Just when I thought about giving up on life - BellyBuffers saved the day!
I wanted to share my story of our life before BellyBuffers, and tell you how BellyBuffers literally has saved my son’s life and our family.
Our reflux Journey began less than 24 hours after Joshua was born. I knew from the time he was born something was different because he was the only baby awake crying uncontrollably the first night he was born while all the other babies slept peacefully. The first thing that had me questioning if everything was alright with him is the fact that he sounded so congested. I kept asking the nurses why he sounded so congested and all they kept saying was he probably wasn't suctioned well from the c-section and he would be fine.
Early the next morning at less than a day old he was taken to the nursery to be circumcised. Three hours later when he had not arrived back from the nursery I sent my husband to get him. It was not until my husband arrived back that we found out that Joshua had stopped breathing and was unresponsive and we were told he had an ALTE( apparent life threatening event). He was gagged and taken down to NICU. We were met shortly after that by the head of the NICU (who we later were told was known around the hospital as Dr, Doom and Gloom). He indicated they were running every test possible to find out why he stopped breathing and had turned purple and of course gave us every worst case scenario. An hour later the phone rang and we were told it was Acid Reflux that has caused our baby to stop breathing.
After Joshua spent four days in the NICU we received word that he would get to go home when I was released. We were given an Apnea Monitor, trained how to work it and infant CPR. In addition, compound prevacid- 2.5 mg/.8cc to be given once a day in the morning and bethanacol .5mg/.5cc four times a day and sent home with Joshua. Our days and nights began with lots of crying, coughing choking, gagging etc, and it got worse at night. We had no idea why this was happening. I was consumed with the feeling of helplessness and would often cry day and night, feeling alone and depressed and wondering what fate held for my baby. The most joyful time of our lives had turned into a living nightmare full or worry and anxiety, frustration and depression.
Over the next 2 months I met with the pediatrician several times and made several calls to the nurse telling both of them that Joshua was crying, chocking, gagging, slept horribly, unbelievably gassy, restless, wakes up crying, screaming etc. Feeding Joshua was nightmare as well. He would drink from the bottle, scream, arch his back and turn his head to the right, then he would try again and this horrible process would repeat itself. Little did I know at the time this was all uncontrolled reflux.
Joshua was a miserable baby; he was so sad and so unhappy. I remember breaking down in the doctor’s office crying because my baby was acting like he was in pain and never smiled. The responses I got were, he is just a “colicky baby” maybe change the formula, I really don’t think it is reflux the doctor told me (even though we had an Upper GI to prove reflux) he is just colicky and he is a perfectly healthy baby and he will outgrow it around 4 months old.
At Joshua’s 2 month appointment he received 4 shots, after this time, things went from bad to worse. He barely ate after his 2 month shots so I called the nurse once again and told her I thought he was reacting to the shots, she told me no and that we needed to come in again to make sure something else was not going on. This time we met with the doctor and I inquired about silent reflux since Joshua has never actually refluxed his bottle at that time. He told us it did sound like reflux and we should try the Prevacid Solutabs, take 7.5 mg one time a day. After trying the solutabs for 3 days I called the nurse back and told her I did not think the pills were working and they were causing him pain. She asked how I knew that they were not causing him pain? I responded by saying, "because he is still acting like he is in pain". She told me to give it more time.
By day 13 on Solutabs, things were once again just miserable so I called the nurse again and told her we needed something else, this was not working. Joshua was still arching his back, fighting his bottles ,sleeping terribly for naps and in the middle of the night, coughing, choking, gagging, etc. It had gotten so bad with his sleeping he was displaying signs of Sandifers (flailing, rolling his head and neck wildly, jerking his body-all of which looks like Infant spasms) and with his uncontrolled reflux I believe this too is the cause of his torticollis. She told me the doctor wanted to see us again.
This was going to be my third visit this month with them. We met with the doctor and he told me he did not feel it was really reflux that perhaps it was a formula intolerance and recommended this time we try another formula and to check with my insurance and we would try another reflux medicine.
That weekend after one day on Nexium compound I MADE THE DECISION TO TAKE MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS! Our pediatrician was not going to help us, and we were going to be on this reflux battle without their help. I made up my mind that night to try BellyBuffers with Over the Counter Omeprazole. I had been reading a lot about it and the success other moms were having with BellyBuffers on a Reflux support group that I had joined on line. I received the BellyBuffers kit within one week and gave Joshua his first dosing that night. That first night my baby slept 11 hours straight and the most peaceful sleep he had had in his 2 plus months of life. Two days later Joshua smiled at me for the first time. I nearly broke down in tears.
Since then it took us about 3 months to finally get control of the reflux. Because of he had reflux for so long he encountered new problems, torticollis from the arching of the back, he required Physical Therapy for almost a year. We also endured Joshua having to wear a helmet to correct the flatness of his head, I believe this all links back to the beginning of uncontrolled reflux hell.
My goal for Joshua had always been, get him off medications at 1 yr old. Well after several failed attempts at weaning at just shy of 3 years old I can honestly say we are med free and reflux free, finally.
This journey has taught me patience and perseverance and at what lengths we will go to for our children to be pain free, in the end we have won and I could not have done it without BellyBuffers.
I will always be grateful to Infant Acid Reflux Solutions for following in Dr. Phillips footsteps, and the work and passion he has done with the University of Missouri with Marci-kids to help save so many lives and help make reflux manageable for so many innocent babies and their families.
I cannot even imagine what our lives would have been like without BellyBuffers, Infant Acid Reflux Solutions and for all the work that Dr. Jeffrey Phillips did that inspires this companies work.
For anyone who is struggling and having a hard time deciding on whether to try it or not, my question to them would be: Why NOT? What do you have to loose if you and your child is still suffering in reflux hell?
Just when I thought about giving up on life BellyBuffers saved the day!
Sincerely,
Janie Nelson