MOMumental Mom: Amy Baxter, Mother of 3, Pediatrician and Inventor of Buzzy!

MomsOutLoud.com found Buzzy through a post on our site.  We were so intrigued, we looked into it more.  What we found is a rock-star Mom, who fought to get her ideas noticed and eventually took a home equity line of credit to develop this product.  And, she’s so modest, we don’t even know which one she is in the group shot below.  We say, “You go, Girl!!”

What is Buzzy?

Buzzy^® uses natural pain relief by confusing your body’s own nerves and distracting attention away from the poke, thereby dulling or eliminating sharp pain. In the same way that rubbing a bumped elbow helps stop the hurt, or cool running water soothes a burn, Buzzy^® bypasses sharp pain.

How did you develop this idea?

I was doing needle pain research throughout my pregnancies, and when the kids got old enough to remember I brought creams or distraction toys to lessen the impact of the shots.  Consequently, they were all really good shot takers until one nurse told my oldest out of nowhere “You are going to sit still or this is really going to hurt and we will have to hold you down.”  He did great for the shots but then threw up afterwards and had been needlephobic ever since.  I was so mad at the system and myself for not being able to protect him that I wanted to come up with something that worked instantly that parents could bring and use even if the healthcare system wasn’t interested.

I knew that the body could stop pain naturally using something called “gate theory”. If you bang your knee and rub it the pain stops, if you smash your finger and shake it it helps the pain, or if you burn your finger and stick it under cold running water it quits hurting.  I thought of cuffs of cold water, all sorts of messy stuff.  I got the idea in the car driving home from the hospital one day that vibration would work, but it wasn’t until my husband suggested frozen peas UNDER the vibration that it really made my kids’ hands numb to sharp pokes.  Once I figured out that cold and vibration together near the sharp pain worked, I tried to get a pharmaceutical company interested in the idea.  For a few years I tried, with no luck.  Finally my husband and I agreed to sink the home equity line into the idea and start our own business.  I also invented cards called “Flippits!” that you can pull out and distract during procedures.   They have counting and finding tasks which are proven to decrease pain, and they can even fit in a slot on Buzzy’s tummy to block the view of the procedure if the sight of the sharp is the problem.

What are the best things about this business?  The worst things?

Best is when we get letters from nurses or kids telling us how much Buzzy helped them, or how great it is, or how a kid who hasn’t gone to the doctor for years due to fear of shots now isn’t afraid.  It’s also awesome working with the team of my friends who are helping Buzzy.  We’re all moms, and all have really down to earth “let’s make this work” sensibilities, on top of a desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves and some equanimity about if the business doesn’t take off.   The worst is having a business at all;  I’m still a practicing doctor with a busy research department, and so I don’t have nearly as much time for my family.  I haven’t seen a movie with my husband for three years.  If Buzzy doesn’t take off and help a lot of people, and allow me to have a bit more free time when they’re teenagers, I’ve sacrificed a few years of time with my children that I can’t get back.

What are your future plans for the business?

I’d love to incorporate the Buzzy cold/vibration technology into products that make burns heal faster and with less pain, improve existing products for pain relief, and change the way individuals think about their own pain relief and feel empowered to bring personal pain control devices to the doctor.  Buzzy is reusable, and could save the healthcare system millions that are being spent on creams and products that don’t work so well.  I would like to bring jobs to the US, and when we get too big for our manufacturer in China I’m planning to add our own plant here making Buzzies and other products.  Ultimately what gives me the most pleasure, actually, is designing a research study, so it would be great if the other women could run the company while I consult on pain management and design more studies to research exactly what happens and how to maximize pain relief.

What does your typical day look like?

In emergency medicine there IS no typical day!  Last week I would wake up at 0530, write on papers and an NIH grant report from our second pediatric Buzzy trial, then go to work to supervise two summer research interns.  Friday and Saturday I did this plus I had shifts in the emergency department, today I meant to wake up early but slept late and am now working 10-3 answering emails, tomorrow I will wake up early to write and deal with the manufacturers, then I have an emergency shift 2P-11P, Tuesday I fly to Philly for a board meeting, back on Wednesday…. there is no typical day!

Tell us about your family and yourself.

Delightfully married, three kids 11, 9, and 7.    Right now work is my hobby.  When I have time again, I’ll read science fiction, do crafts with my daughter, cook Thai food, drink more pale ales, and garden.  I still do the latter two some, I’ll just do them more.

Anything else you’d like to share with MomsOutLoud.com?

“Everyone is fighting a hard battle.  
 Do justice, and be kind.  
Guilt is rarely helpful.  
Shared joy is increased, shared sorrow lessened.
Avoid making irrevocable decisions when tired or hungry.”