mummies with babies with GERD (reflux)

[xiaochuan]

Hi Mummies,

Would like some advice. My child is a HIE III case. Her doctors warned that most HIE would have GERD.
So far, i only did a litmus test using her secretion / mucus to test for acidity. Results are positive.
I have not seen her vomit milk so far (thank goodness). So at this point, do i ask doc about medication?
I planned to use FrisoCrem when she comes home. At hospital, she is on Enfalac AR. Anyone got experience using normal milk for kids with GERD?

 

[epicurean]

uddermummy,

Thanks for the heads-up about ome I'll discuss with hubby about it ... ome is really much stronger than zantac.

Would love to meet up! I've got exam stuff until mid Nov. After that, I'm most probably training my new helper coz current one needs to return to home country coz of family matters. But my current maid will be around to help orientate newbie so I'll still be able to go out for a while

 

[epicurean]

Hi paigemummy,

It's so good to see you back in the forum ancing_wub:

You poor thing ... I'm so sorry to hear that Paige's GERD has been so stressful and trying for you. Hang in there ... the challenge with our gerdlings is that there's no one cure-all for their GERD. It's a combination of strategies to take plus heaps & heaps of patience and perseverance.

 

[uddermummy]

Hi Mummies,

Would like some advice. My child is a HIE III case. Her doctors warned that most HIE would have GERD.
So far, i only did a litmus test using her secretion / mucus to test for acidity. Results are positive.
I have not seen her vomit milk so far (thank goodness). So at this point, do i ask doc about medication?
I planned to use FrisoCrem when she comes home. At hospital, she is on Enfalac AR. Anyone got experience using normal milk for kids with GERD?

hi xiaochuan! Sorry, am a bit suaku but what is HIE III?

Sometimes, bbs may suffer from 'silent' or 'invisible' GERD; they don't spit milk but there's still acid reflux. My girl, she sometimes just swallows her spit.

Did your docs discuss med with you? Usually, bbs are put on meds when their GERD causes them a lot of discomfort, so much so that they are v irritable and really quite hard to live with. Another reason for using meds would be a failure to thrive cos GERD is causin them so much pain that they can't bear to drink anything.

My girl's weight gain has been slow and patchy but overall, she's managed to stay out of the failure to thrive range. Her temperament when not on meds was really horrible! She was always in pain and was understandably v grouchy, and couldn't play or sleep well. Medication has kept the pain under control and she's now a v cheerful and cheeky bb most of the times.

My girl's on breastmilk. Is breastfeeding an option for you? Cos bm is usually better tolerated than fm by bbs with reflux.

As for fm, you'll have to check with epicuren and paigemummy.

 

[epicurean]

Hi Mummies,

Would like some advice. My child is a HIE III case. Her doctors warned that most HIE would have GERD.
So far, i only did a litmus test using her secretion / mucus to test for acidity. Results are positive.
I have not seen her vomit milk so far (thank goodness). So at this point, do i ask doc about medication?
I planned to use FrisoCrem when she comes home. At hospital, she is on Enfalac AR. Anyone got experience using normal milk for kids with GERD?

Hi xiaochuan,

Just to let you know, vomiting milk is not necessarily a sign of GERD coz some babies are happy pukers. It's the pain that comes along with it ... arching back and crying in pain, very grumpy.

I think you can check with the doc about med options and things to look out for tho' I'm not sure if there's a need to give med when she's not experiencing GERD.

My boy was on Nan1 from birth until his GERD started (at around 3 months). Normal milk which is fairly thin aggravated his GERD coz it was easier to vom out ie. causing a lot of pain as the acid travelled up & down his esophagus. Then we switched to Enfalac AR plus A+ (we use the combi coz AR by itself caused him to be constipated ... too heaty coz of the rice base). He's still on thickened milk feeds up to today coz that works for him.

Hope the info is helpful.

 

[xiaochuan]

My greatest problem: bb does not cry. I think her lungs are not developed enough. She has got no gag reflex and cannot swallow. If she has GERD, i wont be able to detect from her behaviour. Docs only suspect GERD from the color of the secretion....
"S-E-C-R-E-T-I-O-N" is about the most horrendous word that keeps ringing in my head. Becos of that, she got to be on NG tube feed, and not G tube.

