I wished her first year away...

by Rachael T.
(O'Fallon, MO, USA)

May 29, 2007 the most precious being came into our lives. Our daughter Isabella was born full term, just a few days shy of 38 weeks. She was perfect in every way possible.

Until the next morning.

She started to choke, gag and turn bright red. We didn't know what to do and called the nurse in. We were told it was just amniotic fluid and it was totally normal.

What we soon found out was that these experiences she was having weren't normal at all.

Things only got worse from there.

Within days of being home, she started choking multiple times a night. At 2 weeks old we finally took her into the Pediatric Doctor who put her on Pepcid. Day and night she was miserable. Around 4 weeks old, she started a Prilosec compound.

Nothing ever got better.

It became a daily routine to flip her over, pat her on the back, suck out the formula and repeat. Many times I would have to pull over on the side of the road to get her out of the car seat so she wouldn't choke.

Around 2 months old, we were referred to a GI. Again, another medicine trial...this time a Prevacid compound. And again nothing got better. It got to the point around 3 months old that our daughter pretty much stopped eating.

At 4 months old, after multiple episodes of me storming in the GI's office in tears, she was admitted into the hospital. They ran every test on the planet on her. Of course, everything came back normal. We stayed there for a week. She had dropped from the 35th% for weight to the 3rd%. From then on we could only feed her in her sleep. And what was worse is that the Doctors all seemed to think this was ok!

Every day and night I spent crying. Why did this happen to my little baby? All I wanted was a happy, healthy, well rested child. I wished her 1st year of life away.

Even after she turned 2, things weren't perfect, but better. She still was never a big eater, never the best sleeper and struggled to gain weight. She was on medications until 27 months and it was always the Prevacid compound. Once she was off, she was SO much better with eating and sleeping. I was blind to the compounds and their side effects. But now she is a happy and healthy almost 5 year old!

When I got pregnant again I immediately was worried about infant acid reflux. What if this happened again? Well, it did, along with a milk and soy protein allergy. Our son wheezed constantly, always had a rattle in his chest, major congestion, runny nose, coughing, etc.

I played the GIs game for a month or so before I found the Babycenter reflux board. At 2 months, I took the plunge and put our son on TummyCare Max. Things got better, but not perfect. But, thanks to a new GI who believed in what Marci Kids, Reflux Solutions and Dr. Phillips were doing, she put my son on a higher dose than he was on, as well as Elecare.

Within a week, he was doing great. He started to thrive! He ate wonderfully, he gained weight, and most importantly...he SLEPT!

The days of endless crying, whining, wheezing, coughing and congestion were finally over!

We did have feeding delays because of the reflux though, and an Immune Deficiency which added to the already tough year. But we got through it!

And now he's 2, he's in the 55th% for weight (85th% for height) and loves life! He's still on medications at 25 months old, but we're finally weaning him off them which at one point when he is ready he will be medication free.

:-)