Emergency help for new parents

[sareva]

Sorry if this is clipped b/c I'm writing fast. We had a baby a week ago. It was a very difficult labor (including 6 hours of pushing) and it eventually ended in a C-Section. So I'm a bit out of commission and haven't had time to check these boards thoroughly. Our problem is that Zoe doesn't feed well (perhaps due to labor trauma) and has GERD (reflux). After each feed (every 2-3 hours), she has to remain held in an absolutely upright position for at least an hour, and at other times, she needs to be elevated at about 45 degrees (i.e., diaper changes, sleeping) or she spits up most or all of her feed. Her weight loss is such that this is a big problem that is being monitored closely by the docs. We've had no sleep, and we're at wits end. We don't have a lot of money and live in a small grad student apartment and had planned to use the arm's reach mini-cosleeper and change her on an extra bed, but this is proving to be very difficult. In fact, with the C-section, my husband is doing most of the baby care. We don't really have room for a crib but do have room for a changing table. Can anyone recommend a changing table that we can adapt to push her body up? Has anyone adapted some sort of co-sleeper to elevate it? Does anyone who has dealt with these problems have some novel solutions? We are so tired; we just don't have the energy to research these things ourselves right now. Any help would be depply, deeply appreciated.
Thank you, Sarah
Mom to Zoe 3-28-04

[firstbaby]

Sarah:

My heart totally goes out to you! It sounds like the last few weeks have really been challenging!

I hesitate to mention this as I don't want to get flamed for this suggestion because I don't know if it was the "right" thing to do or not, but we found our DS slept very happily propped up in his boppy in his bassinet a couple of nights - that is the only way he would settle down to sleep! I think that the Right Start or One Step Ahead sells a wedge for around $15 that elevates one end of a crib mattress - maybe this could work for you?

Good luck - I hope you get some sleep soon and things get better - keep us posted!

[holliam]

Here's a link to the One Step Ahead wedge:

http://tinyurl.com/22shx

Good luck!
Holli

[tapr]

We faced a similiar situation with reflux. Here is what we did: we purchased the wedge put instead of putting it under the crib mattress I keep it in bed with a thick towel and then a soft flannel receiving blanket. DH sleeps on the couch and I keep the wedge and baby next to me. It is not ideal but works for now. Also, we were finally able to get a prescription (at 6wks) for Zantac. The difference was amazing. He still spits up, sometimes his entire feeding, but he is no longer in pain from the reflux. My heart goes out to you. It will get better. Hang in there!
HTH-
Tracey

ETA- sorry I forgot, we also got the miracle blanket for swaddling and that helped him settle down a lot!

[HallsofVA]

If you have space on a dresser, you can get a changing pad, and then elevate the changing pad by putting a wedge or some towels/blankets under one end. You'll need to put something non skid (like a rubber shelf liner) under the pad so it doesn't slip on the dresser. I'm having to give my son antibiotics these days and after he kept choking and coughing the first two times, so I've started elevating the head of the changing pad before I give the antibiotics and it works well.

Best of luck to you. I also had an emergency c-section after 7 hours of pushing, and things definitely improve after the first few weeks!

P.S. - You've probably already heard this, but my Lactation consultant recommended to another mother keeping a baby with GERD in the car seat whenever he needed to be elevated and the parents needed a brake from holding him.

[pritchettzoo]

Do you have a swing? DD slept in her swing (not for medical reasons, but because it was the only place she'd sleep) for at least 3 months. It was, far and away, the best $$ we've spent. You may be able to find a used one (check for recalls) in a consignment store, but if not, I think it would be a worthwhile purchase with your needs. Even with the space consideration--you can always pack it back in the box when you're done with it. Some parents use the car seat in a pinch. Because you're grad students, you probably have lots of big books around--could you prop up one end of the co-sleeper with books under the legs? I don't know if this would make it wobbly.

Good luck with everything. I hope you find a solution!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[papal]

Hi Sarah! So sorry Zoe has reflux.. poor baby. Here is something that RachelS recommends.. it looks like it could be what you are looking for.
http://tuckersling.com/
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/4008.jpg

My dd has reflux too and she did not like the car-seat or boucer. She preferred sleeping on her LEFT side, swaddled. I read about trying that on this website and it really worked for us.
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html

[shindagrl]

I'm so sorry you're having so many problems! The crib wedge sounds great, but I think it's absolutely criminal what they're charging for FOAM, and since money is an issue......

You might try checking with an upholstery shop and see if they have some foam they'd sell you to make your own. If that fails, some craft stores like Hobby Lobby sell foam (usually over in the upholstery/drapery dept) as well. It would probably be a heckuva lot cheaper, and if you just put it UNDER the cosleeper matress, it doesn't have to be pretty.

