| Q.
My son is 3 months and gets nothing but breastmilk. He is still
eating every two hours and is very healthy, My husband's mother
is always trying to get me to give my son water, but she bottle
fed all her children. Does anyone give their child water and why
is it needed? A.
First, no, water is definitely not needed for breastfeeding
babies. There have been a few wonderful research papers published
about this very topic. In very hot climates, a well-hydrated mother
produces more than enough milk for her baby. I am talking about
105 degrees F or more! These studies have been done more than
once. In other words, moms need extra water and babies don't.
In the newborn
nursery, giving water to babies leads to more
weight loss and increased jaundice. This makes sense when
one realizes that colostrum and breastmilk are fuel and get digested
for that purpose. Water tends to just "flow through"
the baby and contains zero calories for metabolic energy, zero
protein and so on. The weight loss and jaundice research was done
many years ago and is ignored in the majority of hospitals throughout
the country. The truly dangerous aspect of this antiquated practice
is that bottles of water in the nursery can delay mom's milk coming
in since it takes away from the time that baby is at the breast.
She could then get home and find herself with less milk and no
water and a very confusing situation.
When do I recommend
water for babies? Starting after six or seven months of age it
may be convenient to grab a small cup or bottle of H2O in a hurry,
but there is still no "need" for water in a breastfeeding
baby in the first year of life.
References:
DeCarvalho,
1981
DeCarvalho M, Hall M, and Harvey D. Effects of water supplementation
on physiological jaundice in breast-fed babies. Arch Dis Child.
1981: 56: 568-569.
DeCarvalho,
1982
DeCarvalho M, Klaus MH, and Merkatz RB. Frequency of breast-feeding
and serum bilirubin concentration. Am J Dis Child. 1982: 136:
737-738.
DeCarvalho,
1983
DeCarvalho M, Robertson S, Friedman A, and Klaus M. Effect of
frequent breast-feeding on early milk production and infant weight
gain. Pediatrics. 1983: 72; 307-311.
DeCarvalho,
1985
DeCarvalho M, Robertson S. And Klaus M. Fecal bilirubin excretion
and serum bilirubin concentrations in breast-fed and bottle fed
infants. J of Pediatrics. 1985: 107(5), 786-790.
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