How do I give juice to my 10 weeks old DD...

[quiveutmabonnebaguette]

She has chicken pox and my gp told me to give her some juice to keep her hydrated. She's exclusively breastfed so how do I give her juice and what quantities and what frequenty ?? Please need your advice !!

[eidsvold]

i would just keep up the breastfeeding. Let her feed little and often if that is all she will take.

Your breast milk will keep her hydrated - no need for juice.

[missgriss]

I wouldn't give juice to a 10 week old. I'm really surprised your GP told you to as well. BF should be enough

[JeremyVile]

I would have thought that water would do the job, but i wont argue with a Doctor!

Personally i'd make it very weak 10 parts water to 1 part juice and just offer it periodically.

[Skyler]

You don't need to give her juice at all. What silly advice IMO.
Just feed her as much as she wants. She will get what she needs from your milk and all those fab antibodies etc to help her get better.
Good Luck.

[NAB3]

She is too young for juice!! BF her on demand.

[ruddynorah]

good god stupid GP!! keep up the bfing, no need for juice at all what so ever! i'm not surprised GP said this, most hae had very very little bf training other than their own experience if they/their wife has bf, and even then they may know terribly little.

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

DONT GIVE HER JUICE!!!!!

Breastmilk is the perfect thing for rehydrating a baby!!!!! Just keep breastfeeding, and perhaps feed more frequently.

Norty NORTY GP

[JeremyVile]

Is she feeding less?

[fizzylemonade]

I thought it was only formula fed babies that this may apply to. BF babies get everything they need from you, including being hydrated.

As long as she feeds she wil be hydrated.

[Anonymama]

Do not have a medical background, but think you should contact an organisation like the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers or similar, for advice. As far as I am aware, if you are breastfeeding, your milk supply will increase if you offer both breasts to you baby frequently. If she is ill and thirsty, she should suckle and this should increase your supply. By offering her juice (!) or other liquid, presumably via a bottle, you may encourage her to wean from the breast. As your breastmilk will contain antibodies for chickenpox (assuming you've had it in the past), I would imagine that your milk will be best for your baby at this time. Also in warmer weather your breastmilk thins out and is more watery, offering more of a "drink" to your baby.

www.kellymom.com is an excellent website that may well have advice for nursing mothers of sick babies. If I find anything else on line I'll copy the link to you.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

[Anonymama]

PS Have to add, by means of encouragement, that fed DS for 11mths, and he fended off all illnesses. As soon as he was off the tit he had D&V, colds etc. He was breastfed exclusively through last summer's heatwave and survived without a drop of H20. Have confidence in your boobs!!

[Anonymama]

Check this out.
www.kellymom.com/health/illness/baby-illness.html

[hellish]

I wouldn't offer juice at this age - probably go down her chin anyway. BF as often as she wants is much better - has the added 'cuddle' too. Hope she feels better soon.

Afterthought - if you really want to follow GP advice, you could try a medicine syringe.

[NAB3]

Juice is too soon for a 10 week old child, however they are fed!!!

[Pannacotta]

Agree with the others, 10 weeks is way too young for juice and breast milk is what your DD needs, as much as she wants.
Am v surpirsed your GP told you this.

[quiveutmabonnebaguette]

Thank you for all your replies ! I was really surprised when he told me I could give her orange juice but the worst : he has told me to give her lemonade, well flat lemonade..he said it was ok as she hasn't got teeth.

[clumsymum]

Blimey if the child needs hydrating at all, she needs WATER (boiled then cooled), but probably not even that. I say this only because a few years ago sometimes mothers were advised to give babies water like this in very hot weather.

Did the GP say this to your face, or was this over the phone? could GP have thought 10 months rather than 10 weeks?

I would stick with extra feeds, ring and ask for the advise again if you are in any doubt

[NAB3]

Let's rot the teeth before they come through then! Change GPs.
My old one told me to wean mine on to what ever I was having for dinner that night. Agreed, even when I told him we were having curry...

[franch]

LEMONADE!!!!! At 10 weeks!!!!

I was shocked enough by the juice!

[quiveutmabonnebaguette]

I went to my gp this morning and he had a look at dd, I told him I tought it was bizarre to give juice to such a young child. He says no that it was ok, my jaw dropped when he told me about the flat lemonade

[LaBoheme]

surely not..... I would just give a little boiled water

[potoroo]

Just keep BF - your body will adjust if DD needs more water and produce more milk with higher water quantity.

Juice and lemonade completely unnecessaru.

[Budababe]

Just go straight onto Fruit Shoots! (Joke!)

Yes ill children need to be kept hydrated.

No baby needs juice or lemonade whether formula fed or BF.

How old is the GP? Sounds very old school.

[quiveutmabonnebaguette]

Thank you ! For what I take from your answer, I'm only going to breastfeed her and if I feel she needs more, I'll give her some evian or boiled water.

[katz]

not evian or any other bottled mineral water - these can contain uite high mineral contents