Jen Reichert, co-owner of Baja Baby shares her experience with her daughter Reese (pictured above after her reflux was being treated) when she started exhibiting reflux symptoms. At the time, Jen had no idea what was going on. This was her second baby, and her first baby experience had been smooth sailing. Reese was unhappy and uncomfortable all the time in those first few months.
5 Reflux Symptoms
1. Baby cries with discomfort when awake, instead of sitting contentedly.
Whether you are a first time Mom or not, you have an instinctual feeling that something isn't right. Babies cry when they are hungry, tired, wet and when they're uncomfortable. Your Mommy instincts will fire off an internal alarm to let you know that something is up that's not on the 'norm' list.
In Reese's case, her crying was at its peak around feeding times. We didn't know it at the time, but her stomach hurt during and after feeding. Unbeknownst to us, this was one of the first signs of reflux symptoms.
2. Baby chokes, gags, vomits excessively and finds feeding uncomfortable.
First I thought it was my abundant milk flow that was causing Reese to choke and cough during a feed. Then I thought it was her feeding position. Maybe that was why she seemed so uncomfortable during an after a feed? And then I began to think that maybe she was getting too much fore-milk and not enough of the thicker hind-milk.
After switching positions numerous times and trying to pump first and then feed her after I had expressed some of the early milk, I thought her symptoms would go away.
But then came the Exorcist-style projectile vomiting. I have never witnessed anything like it before and in truth, it was terrifying. It was only at this stage did I begin to think she was maybe showing reflux symptoms or perhaps pyloric stenosis.
3. Baby arches his/her back and sticks her tongue out.
We used to giggle when Reese would stick her tongue out, in those few moments of the day when she wouldn't be crying. We thought she looked adorable.
She would be all wrapped up in her swaddle, nodding off for a nap and then out would pop her tongue. Her mouth would be in a circular shape and she would stick her tongue out, with her eyes closed tight.
Luckily for us, she did it during a visit to our pediatrician - who immediately told us that was a classic reflux symptom.
Who knew?
4. Baby breaks out in unexplained rashes frequently and suffers from bad diaper rash.
Unfortunately, allergies and reflux can go hand in hand for certain kids. This was definitely true for Reese. In addition to these other reflux symptoms, her weight plummeted as my anxiety soared (see photo beneath - she had done from 8 lbs 6 oz to just under 6 lbs in her first month).
I have to tell you - I felt like I had failed as a Mom when the doctor told us just how much weight she had lost. Big tears of frustration fell down my cheeks as I had been breastfeeding her for HOURS day and night. I had a milk supply big enough for 3 kids, so I couldn't understand why she was losing weight!
5. If your gut is telling you that something isn't quite right, then trust it.
Visit your pediatrician, get second opinions, go see a homeopath. Do whatever you need to do to get the answers you are looking for. Of course, everyone and the aunt is going to give you their opinion on what's wrong with your baby. But ultimately you, Mama, are the only person who truly knows.
I know that it's hard to trust your gut (or even find it!) when you're soooo tired and stressed out. But dig deep and advocate for yourself and your baby to get to the bottom of what's going on.
Reese was born in 2013 and there really wasn't a lot of information about reflux symptoms online. Now I'm sure there are videos and blogs that will show you what the symptoms look like. Use this information as reinforcement to get yourself and your baby the support you need if it does turn out that he or she has reflux.
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Dealing with her newborn baby Reese back in June 2013 was one of the most challenging times of Jens' life. In fact, Baja Baby Unscented Body Lotion was inspired by Reese and made for all the children out there who have the most sensitive of skins or allergy-based skin conditions.
How many parents out there have inherently known that something wasn't quite right with their little one? How many of you are reading this now, completely sleep-deprived and feeling like you're at your wit's end because you just KNOW something isn't quite right?
Jen's firstborn Wyatt was a dream baby. When Reese arrived, she were expecting more of the same. But it wasn't quite as easy the second time around.
"Watching Reese be so miserable literally brought me to my knees on many occasions. I knew something was wrong because she cried so much. And no matter what I tried, nothing I did stopped her crying like her heart was going to break and nothing would stop the rashes breaking out over her body for no apparent reason."
Baja Baby skincare products are the end result of a tough learning curve as a Mom and as a business owner. We're proud to stand behind a safe, organic line of skincare products that all kids can use.
The products come in family-size white bottles. The most important feature of the label is the shiny silver stamp that Jen & Kelly created. This stamp represents not only the quality of the product inside the bottle, but it's a nod to all the Moms in the world that get up every day and do their best for their families. Life with babies is tough and I wanted the stamp to feel like a badge of honor to our clients. We want to say "We see how hard you work, we honor your commitment to your kids by putting the best products that we can on the market."
To know that you don't have to be concerned about the lotion you are applying to your child's skin is, quite frankly, a relief - and something that we are honored to provide. If just one Mother out there can enjoy a moment with their sensitive baby knowing the product they are using will feel great and do its job right, then we're more than satisfied with that result.
We understand deeply how tough being a Mother is, and how difficult it is to know what is going on with your baby when he/she can't speak. We wholeheartedly encourage all Mothers to be your baby's advocate; give them the best start in life by choosing only the safest products to use on their precious skin.
