Hi Elisabeth:  You are correct.

We know healthy babies spit up.known as "happy spitters"  (who said that?).
Peds are reluctant to tell moms of infants to spend more time S2S, wearing
and holding fussy babies, which will calm those little brains, since that
suggestion may impugn mothering skills, so meds are prescribed. A quick look
at my resources brought these up:

 

 

Reflux Guidelines: Modest Changes Best for Most Infants

Diedtra Henderson

Apr 29, 2013

Two thirds of otherwise healthy infants spit up because of their physiology,
and they should be treated not with medication but with modest lifestyle
changes, such as altering their position during feeding. Medications should
be reserved for infants who actually have gastroesophageal reflux DISEASE
(GERD), according to an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical
report. There are reports of increased risk of bone fractures from increased
ingestion of reflux meds with calcium, etc.... The guideline authors
encourage pediatricians to follow guidelines updated in 2009 by the North
American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition,
which would apply the most conservative approaches to the vast majority of
infants and would reserve more aggressive treatments, including surgery, for
children with intractable symptoms and risk for life-threatening
complications. "In the infant with uncomplicated recurrent regurgitation, it
may be important to recognize physiologic GER that is effortless, painless,
and not affecting growth," the authors write. "In this situation,
pediatricians should focus on minimal testing and conservative management.
Overuse of medications in the so-called 'happy spitter' should be avoided by
all pediatric physicians."

 

S Lapidus. 2014 PedsBlog
" 

.(Source: Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition "Proton Pump
Inhibitor Utilization Patterns in Infants") Between 1999 and 2004, the use
of one child-  friendly liquid form of P.P.I. increased more than 16-fold.
This was in spite of the fact that P.P.I.s have never been approved by the
Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of GERD in infants. In 2009,
a randomized, placebo-controlled trial examining how well a P.P.I. worked
for infants with symptoms of GERD was published. It found that the drug had
no more of an effect than a placebo. It also found that children who
received the P.P.I. had significantly more serious adverse events, including
respiratory tract infections. 

 

And my gratitude for  Lactnet! Happy Birthday! 

Jackie Levine

 


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