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[Katie'sMama]

Hello. I am new to this forum. I sure wish I had found this information during my pregnancy!!! My DD is now a year old, but she suffers from severe infant reflux. (Oh... the tummy troubles in this family!!!) Our baby required round the clock attempted feedings that often lasted 1-2 hours. She slept very little due to her condition. (30 minute naps if we were lucky!) She is now on medication which has helped her a great deal. She's a very healthy, happy baby otherwise! Anyway, I was wondering if there are any other HG mothers out there who had a "reflux baby" on the heels of a very difficult pregnancy.

Also, I was wondering if anyone has also experienced significant weight gain. I lost weight throughout most of my pregnancy, but can't seem to stop gaining weight since. BF my baby didn't help with weight gain at all. My hubby's kinda a healthnut, so we eat pretty well around here. I've wondered if it was due to the ongoing lack of sleep or what??? So, has anyone else experienced significant weight gain above their prepregnancy weight?

I'd love to hear your stories/experiences!

Thank you!

[nomore]

Hi Angie,

Welcome to the forums. Congrats on your daughter! I have an 18 month old who has had reflux since she was born. SHe is still on Zantac for it and her DR just had her do an Upper GI seriers last week to make sure there was nothing else going on... and we are in the clear, so far things look ok. Reflux babies seem to common around here. Maybe some of the meds might affect it, or maybe its a predispostion. I hope your little one gets better! We have yet to be able to wean the Zantac, but her Pedi said she may need to be on it until she is 3.

About the weight gain issue. I am still 15 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight (and I was about 10 pounds over where I wanted to be then, although within my wiehgt category). I have had trouble keeping weight off since my daighter was born and have extreme trouble denying myself food if I really want it.... see what 10 months of no to minimal eating does to you! My metabloism is fianlly getting a bit better, but if I dont excersie, it wont come off these days!

Good luck...
Robin

[Katie'sMama]

Hello Robin,

Thanks for your reply! I can't tell you how much it means to hear from another mother with HG and a reflux baby! I don't know another mother dealing with either condition. It's so good to know that I'm not alone! Katie was on Zantac early on, but didn't help after a couple of months. She is now on Protonix, a proton pump inhibitor. She also sleeps in a device called a "Tucker Sling" which holds her in place while the crib is elevated to help keep acid down. We found lots of good info. at infantreflux.org. I tell you, it has been a rough go of it, but those precious little ones are worth it all! It's good to hear that the GI test was all clear for your baby! It helps so much to know that something else isn't causing the tummy troubles!

I have wondered about the whole metabolism thing. I lost 30 pounds in the first 2 months of pregnancy. I eventually gained it back over the course of the pregnancy. Since then, I've gained about 5 pounds every two months. So now I'm 30 pounds over my prepregnancy weight. I eat pretty much the same as I did prepregnancy. You know, pretty healthy but just gotta have some chocolate some of the time! :0) I guess I may really need to focus on exercise more. We have gotten so little sleep around here, it just hasn't been top priority!

Thanks again for your reply! So good to hear from you! :0)

[kirsty]

I am in the same boat. my first baby was fine healthwise, but didn't sleep well til about 9 months, so I put on a bit of weight with sleep deprevation and the joy of eating
my second baby had bad reflux. he is 18 months and still not sleeping well. he is on medication for the reflux, and one to make him eat.
I on the other hnd need one to make me stop!
I have never been so big. I think sleep deprivation is a big factor. I am exhusted, and can't have a nap, so I eat for energy.
I know I need to exercise more, bt it is so hard to get motivated when you are tired.
I have started pilates which I am finding good, streghthens the back and not to vigorous.
We are planning no 3 soon. at least I can be pretty confident of loosing some weight then!
good luck, but remember, its how you feel as much as how you look.
be happy with your perfect child

[Katie'sMama]

Thank you, Kirsty. Yes, I'm pretty sure the lack of sleep has quite a bit to do with the weight gain. At the very least, the fatigue doesn't exactly motivate me to exercise! We live in a very rural area - no sidewalks or roads suitable for a stroller, no other mothers to walk with, etc. I tried walking with the baby in the backpack, but she's just getting too heavy for me!

Leaving my job hasn't helped either. I'm very glad to be able to stay home, but I spend most of my day in my kitchen/living area. I'm sure just having food on hand and doing more cooking doesn't help the situation!

Dealing with infant reflux is certainly no picnic! Honestly, I'd rather it be me being sick again than to watch my baby hurt like she has the past year! It seems like several HG mothers have had reflux babies, and it seems like the reflux these babies experience lasts longer than typical infant reflux (just an informal observation from reading various posts). Could it have been the meds???

Yes, you're right. There certainly are worse things in the world than gaining weight. I'd gladly stay the weight I am now than ever experience HG again! Baby number two would probably be my sure fire ticket to weight loss! (Not really the way I'd want to go about it, however.)

