Annelies asked about EnfalacAR. It is a variation on a routine
formula thickened with rice starch and it is premixed already in the
formula, so you can't use it with breastmilk - you would have to have
to wean first, as some mothers are doing! There are other corn based
thickeners on the market here that you can mix with breastmilk or
formula (including one by Nutricia). I have never heard of the flower
extract you mentioned being used here for infant reflux, although
there are a myriad of products for "disorders of infant digestion".

Does anyone know any good references relating to the use of
thickeners for infant reflux.  I have been told they have been shown
not to be particularly effective but don't have references. Might
they delay stomach emptying?

While on this subject, I have read recent posts linking air intake
during breastfeeding with colic and "gassiness" at the other end of
the digestive tract. I had always thought that this was a myth
invented by the bottle teat manufacturers.  That air tends to rise
as burps, and that while some passes through into the intestine and
bowel this is normal and does not cause problems.  I understood that
it is the gas produced from digestive funtions and fermentation that
distends the bowel and causes the discomfort of colic and explosive
emissions. Allergies may also cause discomfort.

Can someone clarify this please?

Paula wrote about colic and a "lip dance" style of feeding that
probably led to increased air intake. While I have no doubt that her
observation that better attachment improved the colic symptoms, I am
wondering if the improvement should be attributed to reduced air
intake or to better feeding generally (eg more hind milk).

Ros Escott BAppSc IBCLC
Tasmania, Australia