I wish you the best. The Tucker wedge/sling looked fabulous, but they've got around a 900% markup on the supplies! I know, I know, when it's your kid, it's worth it, but I thought I'd offer some alternatives for you to try first.

HTH!

Shinda

[amp]

We bought our Graco travel swing at Target. It is compact, fairly inexpensive ($30-40), is easily moveable and it folds up easily.

[megulis]

I didn't have any issues like reflux, but my baby loved his Infant to Toddler Rocker. He liked to sleep in it a lot during the beginning. Now he loves sitting it in. It helps to put him there after he eats, so he doesn't spit up. After he has digested a bit, we can hold him.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000070IW0/qid=1081231991/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl75/103-9350108-4443005?v=glance&s=baby&n=507846

Good luck!

[ErinP]

OH my heart goes out to you. We had the same situation with my DD. She slept in her carseat for the first 4 months of her life because that was the only place she would sleep. We would also run the vacuum to get her to sleep for here colic-hey it worked! We were fortunate enough to have friends and relatives buy us a swing, bouncy seat, bassinet, moses basket, and just about every other baby item you could think of. Since none of them ended up getting used we sold them and used the money to replace the rugs in our house because they were so damaged from the reflux!!! Hang in there it does get better and I obviously forgot about how bad it is because I'm expecting again in 3 weeks! Just try to find out what makes her comfortable and work from there. The wedge seems like it would work. As for the changing issue my husband did most of it for the first month and we just dealt with the screaming and spitting up after that.

[3fritzgirls]

Reflux babies can be very hard. My first baby had reflux and all I seemed to do for the first 3 months was rock in the glider.

We folded a thick blanket under the mattress of our crib to elevate one side. Our doctor recommended 30 degrees but the baby rolls down too much. There is also a tucker sling on the market designed for situations such as this. The GERD website has a link to buy them. Another useful article is a Baby Bjorn or other carrier since it frees your hands but keeps the baby upright. Our daughter was on zantac which at least made it so she didn't cry. About the time she could sit up on her own she grew out of her reflux. Mostly I kept a supply of cloth diapers in every room and kept mattress pads on both our mattress and the crib mattress. If you put a sheet on the mattress then a mattress pad then another sheet you don't have to disturb the baby as much when changing them. Reflux babies love to have pressure on their stomachs so try rocking them with your arm or leg giving pressure to this area. Sometimes we did prop the baby on a firm pillow as this doesn't compress the stomach. We never left the baby alone when propper on a pillow. Our doctor warned us that a swing, carseat or bouncer compresses the babies stomach and might cause them to spit up. So get a swing that reclines if you do buy one.

Good luck with the little one. Remember it will get better.

[ErinP]

I thought of you when my new Navetta bassinet arrived for baby #2. This little carry bassinet would have been perfect for my !st GERD infant. it has a little know in the back that you turn and it actually reclines to about a 45 degree angle! You could put this on your bed and use it as a co sleeper and even as a changing table. There are a lot of these on e-bay right now for about $25.00-30.00 plus shipping-great deal! You could even buy the whole stroller system with the caravel and bassinet for $116.00 on e-bay right now! I think this would work out great and be a cheap fix! Erin

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2989&item=2395046417&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

[mtnmama]

All of the suggestions thus far have been good. We were also in a similar situation. Our daughter is now 31/2 months, she was diagnosed with reflux at 2wks. Our lives were hell for a while, but nothing compared to the pain our daughter was in - she screamed her head off. I also had an emergency c-section and was in a lot of pain and needed quick and easy solutions.

This is what we did: we used a boppy to prop her up during diaper changes and put her in a Fisher Price Pappasan (sp?) to sleep in. We kept the Pappasan (a bouncey seat) in the bassinet portion of a Pack n' Play so i wouldn't have to bend down or over. She still sleeps in it, though sometimes she sleeps between us in our bed with her hear propped up on the boppy.

A company called Pedicraft (from Jax, FL) makes a reflux wedge. You could look into that.

I wish you luck - it gets much better. Though we still have some issues, things are going quite well.

[peanut4us]

Sarah the best place for my little one, who also has GERD quite badly, was her swing or her car seat. I don't thing there are changing tables that would be "safe" to manipulate to hold the baby well. Many is the night that my DH slept on the floor next to our baby in her car seat. He didn't want her to be alone!

Good luck.

[sargentina]

Hi there,

This may be to late to help you, but there is the Amby baby hammock. That is suppose to help, but having a hard time finding anyone who has used it. They do have a very informative website, and this is what my husband and I will be using. Hope this helps!