Supporting Parents of Babies with Infant Reflux
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 10:00AM Just back from a Brown Bag Lunch at Families First series sponsored by the Portsmouth Region Infant and Young Child Mental Health Team. What a great group of professionals working with infants and young children in their homes! I was there to talk about the Baby Stay Asleep and how it helps infants with reflux. These women work day-to-day with parents of infants with infant reflux, ear infections, and respiratory difficulties and I always hear the same concerns about fussiness and issues with sleep.
As a mother and an occupational therapist, I can't emphasize enough how important it is for parents and babies to establish good sleep patterns early on. However, establishing this pattern is a challenge when you have a baby who is fussy because of an underlying condition. Consequently, you end up with sleep-deprived parents and infants sleeping in whatever device or position will allow both to sleep. This can include car seats, swings or even the baby sleeping on your chest!
Trust me, I understand! I developed Baby Stay Asleep, because my husband I went through this stressful ordeal ourselves, and I wanted to help parents secure their sleeping baby comfortably in their cribs, which is their natural environment. Most importantly, to the parents out there who are trying to navigate your way through the various alternatives available, I want you to know that you're not alone, and there are many mom support groups available in your local area as well as online. For example, if you visit the Moms Meetup Groups you can find nearby groups by entering your ZIP code.
What ever you decide to do, we are here to help and encourage you to ask questions along the way.