Pilates does sound like a good way to start. I was thinking of trying yoga. Either should help to strengthen weak muscles, and my muscles just don't seem the same after HG. It's like I'm in a whole new body. I sort of expected some typical changes after having a baby, but not quite like this.

I also wonder about seeing a nutritionist. I put up with some really bad attitudes from my doctor during HG, but I was just too sick to argue (and hubby really didn't know what to do or think). They refused to see me or medicate until after 6 weeks. By then, I had to take a leave of absence from my job. I was just a miserable blob of a person stuck to the couch. (Just looking at that couch now makes me sick! ) Anyway, I never received IV fluids or anything. Looking back, now I know I should have made the long drive into the ER. I probably would have felt much better if the dehydration was treated. I just don't see how a person can go without regular food or water for so long during pregnancy and it not have an impact on their dietary needs after the baby is born! (One would think the doctors would help out more with this, but I guess not.)

Anyway, sorry to be so long. I've been waiting almost two years to get some of this stuff off of my chest! Thanks so much for reading and replying. It's sooooo good to know that you're not the only one!!!!! Thanks again!

[HGx3]

HEY ANGIE!!! GIRL, I AM 10 LBS HEAVIER NOW THAN I WAS WHEN I DELIVERED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW MUCH OVER ARE YOU?????

MY 1ST 2 BABIES HAD BAD REFLUX, LUCKILY, BABY NO 3, WHO IS NOW 3.5 MONTHS DOESNT HAVE IT. SO NICE TO HAVE A CHILD THAT DOESNT STINK...LOL

[Katie'sMama]

Hello Lisa,

I'm up 30 lbs and counting!!! Boooo hooooo! It doesn't look quite as bad as it sounds, because I'm 5'9" but still. I'm hiding behind the video camera more often at those family gatherings! I saw a shot of myself in my baby's 1st birthday party video and wanted to crawl in a hole and hide somewhere! The weird thing is that the weight gain is so steady - 5 pounds every two months exactly. Doesn't seem to matter how much or little I eat. I guess I'm just going to have to find time to exercise somehow, but baby is already an early riser (sometimes as early as 4:30 am). We usually can't get her to go to sleep until 9:30 or so and by then I'm wiped out!!! Naps are generally short and filled with chores for me to do. I'm still catching up from all of the housework I couldn't do for a year and a half or so! Hmmmm, maybe hubby will consider hiring someone! LOL!

Thanks for your reply!

[mammaclare]

Well count me in to the "weigh more than when I delivered" category. I gained 25 lbs in the first 6 weeks post partum and then lost 9 and then gained it all plus a couple more back. I am also almost 30 over pre-pg weight and seriously pissed about it. Very unfair.

Rory had a very mild reflux for his first few months--we had to feed him upright and keep him that way for at least 30 mins afterwards or he would puke huge amounts back up. We never medicated him but we did get a prescription for Zantac...he simply was doign better with the staying upright so I never used any of it.

[Gail]

Gosh, all this time I thought that the 30+ lbs that I gained was from the depo shot. After the baby was born I started on the depo shot and gained steadily. Once I stopped the shot (I only got two of them.) The weight gain stopped but I could never loose it!! I tried everything- diet, exersise, I even had my thyroid checked. Recently I was pg again and the hg came back. I eventually m/c at 14 wks but I had already lost about 30 lbs. So I've been trying extra hard to keep most of it off this time. It's been extremely hard though!!
My 2nd baby did have reflux but nothing that needed medication though. She also had colic (that was worse then the reflux!!) But if I recall correctly that all was over by 6-8 mos. Now she's goiong to be 5 soon and there have been no probs

[HGx3]

I love it here..........I also end up reading on a thread thinking to myself"AND I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME". NEVER the case!!!!!

So what do ya think it is???We starved for so long now we gorge?????lol
It must have something to do with the fact that once the body thinks it has been starved, once you begin to eat again, regardless what it is, the body stores any and all fat"just in case". Its an internal defense mechanism I guess. But it sucks!!!!!!!! I looked better 40 weeks pg then I do 3.5 months postpartum!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

At least we are not alone.......that always helps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Katie'sMama]

Thank you for your replies, ladies!

You know, if a person didn't have an eating problem before HG, it would be pretty hard not to have one after it was over! The thing that makes me angry is that my doctors knew that I had this problem and never gave any guidance about any special nutritional needs afterwards. I mean, is that really expecting too much?

I was very careful about what I ate due to BF an infant with reflux. I cut out all dairy/eggs from my diet, which is a very difficult thing to do. This was during the holidays, so I had no traditional holiday goodies for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I mean, how can you gain this kinda weight eating like that??? I've heard from some people that not having dairy can cause weight gain, but the weight gain continued even after dairy/eggs were back in my diet.

If anyone knows any good books that may address any of these concerns, I'd sure appreciate it!

Thanks again, ladies!!!