The Boy Is Home

[hkellick]

Gah.

Today is three months. We've only had him three months and in that three months we've been to the hospital three times, all with the same problem, horrible reflux.

This is NOT what I expected out of fatherhood. I expected not being able to play my games as much, giving up things, at least for a while, that I wanted, including sleep.. these were things I expected.
Not the constant heartache of a chronically sick child.

So... the boy will be bottle-fed. He definitely does better on the bottle than he does the breast (Clearly), which *IS* kinda sad, but clearly also just is.

I have alot of thoughts and they're all kinda a mess right now.

At least he's home and doing better.

Comments

[reginagiraffe]

Do you know thefourthvine? Her son (who is now 23 months old) also has/had very bad reflux. If you want, I can write her and ask if she can be a resource for you. Apparently it can lead to various other problems (some of which are not obvious), which can be made much less severe with prompt treatment.

Let me know.

[dmsj]

I am curious what sorts of other problems you're referring to, since my son also had some problems with reflux as an infant (he's now 2 1/2).

[reginagiraffe]

I am far from an expert and have no idea how universal these repercussions can be but from what she's said, for *him* it went something like:

Very bad reflux --> food aversion --> not eating/being very picky --> 1) weighing too little, 2) vitamin etc. deficiencies, 3) less advanced motor control of his facial muscles (from not chewing etc.) --> 1) a delay in speech development, 2) being much more vulnerable to becoming dangerously underweight when faced with illness.

Due to excellent parental vigilence, he was in various forms of occupational therapy starting very early, so the worst of it is mostly over.

If the reflux didn't result in food aversion for your boy, then he's probably (?) not at risk for the other things. (Again, *not* an expert.)

If you have more questions, thefourthvine is the one to talk to.