Kathy Parkes says
>  The majority of infants I
>see in my practice, both full-term and pre-term, have been diagnosed and are
>being medicated for GE reflux.
>


That's really sad...the *majority*?

I think I've said before, we don't even use the term here....we just say
they're 'sicky babies', and we call spitting up 'possetting' and the
spit-up is called 'possett'. I think that's a nice cosy sounding word!

Very few community HPs would know what reflux means unless they read  US
and Australian journals. I have yet to hear a mother use the term, though
they do get worried by their babies being sicky and possetting.

I have seen the term used in ads for formula, though, where Enfamil AR is
being promoted, and they reference an American study which shows 50 per
cent of babies have reflux. I showed this to a consultant paed (very bf
friendly) that I work with and he snorted with derision....

If 50 per cent of babies get it, then there is something drastically wrong
with whatever those babies are eating, *or* it is being over-diagnosed,
*or* it is normal.

All of those possibilities can, of course, be true.  And like I said, I
don't know whether we have it right here or not - maybe we are doing these
babies a disservice in overlooking 'reflux' and instead, looking at coping
mechanisms rather than drugs.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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