I have observed in recent years that the reaction to babies who spit up a
lot is different than in the past. My first baby (now age 23 and getting
married on Saturday!) was a "spitter." He brought up milk after every
feeding, and sometimes it looked like it was the entire feeding. I just got
used to always carrying a towel around with me and making sure I was wearing
washable clothes. His weight gain was fine, and I never considered switching
to formula. At nine months, he just stopped. My doctor told me at the time
that some babies just spit up a lot and that it was nothing to worry about
unless it was projectile or the baby wasn't gaining.

But now I see mothers with babies who are spitting up less than my baby did
who are told that the baby has reflux and needs to be medicated, or should
be switched to formula. I had seen spitting up as a benign condition, a
rather messy variation of normal. Can anyone explain to me the difference?

Teresa Pitman
Guelph, Ontario

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