advised to give watdr to help jaundice - is that right?

[Coconutfeet]

Ds is 9 days old and ebf. He is still a bit yellow, although this is definitely improving. The hv came today and advised giving 2 tsp of cooled boiled water a day to help the jaundice. Is this ok? I know you're not normally supposed to give water, or is this a small enough amount that it won't interfere with feeding?

Ds1 had jaundice and I'm pretty sure they weren't that bothered and just said to keep him in the light and take him for walks.

That should say water in the title obviously. On phone while feeding...

No absolutely not! Water is not a suitable drink for a baby not on solids and even then should be given in moderation. Straight water can disrupt the electrolyte balance in the babies body and cause all sorts of problems.

If he needs more fluids then bf him more - this is perfectly balanced so it won't cause electrolyte imbalances and will help flush out the bilirubin (what causes the jaundice).

TBH a complaint about the HV would be a good idea too as that is old and discredited 'advice' from a different century! S/he needs retraining!

When my ds2 had prolonged jaundice they told me to keep him in the sunlight as much as possible and not to let him go longer than 2 hours between feeds as the jaundice makes them sleepy when they need the BM the most. This was 4 years ago though.

Bf bf bf and then bf some more. It can make them sleepy so wake baby up for a feed if its been more than 3 hours since he started his last feed.

We called Ds2 plantpot because we had to keep him well fed and put him in sunlight :)

Sorry that should say 2 hours. Fat fingers

Just keep bfing. If you're worried, express two teaspoons worth of breastmilk and give him it on a spoon. Breastfed babies do seem to take a little longer to "recover" from jaundice, but remember that jaundice in newborns is usually physiological, i.e. normal in that around 86% of babies have it. There is some beautiful sunshine out there so why not do a couple of bfs in the garden? A couple of minutes of sunshine will do wonders for both of you, then move into a lightly shaded area.

Thanks all for confirming what I thought! I didn't think it was right. He's feeding really regularly with loads of wet nappies, and seems fine in himself. We've been out for a nice walk in the sunshine today and I'll keep him in the light near the window.

at Plantpot, hairylemon.