Reflux babies!  Gotta love 'em!

name: Michelle

date entered: 30/07/2007

country: Australia

story:

My first pregnancy was a breeze. The birth, however, was another story. Twenty two hour labour followed by a vacuum extraction, as you can imagine, I wasn't a happy camper. The weeks & months that followed seemed to be getting worse & worse. I was finally told that my little boy had reflux; by then I had given up on trying to breast feed. I was still feeling like I had failed even though there was a reason for all those hours of screaming, not wanting to feed, nights filled with me pacing around the house or asleep in the rocker with my little man still in my arms. The reflux finally started to settle down at about 10mths of age, although that feeling of being a failure for not breast feeding didn't subside until my second bub arrived.

His arrival was better than the first. I only had an 8hr labour after being induced - although the last 2hrs of pushing I had no contractions..... I breast fed him for 16mths with no worries.  I understood how wonderful being a new mum could be. All those feelings I had with my first disappeared & I was a really happy & 'glowing', carefree mum.

Then when my third bub arrived in just three hours, all those feelings came flooding back after she started fussing at the breast, not settling & not keeping her feeds down. She is now 9wks old & has been diagnosed with reflux. She is on medication which helps to a degree, but all that washing & soaking is a nightmare.  I am yet again battling with breast feeding, but I'm more determined than I was with bub #1.  I can only hope once her reflux starts to settle, she will accept me again. Perhaps the next one will be another 'easy baby'.... One can only dream!

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