Good afternoon all!
I have a neighbour whos little girl is 6 nearly 7 months old. She looks very pale and is not eating much at all. When she does eat / drink milk all she does is vomit.
The doctor does not seem to be very sympathetic or her Health visitors. I am a qualified reflexologist and want to help her. She is very worried and not having much faith in the doc or HV at all.
The doc says it may be reflux and a problem with the diaphragm and or stomach.
Would you recommend a very gentle baby massage from her mum or would you say reflexology may help if it were very gentle. The little girl is losing weight too.
I feel helpless. And she feels unsure of where to go next.
I just want to reassure her she is a good mum and doing the right thing by following her docs advice but they have told her to just wait! Wait for what I am not quite sure, I assume test results?
I have 2 children of my own 2 years and 13 years but when it comes to others it is difficult to know what to suggest without being nosey as I do not know her that well and I don't want to upset her by suggesting other things such as reflexology. Would you attempt reflexology on a little one so young. I know it can be done but what about with a reflux situation.
What would you suggest. Feel I am a little out of my depth having only qualified recently and feel I have so much to learn!
Scary huh!
Trace x
RE: 6 month old with reflux possibly??
Is the baby projectile vomitting? What sort of 'tests' have they done? Some babes do spit up after each meal, and it can be worrying, especially to a new mum. Is she breastfeeding? Perhaps they would both benefit from some relaxation - you could show the mum what to do for her baby, and then, whilst someone cares for the baby, treat the mum.
RE: 6 month old with reflux possibly??
Hiya
I don't think she is breastfeeding. The baby looks pale but was quite 'smiley' yesterday, and is throwing up after each meal/drink of milk not projectile I don't thinkg but alot of it. Sometimes she won't even eat. The mum feels that she is too scared to eat now. Can a 6 month old have a cognitive thought like that ! I have done Psychology and I was not sure ! I have learnt that they do not even have a memory until 2 years of age.
The mum is pretty worried though.
RE: 6 month old with reflux possibly??
Hi Trace,
No, I would not treat a 7month old, especially when you really have absolutely no idea of what is really going on, and she is not going to tell you. Also somevomiting / spitting upis perfectly healthy in this age group, so gut feel without knowing anything else would be to leave well alone in the therapy department.
I do agree with Jabba's question though.
Is she bottle feeding or breast feeding. If bottle feed, then it could be an idea to look at alternate milk formulas.
Generally, health visitors are very good at picking up babies that are not feeding well. Weight isonly aguide, consider that you should drink 2-3 litres (2-3kg) of fluid a day as an adult. Can you honestly tell me that your daily weight is not going to fluctuate within given parameters on a daily basis? Well, babies are the same. Look for the parameters rather than a one off reading. So the other question, other than weight, is: is he baby GROWING. Is she generally happy and content?
I know it's a challenge sometimes, hoping health professionals will tell us what we WANT to hear because that is what we believe is goinhg on, rather than appreciating that maybe we worry because we are IN the picture rather than outside looking in, and therefore we can get a very skewed perspective. Remember, their perspective is based on a vast experience in a specialized area, ours is based on a single case and a load of media hype.
So, something to think about.
RE: 6 month old with reflux possibly??
How often is she feeding? Is she on solids yet? Perhaps she just isn't hungry when she refuses. Have they tried just offering her small amounts? How about 'exploring' with food? Will she suck on a cooked carrot yet? Is the baby having normal bowel movements?
I have a young mum client who is doing things 'by the book' - 3 hourly feeds still(baby is 4 months) but sometimes the baby just won't take the breast..... she has been setting her alarm for 3am and then 7amto feed him...... I suggested that she bung the book in a bin - babies can't read, nor can they tell the time!!!
I had one 'sicky' baby and one 'non-sicky' baby.I worried at first, but was reassured by sage relatives who took her out for walks whilst I had a long bath. Part of the problem was that I was getting stressed and the baby was picking this up. Once I relaxed and let her eat when she wanted, and what she wanted, she stopped throwing up. We did spend a few days in hospital when she was about 3 months old, as the projectile vomitting was dramatic - 12ft across a room on a couple of occasions! However, they ruled out pyloric stenosis, and we went home. The midwives suggested at that point that I alter the way I held her as she fed, which did seem to help stop wind.
RE: 6 month old with reflux possibly??
Hiya
Thanks for your comments.
During the night about 2 nights ago the little one had her mum and dad up and was quite scary apparently. They called the emergency doc and it seems that she has an ear infection quite seriously and that the eardrum was almost perforated. Poor little mite. No wonder she was off her food! She must have been in so much pain.
On antibiotics now and on the mend.
Panic over.
Trace x
RE: 6 month old with reflux possibly??
Hi Tracey!
My little girl had reflux as a baby, she was diagnosed at 7 weeks. If there is still the vomiting after food perhaps they could try baby gaviscon? You but it from the chemist in little sachets that you mix with the formula. It worked wonders on our little one. The burning in the back of the throat with reflux is very similar apparently to adult heartburn! It disappeared once she started on solids, which would have been around this little one's age.
Hope she's improving, its tough when they're sick. I hope your neighbour's not too distressed about it all. She's lucky to have you thinking of her!
RE: 6 month old with reflux possibly??
Hiya
Aaaaahh thank you Flopsy!
I will see her soon and check that the little one is ok. Hopefully things have settled down now, but will mention the gaviscon.
Thanks
Trace x
RE: 6 month old with reflux possibly??
:)Hello TJG,
Hows that little baby geting on?
Mythird child was bottle fed and brought most of his fed up and would scream for up 12 hours aday......when i went to the doctorshe told me to justget on with it....[:@] and thatthe baby had got colic.....
Anyways in the end things didnt improve: I was given gaviscon and inficol but still no joy...until at nine months he was put on non dairy,non soya milk and just like that he settled....
Hope shesgets the right support soon.
Rachel