breath, a bloated and swollen tummy, constantly constipated, which was really painful and then green poo when it finally happened. He suffered terribly with painful gas and trapped wind. Poor Thomas would cry all the time. Eleanor felt “powerless to make him feel well”.
Thomas wanted to be a happy baby, but life just wasn’t letting him be.
Taking its toll on the whole family
Eleanor, meanwhile, also had to look after her other child and was running herself into the ground. She had no other option. Her husband needed to be able to function and work, as well as take the kids for a little bit in the morning so that Eleanor could get some precious child-free sleep.
Only 3 times in 6 months did Eleanor and Thomas experience a night where Thomas didn’t wake within 40 minutes of being put down.
Sometimes, it had appeared to Eleanor that her breastmilk was making Thomas vomit. So much so that she quoted, “`I feel like I am poisoning him!”… As a mum, Eleanor took pride and responsibility in ensuring her own and her children’s well-being. She was very clearly feeling like she was failing. She was anxious, overwhelmed and struggling not to lose her temper with her family. On top of this, she frequently worried that Thomas’s crying would wake the neighbours.
Working with Aine
When I asked her what would be the greatest change for her, she wrote:
“Regular bowel movements for Thomas without constant uncomfortable wind and vomiting. Normal breathing for Thomas. Not being awake at night with discomfort.”
Eleanor was the ideal client. She listened and understood my approach, and she was willing to do anything to support her baby.
We knew how bad things were, so Eleanor immediately started on my elimination diet, which aims to get the baby to a Place of Great as quickly as possible. In Thomas’s case, the changes were virtually immediate, with his first ever sleep through the night with no wind or discomfort on the second night of Eleanor’s elimination diet.
Finding Answers
Gradually, Eleanor rebuilt her diet. We confirmed eggs as the culprit in Thomas’s breathing difficulties and many other foods along the way as food that were causing wind, gas and bloating, which led to disrupted sleep.
I taught Eleanor how to read Thomas’ symptoms and responses and to trust her observations along the way. With my protocol of foods that are safe for the baby to digest, Eleanor and the family went on a foreign holiday. Armed with her knowledge of how food interacted with her body and Thomas’s, they were able to enjoy it.
By day 10, Thomas was experiencing only four different symptoms infrequently during the day. He was sleeping longer consistently and a happier little man.
At the end of 6 weeks, Thomas was sleeping from 8 pm until 5 am almost every night. Eleanor now had a deep understanding of how important her food choices were for her baby. Thomas had no constipation, no vomiting and had started enjoying food himself, too. All in a safe way that minimised the flare-ups from reflux.
Client Testimonial
This is what Eleanor had to say about working with me…
“It has allowed me to feel like I can continue to breastfeed my baby without medication and without feeling like I am poisoning him simply by changing my diet and a few other things. It has made me feel less bloated and nauseous and given me a clear idea of how to discover which foods I and my baby need to avoid. It has given me loads of ideas for better, alternative foods to eat, which will improve the overall health of my whole family.
Before Áine's programme, I felt I did not have the knowledge or experience to fix my baby's problems and that my sources of help (GP, health visitor, internet) were not able to provide what I needed as there was so much conflicting information and advice that I did not know where to start. It felt very demoralising. However, this programme gives you what no one else does: a personalised, one-to-one approach that gradually and subtly allows you to make the necessary changes.
The programme has allowed me to continue to breastfeed my baby without medication and without feeling like I am "poisoning" him. All of this has been achieved by modifying my diet and implementing a few other changes and other helpful suggestions, for example, to help with the wider issues surrounding baby feeding, such as tongue-tie and improving the baby's latch. I have realised that there is, in fact, a holistic approach to these issues.
The programme has also made me feel less bloated and nauseous and gave me a clear idea of how to discover which foods my baby needs to avoid. It has also given me many ideas and suggestions for better, alternative foods to eat, which I'm confident will improve the overall health of my whole family.
Since completing the programme, I feel confident and empowered in a way that I would not have thought would have been possible before I started it.”
How can Áine The Baby Reflux Lady help you?
In the 'Reflux Free Baby' Workshop, I walk you through all the symptoms you need to observe and record for your baby, what they mean, and how to use them as clues. The course is suitable for both bottle-feeding and breastfed babies who are suffering from baby reflux.
I tell you what the clues mean individually and when they occur with other groups of symptoms.
And this leads us to be able to say what is causing each baby's reflux with much more confidence.
Based on this, I tell you what specific action to take for them.
If you have started weaning and seen reflux flare, my online Solids Workshop is for you.
If you are about to introduce solids but haven't started yet, let me help you from the very beginning with step-by-step support to ensure weaning your baby is as joyful as possible: Weaning Course. You’ll discover how to safely introduce foods causing minimum discomfort and exactly what to do if a certain food does impact your child’s reflux.
If you're on the fence, start with our Free Symptoms Tracker. Document just how many behaviours and symptoms are directly related to your baby's reflux and how much discomfort you can expect to resolve by addressing the root cause of their reflux. Download it here.
More information on all of these issues and how to pinpoint what is going on for your baby can be found in The Baby Reflux Lady’s Survival Guide.
If you want to know how to best help your baby now, complete this short quiz: Http://bit.ly/RefluxQuiz
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