Babywearing and Reflux...

[mama.rye]

Hi all!

I have a 13 week old with reflux.

I have 3 slings - a ring sling, a Moby wrap, and a hotslings pouch.

All three aggravate his reflux... he ends up vomiting, especially if I try to wear him within an hour of eating. I hate to have him in the bouncy seat/car seat all day!

Am I missing something?

- Lying in any of the carriers is out of the question.
- Sitting squnched up in the pouch and ring sling with his legs croseed under him bends him at the tummy and causes problems.
- Sitting with his feet dangling out of the pouch or sling causes tummy bend and vomiting, although I will say this is the least traumatic of all holds.
- Any hold in the Moby pushes his tummy into me - no good.

Is there another hold I am not getting? He has great head control and we can probably graduate to other positions, but they all seem to put pressure on his middle region.

Should I invest in a soft structured carrier? It seems this would put the pressure on his lower half and not his trunk. In a carrier like the Beco, is the baby's tummy pushed against you?

Thanks!

[syd'smom]

A lot of babies really dislike horizontal carries except when nursing, so a vertical hold, tummy to tummy is what they like. RSs, pouches and wraps all tend to be a bit more snug, so yes a MT or SSC might give you a bit more breathing room, but of course you'd just have to watch for safety.

A friend went to the babywearing school this past summer in Utah, and they were taught to not scrunch babies' legs inside a carrier and to have them support their weight on their bums. For the beco, are you asking about the butterfly? It does have the internal harness (I think the infant one would be too constrictive, but the main one should work). I personally didn't like all the buckles and straps, but so many mamas love them (and they are a top seller and gorgeous of course). I would recommend trying before buying. Hopefully you can figure something out. Good luck.

[Quirky]

Gosh, I'm not sure what to suggest. Usually when I'm teaching BW I show people that their babies should be high and tight against them, not low and loose, with tummy to tummy, for the comfort of the person doing the wearing.

My only thought would be a pikkolo or a mei tai that has an adjustable bottom so that baby could be legs out, and wear it a little looser than normal so that there's not too much pressure on his tummy. At 13 weeks I don't think a SSC like an Ergo or Beco will fill the bill because he'll still need to have his legs tucked up/under as the straddle will be too wide for him to ride legs out.

[Pyrodjm]

Tummy to tummy in a ring sling or pouch with froggied legs was the only thing that helped DD's reflux. She did not seem uncomfortable and spit up and gagged MUCH less when I put her in a sling after nursing. She usually fell right to sleep. She never tolerated reclining positions either. Our ped told us to put pressure on her tummy when burping to make sure we got them all up. She said this cuts down on th spitting up. HTH.

[myfairbabies]

L had reflux and the best position for him was upright, facing me in the mei tai. I always had to put a blanket or towel between us so I wasn't vomited on all day long because he threw up no matter what. He also loved the hotsling, but would often spit up while I was bending him to put him in it.

[mama.rye]

thanks!

sorry i forgot to come back to this thread and thank you all for your help!

i am going to see if i cant find someone locally who owns a Beco and a Mei Tai... i think those ight be my best options for holding him upright but not as tight against my tummy....

I am hoping he grows out of this reflux soon, i want to snuggle him close!

thanks again.