I’m the Happiest Mum at the School Gates

Aine Homer - 8 Sep 19

Sunflower was about two weeks old when my husband first asking me “is it supposed to be this hard?“

Our firstborn had silent reflux, which went undiagnosed for over 6 months.

Life changed, we knew it would change, but if you don’t have reflux to cope with, then the change in your life is far easier to cope with.

If you have a baby who cries when they’re hungry, wants to see their mummyor when they’re sleepy, you have been blessed.

Because a baby with reflux cries all the time.

Except maybe when there’s a boob or a bottle in their mouth.

It’s not the cry of a newborn baby, the type of cry that makes you go soft all over.  It’s harrowing.  It’s clearly a cry of pain and what makes it worse is that you can do NOTHING about it.  You feel so helpless.

And when you would do ANYTHING for your baby, this makes it so much harder.

A baby with reflux cannot stay asleep for more than 90 minutes, and this is considered a “great sleep”, and these are rare, really rare.

In most cases, the parents of a reflux baby are past the point of exhaustion, both of them, so far past that PND might be there with them, without anyone knowing, because exhaustion alone can do that.

For me, school brings with it ‘me’ time. Business. Home. Exercise. Life. Me.

Time that can honestly say I have not properly had in over six years.

That is six years with two Velcro babies.

My babies are finally “big-girls” and I welcome it with open arms.

I can say goodbye and good riddance to the past. I can look back at the most difficult years of my life and know that they are behind us.

So from now on, I am looking forward to being a better mum.

I can take time for me. Something that in the early years felt impossible. No matter what “help” someone offered, they didn’t understand my babies and therefore were ill-equipped to help.

On Monday morning I will be skipping out the school gate.

Leaving my children behind me.

With this really comes purpose, passion and focus. Helping parents be free of the challenges I had, much earlier than I was.

What I discovered through the Velcro years is that reflux is completely avoidable.

If you are interested in enjoying your baby while they are little, get in touch.

Aine Homer

Becoming a mum changed Aine Homer, far more than she ever bargained for. Her inconsolable baby girl couldn't be out of her arms, screamed day and night, didn't sleep and Aine was told that this was normal, and that she needed to toughen up. The chronic sleep deprivation lead to a long acquaintance with post natal depression. Her unique background of mechanical engineering and Traditional Chinese Medicine however, wouldn't accept these answers. She knew in her heart that there was something going on for her baby. With diagnoses of colic followed by silent reflux and then cow's milk protein allergy, Aine's daughter continued to suffer with no answers from the healthcare system. Aine's belief that there is always a cause for something lead her on a path of discovery. After months of research, reading and figuring things out, Aine discovered the causes of reflux and she resolved her baby's suffering where others had not been previously able to help. Her stint with post natal depression lasted three years and resulted in Aine asking many questions including "did I make a mistake becoming a mum?", "is being parents going to ruin my marriage?" She made her escape from post natal depression when she vowed to herself to use her knowledge to save other families the suffering hers had endured. She wrote and published The Baby Reflux Lady's Survival Guide and truly became The Baby Reflux Lady.

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