I had acid reflux my entire pregnancy. I took Tums until they quit working and then the OB had me taking Zantac. *Note* I hate taking medicine. The Tums and Zantac didn't stop the reflux they only made it so it didn't burn. At times the reflux was so bad it caused me to throw up, this happened about once a day for my entire pregnancy. I even had acid reflux while I was in labor, crazy right?!? They gave me something nasty to drink and it instantly went away. Where was this magic drink during the rest of my pregnancy?
I shouldn't have been surprised that Bubba developed acid reflux when he was about a month old. He would scream and wail while nursing. When he was done nursing and I went to burp him he would typically throw up nearly everything he had eaten. I felt so bad for him!
When Bubba had his seizure the doctor prescribed a form of Zantac for babies. The Zantac seemed to help with the pain but it didn't stop the reflux or the throw up. The prescription ran out and almost instantly the pain Bubba had previously experienced with the reflux returned.
I took him into the doctor and was issued another prescription for Zantac. I also noticed that Bubba's weight dropped for an eighty something percentile down to the teens because of the vomiting from the reflux and this concerned me.
I began researching online to see if there way anything more I could do (we kept him upright after nursing, his bed was on an incline, etc). A few people suggested ta,king reflux babies to see a chiropractor. Initially I thought to myself, "That is ridiculous! Why would you want someone cranking on your babies neck?"
A short while later a friend who is an RN suggested just that, that I take Bubba in to see a chiropractor who had specialized in babies. She said she had taken her kids to him and that he was really good.
Next thing I know I am calling up this chiropractor to see what he can do for my baby. I filled out some paperwork before taking Bubba to the chiropractor's office, the papers asked all kinds of questions about his delivery- I thought that was interesting.
The day of the appointment arrived and I didn't have any expectations. We met with the doctor and he seemed very friendly. He began asking questions about my pregnancy and about labor and delivery. He became more concerned the more I talked. I was especially concerned when he heard that they used the vacuum not only once but twice to get Bubba out.
He said that during labor and delivery the goal is to get the baby out alive and they will do just about anything to get a baby out, but often that can cause spinal misalignments that can affect people for the rest of their lives if left untreated.
He checked Bubba's spine and sure enough things were out of place. He was super gentle with him and used his "activator" tool to realign Bubba's spine. Bubba didn't even cry!
The doctor suggested taking him to see a massage therapist who specializes in craniosacral work just to see if anything was wrong there.
I took Bubba in to see the massage therapist. I know what your probably thinking, "You took your baby to a massage therapist?" I sure did.
It didn't seem like the massage therapist did anything but he assured me that Bubba would sleep better and that his wet diapers would no longer bother him. Sure enough Bubba began to sleep better at night and the wet diapers no longer bothered him. Previously he would scream every time he had a wet diaper- we went through a lot of diapers for awhile.
We returned to the chiropractor and he could tell that we had taken Bubba in to the massage therapist. He said a particular area of his head/neck region had moved about an inch and looked really good.
We have been going to the chiropractor once every two weeks since February and I have to say I am impressed with the results we have seen. Bubba is off of his Zantac, he has normal baby spit up instead of Niagra Falls, he sleeps better at night, he is taking naps during the day, he doesn't get mad every time he has a wet diaper. And he smiles every time he see the doctor. Occasionally he will cry when he hears the "activator tool" but overall it has been a wonderful experience.
At our last appointment the doctor said Bubba was looking so good that our visits will now be once a month. I feel like we have witnessed miracle after miracle with this chiropractor and I am so grateful for the care he has taken in treating our family. Yes, we are all seeing him now for various reasons. If your child is struggling with acid reflux I highly recommend taking them in. We will definitely take any future children we have in to be adjusted.
As I was sitting in the waiting room one day I noticed some patient stories on the wall and was really impressed with one in particular, I will summarize it briefly below.
There was a family who had a son around 8 or 9 years old. This little boy was really having a hard time. He was constantly sick and in and out of the hospital, he was struggling in school so much that the family had hired tutors for him and his vision was terrible. The family took him in to see the chiropractor we go to. It wasn't too long before the family began to notice changes. Their son didn't get sick anymore, his academic performance improved greatly and he no longer needed his tutor and when they took him into the eye doctor his vision was perfect- the eye doctor was floor.
Crazy story, right?
I am truly amazed by what chiropractic care can do. If your in the Eugene/Springfield area and looking for a chiropractor let me know and I will gladly give you our chiropractor's contact information.
