Eight Steps to know/feel like you’re actually DOING something!
The Time is Now
No Time to Hope!
The Time is Now!
The time is Now! Research!
Make a Plan
Share your Plan Now.
Fax/email it!
Don’t ask, don’t wait,
do NOT think:
“oh I’ll ask at my next appointment!”
Do NOT think “oh, I’ll just call the office..”
, ‘
” ___.”
” ___.”
The time is Now.
Your baby is suffering.
Advocate for your baby!
To help you write your ‘script’ of how you’re going to communicate with your doctor, look at all the research (keep reading; the majority is right here!)
and get an understanding of what it is, exactly that you’re asking for and why.
Take notes.
Look at the ‘how to write a fax’ and the ‘sample document’ to bring (or even send before the appt., via patient portal or fax)
because you should keep things short and to the point, without emotion. Change your mindset! It’s not up to you to convince. You must tell. Write a script and practice if you must:
This is what I’m giving my baby. Please write the Rx. If dr won’t, you say: I will be buying meds over the counter & this is what I’ll be giving my baby. I’ll check in w/ you in 14 days to let you know how things are.
Use symptoms as well as the research to:
Email the doctor!
Fax the doctor! Seriously, it’s ancient technology, but it works! I think it has to do with the fact that it’s in WRITING and therefore a document that can’t be easily ignored?
Sample fax: Back to Square One
Use detailed symptoms to make your point:
more symptoms:
Faxing the doctor is ancient technology, but it works!
You can fax without a fax machine, just google it.
Use information and research to advocate for your baby!
Learn how your baby’s reflux is
affecting her/his EARS, NOSE, THROAT, COUGH, LUNGS! ! :
Research about Allergies and (what were formerly called Intolerances are now known as) non-mediated IgE allergies!
Four (4) Links to Click!
Difference b/t Allergy & (what was formerly called intolerance) and non-mediated IgE allergy:
Read about your formulas!
Read about how elemental formulas work!
Formula feeding & reflux:
Three (3) links about Thickening Formula:
(1) Facebook Link
and links to some articles about thickening here:
Breastfeeding & reflux
What Medicines does your baby need? H2 Blocker like pepcid?
A PPI like Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium or Protonix?
What doses? What form? Pill? Liquid? Capsule? LEARN about them!
Treating GERD w/ PPIS; FOUR links:
(1) www.infantreflux.org/treating-gerd-with-ppis/ Ppi Administration (‘forms/types’) & there’s link to DOSING CHART
And: this explains some things re: ppis
H2 blockers
HOW TO research & form a plan to share w/ your dr:
Most drs start a baby off on a H2 Blocker
This is a med like pepcid and zantac.
Most babies seem to ‘pleateau’ on this kind of med. Then they seem to ‘move on’ to a PPI. (www.infantreflux.org/treating-gerd-with-ppis )
At this point, the time of starting a PPI, the damage has left it’s mark & the PPI can take up to 14 days to show it’s full healing affect.
If caught early enough, a PPI *can* help in as short a time as 48 hrs. Sadly, this is NOT the case w/ most of our reflux babies, because drs want to start w/ H2 Blockers.
Now, some babies absolutely respond to H2 Blockers and that’s that. You’ll find that the majority of babies here do NOT ‘only’ need H2 Blockers, because these cases are more severe, more intense, more complicated & desperate mothers (& some fathers) have therefore ‘found’ us & groups like this one.
So, when starting a PPI, your baby needs to remain w/ the H2 blocker because, until you see that the PPI is ‘working,’ then it’s as if your baby isn’t medicated at ALL.
You must space the two kinds of meds 4hrs from one another. (says zantac but read PEPCID) https://www.infantreflux.org/two-weeks-ppi-zantac-spacing
The next obstacle is proper dosing of the ppi. www.infantreflux.org/ppi-dosing.
Then, after that obstacle is overcome, the next one is what form of PPI and how to administer the PPI correctly. https://www.infantreflux.org/dosing-administration-of-medicines-ppis (all the while sharing w/ your dr.
Proper Dosing
Don’t forget to rule out Lip/Tongue Ties!
You may even need them revised & your revisions revised!
Bottle/breast refusal, choking while eating, only eating while sleepy, difficulty sleeping & reflux/gassiness are symptoms of the tie. It is such a minor procedure with a hugely positive impact. Tongue ties are a midline defect- they aren’t supposed to be there. So any type of restriction is going to affect the body negatively. Everything just might be bc of the ties. The revision can be life changing! You may have a completely different baby after!
