Can I give water to newborns who are breastfeeding?

Together with the long-awaited joy - a small helpless crumb - you get a lot of problems and questions for caring for the newborn. All of them are extremely important, for any of them there are different opinions. One of the controversial questions is: "Is it possible to give water to newborns?". This article will give an answer to it, and it will also show why it is necessary to do so, and our grandmothers and mothers hold the opposite opinion.

Do I need water for newborns as an extra drink?

On the recommendation of WHO, it is known that a baby breastfed for up to six months does not need any additional drink. Breastmilk contains about 80% water, regardless of the amount drunk and eaten by a woman. Therefore, the kid always has the necessary volume of liquid for him, which is adapted specifically for him. Any water (boiled, child, filtered, etc.) is not absorbed by the child, it is an unnecessary burden in the stomach. In summer, when the risk of dehydration is high due to the lack of water, one should also not give it to a newborn. At this time, you only need to put the crumbs to your chest more often. Milk of the mother is able to become more fluid when the child is thirsty, and more nutritious when he is hungry. So do not be afraid to overfeed it.

Is it possible to give water to newborns? How can it interfere with lactation

Water, lying empty weight in a child in the stomach, creates a feeling of satiety. Therefore, the baby takes the breast less often and does not stimulate it. Therefore, there is less milk for the mother. Because of the rare application, its number can both shrink and disappear with time. It happens gradually. Since the growing baby is not enough milk, moms have to introduce complementary foods, which completely eliminates the need for breast milk and leads to its disappearance. Therefore, we can conclude that everything for the newborn is in milk, and up to six months of age, he does not need additional drinking and lure.

Why did children drink water earlier?

Many young mothers, through reading the literature and recommendations of pediatricians, know the correct and reasonable answer to the question of whether it is possible to give water to newborns. However, everyone faced a violent misunderstanding of this by our mothers and grandmothers. Why do they hold this opinion? The fact is that they were taught this way, and they had no way of knowing other information. This and other advice on the GW appeared in the post-war difficult times, when the country lacked manpower. Therefore, the state tried to make mothers lose milk in three months, and they could give the babies to the nursery and go to work. If you ask your grandmothers, they will tell you that the milk really "burnt out" very early.

Summarizing

On the question of whether it is possible to give water to newborns, it is easy to give a specific answer: "No". However, this applies only to toddlers who are breastfed. Children receiving artificial nutrition, you can give a little extra water, but it is not necessary.