My name is Nicki, mum to Satori who is currently 19 months old. I guess we all knew having a baby would be a life changing experience but having one with reflux sure shook things up more than we expected! Our little bundle of joy quickly got termed our “little bundle of misery” and it was an endless roundabout of Dr’s, Hospitals, and Child Health Nurses to finally diagnose the problem.
Those 12 weeks when we did not know were possibly the worst of our lives and I think I will always feel sad for some of the horrible thoughts we had in that period. We live near a creek and it was a constant joke that we used to tell everyone we were going to do a Moses with our baby and float her along to someone else. Luckily those who knew us realised we just needed the outlet to vent our frustrations.
I think that’s why I chose to volunteer for RISA. Each person’s experiences and baby are unique but I think the one common attribute amongst us all is how hard it can be to cope at times. I’d hate to see this wonderful organisation not be able to continue long into the future and give the help and support to parents who so desperately need it. I myself only do very small roles as baby number two is fast approaching and I know finding the time after birth may be very hard. Fingers crossed we don’t have another refluxer but if we do we feel much more positive in getting help for ourselves, our baby and hope the journey will be smoother. I only wish I had discovered RISA earlier. I think I have learned far more of my daughter’s condition from other parents than from anyone else.
Nicki is a long time RISA contact and admin member. She lives near Ipswich, Qld.
Contact Nicki on the RISA forums: username Nicki