Dear Annette,

We had a lot of discussion about this on Lactnet previously . There seems
to be a lot of concern about reflux lately, but if there isn't a medical
concern, then it is just a baby that spits up a lot.  The general
concensus was that as long as the baby is happy, healthy, and gaining
weight, there is nothing to be alarmed about.  Many Lactnetters relayed
personal stories of their own babies who spit up frequently for no
apparent reason.  In my own case, my daughter, Rachel, was a healthy
large baby who gained 8 oz/wk. for the first year of life.  For the first
six months, she vomited after almost every feeding, enough to soak
through a cloth diaper which I always had on hand for this purpose.  The
doctor told me that she just had an immature sphincter muscle in her
esophagus that would tighten up after a while, which it did.  Your mom is
on the right track with 2+ feeds per side in a row plus positioning.
Frequent smaller feeds are probably better that longer spaced larger
feeds.  You might want to have her eliminate dairy from her diet for a
week or two and see if that helps.  However, for some of these babies, it
is only time which will rectify the situation.  If her baby is healthy
and happy, there really isn't a problem, outside of a little extra
laundry. Congratulate this mom on her great milk supply and beautiful,
healthy baby and encourage her to stop worrying about this non-problem.

Sharon Knorr
Lactation Consultant Services
Rochester, New York
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