I had been looking forward to that peaceful newborn phase when welcoming Adaira. However, from the beginning it was unlike anything I was prepared for. I had a feeling we were in for a rough ride when the nurses took her for the night and she would not rest in her bassinet.
Nursing her did not come as naturally as it did with my other two. It was difficult from the onset with her latch being problematic mixed with a clicking while she was nursing. I thought this was creating gas problems and her pain and screaming after nursing. We noticed that she had a lip tie and took her to see a doctor known for dealing with this issue in Seattle. However, when we took her the doctor thought the main concern was her tongue tie which she promptly cut. While this did help her nursing (she still had the clicking) she was still arching her back and screaming after nursing.
I was reading one night and typed into the search her symptoms and I found my answer, silent reflux. It never occurred to me that it could be reflux because she was not throwing up, however, silent reflux fit perfectly. There is something about finding an answer that gave me a sigh of relief and empowered me to search for solutions.
I began to feed her at an upward angle to help digestions and hopefully prevent the acid from rising. One of the biggest things that helped was making an appointment with a chiropractor that specializes in infant care. We found out Adaira has torticolis. After she came home from her appointment she was a different baby, less tense and more relaxed. We had one of our best feedings after that.
I made an appointment with a lactation consultant. She helped me to improve my breastfeeding technique while also giving me several ideas to help with Adaira’s silent reflux. We have her on an infant probiotic. Also, she wanted us to get Adaira’s lip tie cut because she believed it was causing the clicking and would improve our feeding. Our doctor was about to retire so we made an appointment and were able to get in right away. It has helped the clicking and latch.
One of the most important things that I learned from the lactation consultant was the importance of tummy time. The sooner they can sit up on their own the earlier this will go away. Also, apparently laying on your stomach makes you feel better.
During particularly difficult moments we use gripe water. However, I learned that we cannot give it to her too close to feedings at it causes her to throw up her whole stomach.
We have tried a lot of things and some have worked and some have not so I have no idea if these will work for your children. Adaira still has struggles during the day. There are still difficult days but overall it is better. I see an end in sight to this struggle, finally. I have no idea if any of these things will work for you but if you are struggling like I am then know you are not alone.
The biggest thing I learned through this is to trust your instinct. I had succesfully nursed two children before this and with Adaira something was different from the beginning. There were multiple issues in our case but I had to search for answers and become her advocate. While she is by no means cured of her reflux I can better manage it. Also, in between the screams I see her personality beginning to shine through and those smiles she gives me are beyond precious. The smiles offer hope and I know this phase will not last forever.
We have many appointments for Adaira and her care requires more of our time and emotions than any of our previous children. She is worth it.
Any advice for dealing with silent reflux? We are always searching for answers.
