AIBU about baby and water?

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AIBU to be a bit about a woman I was talking to giving newborn baby 3oz of water in a bottle when hungry?

DS needed water as he was really constipated at that age. And in the heat we've been giving him a small amount of water before some feeds.

"If you eat your carrots cut into rounds instead of batons. You will die. FACT."

I KNEW it!

So glad to have my dislike of carrots in rounds confirmed after all these years.

I didn't FF so never gave water, but my understanding was that you needed to give water to FF babies, especially in hot weather.

Carrots don't make you see in the dark either

You are so judging!

I might have initiated a conversation if I was concerned, like oh were you advised to give water, is your baby constipated etc? As she doesn't know you it doesn't matter if she thought you were being a dick. I've done similar in the past.

Fwiw I thought 1-2 oz was absolutely fine once or twice a day for normal pre-6mo babies in this heat to keep them hydrated and prevent constipation. If her baby hashealth issues she may have been advised to give 3oz at a time. If she hasnt been advised to then it's a lot of water in one go for a newborn, you're guessing it's being usedas a way of spacing out feeds which of course is really bad - but tbh if you didnt ask her, then you are just judging her though you claim you're not i was advised my by HV who is hideous to givewater and to make baby wait three hours between feeds, but she was wrong wrong wrong.

And you should never add extra water to formula! It really depresses me how shit the training for HCPs is on formula feeding.

I'm not judging because I honestly don't know myself.

Surely the mother should be advised to drink more then? The icblcs I know all said a categorical no to offering a BF baby water even in very hot weather but that maternal fluid intake should be upped to 2.5l.

I dont see what the problem is if baby is FF water was given sometimes as a drink I really dont get it perhaps she was waiting to get home to feed the baby , and it has been hot the last few days , again why is it a problem

This is what John Hopkins Children's Centre (US version of GOSH) says about giving straight water.

BM is approx 88% water regardless of the mother's fluid intake (depends on length of lactation as fat levels increase over time) , but drinking too much water can decrease a mother's milk supply see here (too much as in over and above her thirst level).

mrsjay I don't know. That's why I was asking.......

3 separate doctors this week have advised me to give 19 week old DS cooled boiled water to help with (a) the heat and (b) his constipation. He's FF.

They said give it halfway between feeds so it doesn't disrupt his feeding pattern.

LuvileeJubilee what are the reasons for not adding water to formula in the context i described?

Curious as i genuinely don't know or understand why it would be a problem. Given that most on here are saying having a bit of cooled boiled water is ok if FF, why is it not ok to add it to the formula ?

My ds2 is 4 weeks old and I have had to give him water since he was 2 weeks due to constipation. He is ff.

Yesterday he downed 3oz of water between feeds but it was 28 degrees and he still took the required amount of formula. It's not a problem to give water to a ff baby.

The reason you shouldn't add extra water to formula is because it messes up the electrolyte levels (like when you have the squits and make up rehydration sachets, you make them up with the right amount of water). This can cause problem for baby and is a big no-no. The advice you've been given is wrong. wrong wrong wrong!

I was being restrained in my first post but the more I've thought about it (nothing on the tv), please don't advise people to ignore advice given on formula tins ec and make up the feeds incorrectly. Its dangerous and I'm shocked that this would be the advice given on a course.

DD is FF. Since we have had this heat, I carry a 5oz bottle of boiled cooled water with me. I offer it to her regularly, and she may well have up to 3oz at at a time from it. She is 5mo.

OP, the baby may well have been crying because it was hot and bothered.

Awh kat is he all lovely and new smelling

(misses DS smelling nice and new)

GodisaDj - formula (if correctly prepared) has balanced electrolytes and a lowered renal solute load.

When you mess with the 'formula' this can put this balance out and make the kidneys work harder as well as putting the baby at risk of hyponatremia/water intoxication - see here for a very scientific explanation or here for a more readable one.

Advised for FF'ed babies in hot weather IIRC. For BF'ed babies only in a full heatwave. BM has higher water content and is more thirst quenching.

It's routinely done in some countries.
Babies get boiled water in addition to being BF or FF.
They seem to survive, just as babies in countries where it is not a done thing seem to do.
so YABU.

Thanks truthsweet very helpful links - I'll take that information back to the HCP.

And wigglesrock I wasn't advising not to read formula tins - I suggested that water was ok if FF and to add an addition once in an occasional bottle. I have been advised on this thread this is incorrect but given no reasons as to why it is incorrect, just "no no" and "wrong wrong wrong"

If you also read my later post I'm asking for these reasons to be explained as I genuinely don't understand. TruthsweT and nowuckingfurries have kindly advised of the science behind it so I'm now in the know and will take this back to the course.

Ounce not once...

I have had many a discussion where people will not believe that too much water is bad for you, let alone too much water will kill you (and I don't mean drowning!) so that people will happily give a baby relatively large quantities of water doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

I have also had a very qualified bfing colleague (I am a volunteer) tell a mum to drink a pint of water every time the baby started a feed - the baby was feeding around 12 times a day - 12 pints is nearly 7 litres of water! 15 litres of water is the uppermost that the kidneys can process though if the baby was cluster feeding and the mum drank a pint for each of those feeds she may reach max. capacity pretty quickly (you can process 625mls per hour [15l / 24hrs] so if baby has 4 feeds over 3 hours......).

If you want a laugh though this is an oldie but goodie!

TruthSweet - is it recommended still to give ff babies water in hot weather to prevent dehydration and constipation? Or should I just be offering more milk? DS is definitely thirstier but I'm not sure whether to give more milk. He's only 5 months but has settled into a 5 bottle Routine routine so I'm a bit scared of messing it up tbh. A couple of days this week when v hot, I offered water between his 2pm and 5pm feeds - he seemed confused but drank about an ounce and seemed happier afterwards.

IIRC more milk is better than large quantities of water though an small amount isn't terrible (I'd class an ounce as a small amount for a 5m unless he was prem or is exceptionally small/light!).

Best check with a knowledgeable HCP though as I haven't seen your baby