 

[uddermummy]

hi mummies,
latest info on GERD from pager. Had a minor heart attack when i read that PPI is not cleared for use for babies under 1 year. :elvis: OMG! Should I take dd off ome then?

tried to upload the file but file too big.

http://www.naspghan.org/user-assets/Documents/pdf/PositionPapers/FINAL - JPGN GERD guideline.pdf

 

[epicurean]

Thanks uddermummy for uploading that link to the article. I've read it and that part about ome is rather worrying. Are you planning on asking Dr Aw about it when you next see her?

hi mummies,
latest info on GERD from pager. Had a minor heart attack when i read that PPI is not cleared for use for babies under 1 year. :elvis: OMG! Should I take dear daughter off ome then?

tried to upload the file but file too big.

http://www.naspghan.org/user-assets/Documents/pdf/PositionPapers/FINAL - JPGN GERD guideline.pdf

 

[uddermummy]

Thanks uddermummy for uploading that link to the article. I've read it and that part about ome is rather worrying. Are you planning on asking Dr Aw about it when you next see her?

yeah, will ask her about it.

btw, i'm free liao. How's the workload on your side?

 

[epicurean]

yeah, will ask her about it.

btw, i'm free . How's the workload on your side?

Ok, hope Dr Aw can put the info from the article in context and clarify the implications. She recently advised me via email to up Seb's zantac dose coz his weight went up and his GERD pains started surfacing.

Btw, if you bring Eva to see the dentist, check for erosion of enamel due to GERD coz of the acid. Seb's dentist gave him the all-clear but told me to watch out for that along with tooth decay. She gave Seb a wonderfully thin kids' toothbrush to use ... I know I know, cheap thrill on my part

I still have work to clear this week and early next week, I'm orientating my new maid. Later part of next week would be better. What about you?

 

[uddermummy]

she hasn't started teething yet, but thanks!, will keep a lookout for erosion. I'll also have to lookout for caries cos she still has the habit of nursing to sleep.

What type of toothbrush did the dentist give seb? Is it those finger type of toothbrush? Aiyah, what cheap thrills? Any thrills that come along with taking care of our darlings are valid and justified thrills!

me, i'm all clear until next jan when the new term for my last module starts.

Then I'll be back at work in june.

Though there are times when i get cabin fever from staying in the house too long with dd, I'm starting to get separation anxiety now just thinking of how i have to leave her with other caretakers.

I will prob have to get a helper and then leave both of them with my relatives. So now am v busy getting everything ready before we get a helper.

Am really reluctant to get a helper, but finances are getting quite tight on a single income, and there is pressure from family to go earn a living and not waste my degrees.

Just the other day, I could almost hear my relatives' mental disapproval when i told them that I was only going back to work next june. I felt quite upset that I had to defend my decision to stay at home and look after dd because of her GERD.

What price motherhood? And who says I'm not putting my education to good use by staying at home with dd? It's not like I'm staying at home to be a taitai okay!

It's at times like these that I really regret not taking up finance, and becoming a banker, or not working harder at saving and investing when i was younger. OR striking 4D! Heeheehee.

sorry for venting. Must be time to get out of the cave for some fresh air liao... :001_302:

 

[epicurean]

uddermummy,

The dentist gave Seb a kids' toothbrush, not the finger toothbrush. The thing about it is that the part of the toothbrush where the bristles are is really slim so I'm able to brush his teeth without him having to open his mouth wide heheh. The brand is 'Wonder'.

Btw the best tip the dentist gave me is to check the back of his front teeth (top and bottom sets) coz that's where cavities start (I never knew this!), esp for bottle-fed babies and babies who drink/nurse to sleep. Told me to get el cheapo dental mirror (small angled mirror on slim handle) from Daiso so can check the back of his teeth.

I completely empathise with you about separation anxiety :err: When I returned to work (tho' it was on part-time basis), I kept wondering what was going on at home. First thing when I get home is to get my mum to give me a run-down of the day! It does get better with time and it helps a lot that you trust the caregiver(s) to do things like how you would do yourself ... but I must confess that I've kept my habit of constantly checking my handphone in case my mum calls me about something! She hasn't done that to date, not even on his really fussy days coz her basic premise is that she doesn't believe she cant' handle him hahah ancing_tongue:

Why do people think that staying home to look after one's children is a waste of one's education? Our kids are our most precious, cherished pieces of our hearts ... if they're not worth the effort and time, then who is? And looking after them certainly requires whatever we've learned in our education and more!

Hubby always tells me that he buys 4D in hopes of striking it and then I can be SAHM without worrying about finances. I tell him "Keep buying" hahaha

I'll keep you posted about next week, can? Keeping my fingers crossed that my new maid will be a good helper and not get scared of Seb's condition. I've explained as much as I can to her in Malay over the phone but the real test is when she starts working.

 

[uddermummy]

Thanks for the tips on dental care! Now will go look for the dental mirror. BTW, who is your dentist? He sounds really good!

Hope your new maid can get oriented soon. I really kowtow to you! How many maids have you gone through? And you are still so patient and calm and on top of everything!

Will wait for your update then. ancing_wub:

 

[epicurean]

Thanks for the tips on dental care! Now will go look for the dental mirror. BTW, who is your dentist? He sounds really good!

