REFLUX MN poll - apparently it's most common in first born boys, is this your experience?

[MadreInglese]

DS has had awful reflux from about 2 months old, now luckily at 6.5 months we seem to be over the worst of it. My mum mentioned that she had read somewhere that reflux is more common in boys, and especially first born boys.

Just wondering if this theory could be true, and what the science behind it could be? (mum is prone to lots of 'I read somewhere' stories but forgets the details!)

Would be interested to know what you think.

DC 2 (girl) had it from approx 2 weeks old. It was much better by the time she was eating food. We found Farleys milk stayed down slightly better than other brands. (shock horror - both my DC were bottle fed!!!)
Good luck.

No I believe it is genetic. DRs told me that families with a history of asthma/eczema/hayfever are prone to it. Every single one of my kids had it, girls and boys.

Never heard that one. Thinking of all those I know have/had reflux I can only think of one who was a first born boy, and his siblings also had it so I'd assume genetic. On that basis it's less common in first born boys, although not really a significant sample.

my pfb dd had reflux, no family history of asthma/eczema or hayfever either

dd2 had dreadful, mostly 'silent', reflux. In her cases, exacerbated by laryngomalacia - very common in babies with laryngo, regardless of gender.

With hindsight, I suspect dd1 had it a bit too - both girls have mild hayfever, and very mild eczema.

DS3 had undiagnosed silent reflux as a baby (only found out a couple of years later) . Asthma, eczema and hayfever on both sides. All have had issues with tonsils though, DS3 also cannot swallow properly

My firstborn dd had it dreadfully.

For us, yes.

Nope, for us it was DS2 born at 31 weeks.

He magically got better with the introduction of solids - which coincided with another Barium meal, so DH still swears it was the test wot cured him .
DS2 now almost 8 also has asthma and eczema.

DTD2 born at 32 weeks. No allergies.

I've never heard/read that, but coincidently it's been true for us. Ds1 suffered terribly for the first year. Ds2 and dd luckily didn't have it.

A friend of mine has 2 children, and only her first had reflux too.

I was told that pyloric stenosis (a problem with the stomach valve which causes severe vomiting in young babies, and can be linked with reflux) occurred mainly in first-born bottle-fed boys. It affected my second-born breast-fed girl......

True for me. DS (only) had it terribly for the first 6 months. He was ebf.

Both dd (first born) and ds had it plus allergies ( both) and hernia (dd)

no not true for us (3 ds's - ds3 was refluxy but not that bad)

My ds has reflux. I have an older dd who was very rarely sick so not my first born but first boy.

Thanks all

Interesting about pyloric stenosis

DS is my second child but first boy, DD did not have reflux

The genetic thing is interesting though, DP apparently had reflux, and I didn't but my brother did

My PFB DS had silent reflux, he's never actually been sick though.

I have 2 girls who both had it - DD2 was worse.

I was told it was more likely in premature babies (both mine had it but only one of them was premature and the later baby had it worse ffs).

My mums's second boy (i.e. one of my brothers :o) had pylonic stenonsis.

I am certain that birth order can not possibly have any affect on this kind of thing at all. Gender yes but beth order? Really?? How could that possibly be?

For us it was true DS1 awful reflux, DS2 no problems.