The Fear and Hope with Baby Reflux and Colic
A baby with reflux comes with a double-edged sword of fear and hope. Reflux parents live in constant fear, fear of what tonight might bring, fear of the pain baby might suffer, fear of uncertainty.
And then there's hope...
Hope that maybe today will be different. Maybe today is the day baby will suddenly "grow out" of their reflux. Hope that tonight might be the night that the baby sleeps for 2 or 3 hours without waking. Hope that tonight will be different. Hope that the next medication will be a wonder drug. Hope that upping the dosage will help without hindering.
But it never is.
The hope gets wiped out every time. Every day. Every night.
And yet, tomorrow, we will hope again because the hope that something will change is all we have to cling to.
It is wrong that reflux parents must live like this. It is wrong that our healthcare systems (and this is not limited to the UK; I've had similar reports from the USA, Ireland and across the world) are failing our babies and us. It is unfair that we should ever feel like we are not being listened to.
It is as if the "system" wants more mums with post-natal depression. Our carers (health visitors, GPs, etc.) are unknowingly pushing us off the Cliff of Despair when they refuse to listen, when they don't hear us when they imply that we are just paranoid.
I pledge that it is time for change.
It is time for a change in the way we treat babies with colic, reflux, silent reflux, CMPA and other food intolerances and allergies.
I am standing up for all the hundreds of thousands of babies who are suffering and their families. I am here to let you know there is a better way.
What needs to be done for change?
From the outset, I believe we must start to trust ourselves again. We must trust ourselves to listen to our babies, observe what they are telling us and respond to this. We must trust that we can influence what is going on for them. We must trust our own instinct that tells us something is wrong.
The beginning of resolving your baby's reflux begins with understanding what is causing their reflux. Depending on what is causing your baby's reflux, there will be a different answer to the resolution.
For some, it will be revising a tongue tie. For others, it will be a modifying diet, and this can be a breastfeeding mother's diet, the formula the baby is drinking, the food the baby is eating, or all of the above. For some others, it will be merely finding a bottle or feeding position that allows the baby to latch better. Others might need some gentle structural realignments (e.g. osteopathy or chiropractic) after birth to remove internal stresses from their little bodies.
Whatever the solution for your baby, understanding the causes better will allow you a much greater chance of success much earlier. It will allow you to enjoy parenthood. So observe your baby closely; what are they trying to say without words? Observe, record and listen. Then, form a better question.
How can I help?
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.
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