Hope your new maid can get oriented soon. I really kowtow to you! How many maids have you gone through? And you are still so patient and calm and on top of everything!

Will wait for your update then. ancing_wub:

uddermummy,

You're most welcome! The sisterhood of gerdling mummies gotta look out for each other coz we're grappling with commons GERD issues & implications. Seb's dentist is Dr Betty Mok, head of Paed Dentistry in NUH. Seb's main paed referred us to her. But dentistry patients are all considered pte so no subsidies like the way it is at Clinic A. We were on waiting list to see her until a cancellation opened up a slot, otherwise we were supposed to wait until Jan!

No no, no kow-towing allowed! I just do what needs to be done. There'll always be a degree of unreliability when it comes to hired help. New maid will be maid no.4. Maid 1 got scared of Seb after 2 weeks; no.2 threw drama tantrum at my mum while carrying Seb - I fired her on the spot. Maid 3 is good but needs to return home look after her sick mum plus her house was wrecked by the typhoon. MOM actually sent us a letter, warning us about our multiple changes of maid and that our subsequent applications may not be approved. Hubby shot back a letter (he was pissed off), explaining Seb's condition and stating that we'll not endanger his health and safety by keeping maids who are unsuitable. They then replied that they would take in account our situation. :nah:

 

[epicurean]

uddermummy,

My apologies! The brand of the toothbrush is "Wisdom"

 

[uddermummy]

uddermummy,

MOM actually sent us a letter, warning us about our multiple changes of maid and that our subsequent applications may not be approved. Hubby shot back a letter (he was pissed off), explaining Seb's condition and stating that we'll not endanger his health and safety by keeping maids who are unsuitable. They then replied that they would take in account our situation. :nah:

Power!

Yeah, why does MOM have this mentality that all employers are out to abuse the maids while all maids are innocent? They think that most of us have nothing better to do than to change maids all the time? Bleah!

The helpers stay in our homes and are in such close contact with us that we have to make sure that they are emotionally and physically sound. If they can't do their jobs, then we'll just have to change them what!

Isn't it better to change them, rather than to keep them, stew in anger, and then abuse them???

 

[uddermummy]

uddermummy,

My apologies! The brand of the toothbrush is "Wisdom"

No prob. Still waiting for the first tooth to appear. Meanwhile, dd is still charming the pants off us with her 'bo ge' smile. Hahahah.

 

[xiaochuan]

It's a mixed bag of things for my baby. His GERD is under control but his hips are suspected to be dislocated from his constant stiffening (hyper tone). He's scheduled for hip x-ray in mid-July to determine how bad the dislocation is and to detect deformities if any. So everyday we aim to keep him happy & calm as much as possible coz that's when his hips are better & he doesn't pull them out.

quote]

Hi epicurean

Can dislocation wait to me treated? How come x-ray only so late?
On my gal, the doc have not mentioned abt hyper-tone... only keep telling me stiff limbs. I m worried. Already got condition, still deformed hor.. it will be yet another shock (although i reckon deformity is almost 100% for cases like mine)

 

[epicurean]

No prob. Still waiting for the first tooth to appear. Meanwhile, dear daughter is still charming the pants off us with her 'bo ge' smile. Hahahah.

Awwwww, that's so cute! Eva sounds like a real sweetie. :wong29:

Sometimes I do wonder if MOM looks after the interests of employers coz judging from their policies and letters, blame is usually assumed to be on our part.

 

[epicurean]

Hi xiaochuan,

Coz the formation of our kids' muscles & bones is developmental, we can't detect the problems if we do early x-ray. At the early stage, the joints, ball & sockets are too shallow (they're like a plate instead of a full ball & socket structure) so the hips joints will be moving on that plate if Seb pulls them out or relaxes (and they go back into position). It's unlike adult dislocation whereby if it's dislocated, it means it's out & it stays out.

I don't want to scare you but it would be realistic to be prepared for certain degrees of deformity, given the severity of our kids' conditions. How low or high the degrees of deformity will be, depends on how much we can help our children avoid or minimise deformity thru' constantly monitoring, giving feedback to docs & therapists, regular physiotherapy (coz therapist would be able to assess the range or limitation of movement on a regular basis).

So treatment for dislocation depends on the degrees of deformity. The different levels of intervention include putting a brace on the affected limb, adaptive equipment to ensure proper posture & positioning, exercises, AFOs (splints), corrective surgery (low & high risk depending on extent of deformity). Surgery can only be done after a certain age coz if it's done too early, the problem will recur coz our kids are growing and we're grappling with grow developmental issues.

Don't think too far ahead and worry about issues that we have little or limited control over. You have enough on your plate as it is. There're warning signs to look out for, so try using those as your sign-posts to take action when needed.