To give my nearly 4 week old baby some water?

[elm26]

Hello

I made a thread the other night as it's 26-28 degrees in my flat all night long, my usually content nearly 4 week old has been so unsettled last couple of nights.

I've tried sleeping her in a nappy, in a nappy with a muslin wrapped around her, in a nappy and a vest and she's not satisfied at all bless her. The back of her hair, neck and back are sweaty.

She's formula fed and plenty of wet nappies, however my Stepmum (long time Nanny of many children and babies as an occupation) suggested I give her half an oz to 1oz of cool boiled water (not to replace formula) just to see if she may be a little thirsty.

I thought guidelines have changed now and we're not meant to give babies water however I googled and NHS says that formula fed babies can have small amounts in hot weather but I'm still nervous as a first time mum that I'm going to hurt her somehow! She also hasn't done a poo for 2 days and I've heard water can help with constipation (I've tried bicycle legs, massaging tummy etc).

Did any of you give your newborns a tiny bit of water in hot weather or shall I leave it?

Anxiety is natural and the human bodies way of getting you to react. Water intoxication, or falling asleep holding a baby on anything other than a flat surface could be fatal. It should cause anxiety.

Amazing that all our babies who were given boiled water survived, isn’t it? But somehow they did. Doubling down lime this is just being an arsehole.

Like, not lime!

It will be fine but stick to a very small amount

Breastmilk adapts to baby's needs and is often more watery (or at least there's more of the foremilk which is thirst quenching).

Formula milk is always the same consistency, think of it as the difference between the old silver top bottles of milk and the red top. The cream used to settle to the top and underneath was more watery with the silver top, this is like breastmilk.
Whereas red top was homogeneous and the cream didn't separate, so more like formula.

To the op : offer your baby some cooled, boiled water. They may not take it but they might. Only thing I would suggest is that you use a slower flow teat, it's more, well watery, than milk and they might struggle with the normal teat

Aren't you charming.

I guess my children aged from 30 down to 13, plus myself and my sister and all my cousins (there's a lot of them) and their children are all zombies with the water we drank.

Hell you used to be able to buy Bottles of flavoured water and disposable teats from boots when my eldest was a baby that were suitable from 4 weeks. Mind I was also advised to start weaning him at 6 weeks due to reflux.

Then my youngest should be a zombie too, although as he was the only one EBF and had nothing but boob until he was 5months (when he stole a sandwich out my hand and ate it) so didn't have water. But I lost count of the amount of times we fell.asleep together on the bed during a growth spurt. In fact he survived virtually bed sharing.

Survivors bias…

Hi OP,

I know many have added their two cents by now, but wanted to add some additional support!

My baby is bottle fed as I couldn’t produce, totally understand your feelings of failure but do not worry. My baby is happy and thriving, and has such a wonderful relationship with my husband because he is able to feed as well. It has also been a godsend when getting help from parents / friends so we can have a break.

We have regularly given our baby cooled boiled water to help with constipation and it has worked wonders. It’s had no side effects and I can confirm no electrolytes have gone off balance…!

Our home is also incredibly hot. We have fans blasting, curtains closed during day and windows open at night and the nursery still reaches 27 degrees. To help keep baby cool we have put pre-made formula bottles in the fridge so they’re nice and icy cold which has also worked well. I also have to remind myself that babies are born into far hotter environments and climates than I’m dealing with in the UK (if that’s where you are also), and they manage.

Good luck and enjoy your time as a new mum 😊

You're not useless ! First babies are really hard. It’s such a lifestyle change. She’s probably unsettled because A/ it’s hot and B/ she’s just being a newborn. My older two fed almost constantly the first few weeks and never slept for more than an hour or two at a time. My youngest fell asleep about 5 minutes after being born and I had to wake him for feeds constantly. He just wasn’t interested in feeding. He’s 16 now and I still have to constantly remind him to eat! Just keep doing what you’re doing and feed her if she wants it. Hv’s can be wonderful but there are some truly awful ones too.

Babies shouldn’t have water till 6 months. Keep giving milk she doesn’t need water.

Exactly, and look at all the babies who were given carnation milk during the war and survived. Yet here we are talking about giving a formula fed baby a bit or water in warm weather . Fucking bonkers

Yes, I did as well. My eldest was summer born, now 23 , and I had a small bottle of cooled boiled water on hot days for him. He didn’t usually have much but did have some.

That advice was always for breastfed babies in my day - but not for formula fed. We were advised to offer water on hot days.

Thanks again everyone.

I took DD to be weighed today and actually spoke to a health visitor there, she said as DD is formula fed and it's hot, anything up to 1.5oz as long as it's not replacing a feed is absolutely fine and will hydrate her and help her poo too.

DD now weighs 8lb after being born at 5lb 15oz nearly 4 weeks ago so DH and I must be doing something right. HV said she's had a lovely weight gain and seems happy and alert.

I feel so much better now, it's cooler tonight so I didn't offer any water but I now know that I can if it's super hot and she seems fussy when not due a feed or nappy change.

You’re doing a lot of things right!

Glad you’ve found a sensible health visitor now. The other one sounded like a law unto herself!

I was always told they need to drink as well. The milk is they're food. Breastfed babies get they're fluids. But when I had to top-up they're feeds with a bottle they got constipated. I was told to offer them water between feeds.