Reflux on Days of Our Lives?

If you've been reading my blog you know how stressful the last few weeks have been. We had more inclement weather last night and very little sleep. I decided this afternoon to have my twins take a nap so that they wouldn't be wild for our evening church services. They usually don't take naps but did lay down quietly without protest because they were so worn out.

I got comfy in my recliner and flipped on the television. The program that happened to be on was Days of Our Lives. It caught my attention because one of the characters was talking about her baby that had stopped breathing. Anything about children usually sucks me right in and I quickly learned the character's name was Nicole and she was talking about her new baby Sydney.

I watched to see what they would say happened with baby Sydney. Imagine my SHOCK when shortly after I began watching they mentioned that the baby's apnea episode was caused by "reflux". By then I was glued to the television to see how the writers were going to handle this issue.

I was really hoping that they would reflect a true and accurate picture of acid reflux disease in infants. In my mind I was thinking how helpful it would be to parents watching who might be dealing with the same thing. Now, imagine my disappointment when the Nicole character dismissed the episode as "nothing serious" and "only reflux". WHAT!?

Of course, all of us who have watched our child stop breathing due to acid reflux would never dream of labeling it as "nothing serious" or "only reflux". To add to the misconceptions the program didn't mention having to place the child on medication, use of an apnea monitor, or frequent spitting up!! Only once did you even see the baby fuss. Not a reflux cry mind you... just a fuss. Nothing like the shrieks of pain some of us know all to well.

How frustrating to have such an inaccurate portrayal of acid reflux being perpetuated through a program with such a wide audience. Done accurately the writers of Days of Our Lives could have used that opportunity to educate and support parents dealing with what can be a very difficult disease. Unfortunately they did not!

It just reminds me of how much work is still left in order to educate people on acid reflux disease!