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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Giving water to ill breast fed baby with high temp?

22 replies

PrenticeMcMoan · 06/04/2009 16:18

I'm just back from the seventh circle of hell that is our out of hours GP service with my DS, 23 weeks (it's a local holiday here today).

He is ill with high temp and the nurse who looked at him (yes - no GP for us!) said to give him water to keep him hydrated. he is feeding well, as usual, perhaps even slightly more as I am offering constantly.

Even disregarding the fact that I very much doubt he will take water from a cup or a bottle (he is EBF), I don't believe that this is the correct advice - can anyone let me know. Many thanks!

OP posts:

MarlaSinger · 06/04/2009 16:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mears · 06/04/2009 16:23

Absolutely no need to give water at all - give extra breastfeeds.
Use combination of liquid paracetamol and inbuprofen to keep his temperature down. How long has he had a fever? Good sign if he is feeding well.

tiktok · 06/04/2009 16:28

PrentieMcMoan, the advice the nurse gave you was unsafe. Breastfeeding ad lib is the safest and most effective way to hydrate a baby - it's something like 90 per cent water anyway, plus antobodies. Giving water, as Marla says, could replace the stuff he needs in breastmilk.

Perhaps when the dust settles, you might let your GP know about this.

georgimama · 06/04/2009 16:30

Give calpol/ibuprofen liquid in line with instructions on bottle - do not hold back on this. I don't understand the antipathy on MN to this simple medication that can literally save lives.

Loose clothing, or strip down if very hot - what is his temperature? BF as frequently as he demands - water not necessary. Bf much better.

ABetaDad · 06/04/2009 16:30

My mother was told to give water to babies as a matter of course by midwives in the 1960/70s because she was told it is possible a baby can dehydrate and really want water even if not particularly hungry (e.g in hot weather).

We used to offer our DS1 and DS2 a drink of warm/tepid sterile water every day. Often they did not want it but as we did not force it on them and always made sure they got plenty to eat either bf abd ff we assumed that was OK. Sometimes they really wanted a drink though so they did seem to be thirsty at least some of the time.

I do sometimes worry that babies who are struggling to bf or perhaps who are to ill to feed properly must get terribly thirsty.

I am sure others who are more expert will come along and advise you properly but at least the practical experience with me, my sisters and our children is that an occassional drink of water offered to a baby alongside a properly adequate amount of food does no harm.

moondog · 06/04/2009 16:31

She's talking shite. What a` surprise. Not.
Still you fared better than the MNer who wastold to give her baby Ribenaby a doctor.

georgimama · 06/04/2009 16:32

Perhaps the nurse assumed he was FF - most 23 week old babies are, unfortunately. If she knew he was BF there is no excuse.

ChairmumMiaow · 06/04/2009 16:33

DS had a fever for nearly 2 weeks straight when he had mastioditis and some good advice we got from one GP (who didn't catch the ear infection that must have been there ) was to ditch the vest, as they are the best thing to keep them warm. DS spent half the time in just a nappy and the rest in light pyjamas.

georgimama · 06/04/2009 16:35

FF babies often do need water ABetaDad, particularly if unwell. BF babies do not - they need breastmilk. There's a big difference.

Original poster

PrenticeMcMoan · 06/04/2009 16:38

Thanks everyone - what to do without Mumsnet . I did think that this was wrong and considered challenging the advice at the time - but these places do such a good job of belittling it's hard to make a stand.

Mears - he has had a slight temp since Sat night, just not right, a bit subdued. It's coming down ok with paracetamol - but I thought it best to get him checked over.

Tiktok - I will think about complaining, but TBH, round here, I doubt it would make any difference. I have been given so much bad advice about breastfeeding I could probably write a book about it.

Thanks again.

OP posts:

tiktok · 06/04/2009 16:41

georgie - is there antipathy to calpol or ibuprofen???

Never seen it myself!

tiktok · 06/04/2009 16:44

AbetaDad,well, yes.... a baby who is unable or struggling to breastfeed when ill may well need water or rehydrating fluids, probably.

The OP's baby is breastfeeding just fine - no need for water.

Breastfed babies as a rule do not need water no matter how hot it gets.

When they're older and on solid foods it's a different matter.

mawbroon · 06/04/2009 16:45

I am that MNetter who was told to stop breastfeeding and give ribena instead

I would agree with others who say there is no need to give water as long as feeding is going ok.

Hope your ds is better soon, and please do think about complaining

georgimama · 06/04/2009 16:46

I think there is, it's just one of those weird MN things. Not everyone obviously. I have seen several threads in children's health in which posters mention alleged dangers of calpol and advise against it in quite strong terms.

Original poster

PrenticeMcMoan · 06/04/2009 16:47

georgimama - she knew he was breastfed, I made a point of telling her. She probably did think that he was weaned onto solids at 23 weeks though. Actually I asked if there was somewhere to go to feed, which is something I have never needed to do before, because the waiting room was crammed full, smelly, hot - it was horrible. By the time I had sat there for 1.5 hours I was nearly in tears.

His temp is fine now - just given paracetamol though.

OP posts:

moondog · 06/04/2009 16:51

Ah Mawbroon! Twas you indeed. You complained didn't you and the GP in question was sent to the Siberian Gulag for 18 years of hard labour and re-education?

moondog · 06/04/2009 16:52

A&E doc. rather wasn't it?

tiktok · 06/04/2009 16:56

georgi, it's the asthma thing with calpol, I think

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7623230.stm

though it's still a useful med, as far as I can see, used appropriately.

mawbroon · 06/04/2009 16:56

It was an out of hours clinic nurse practitioner.

I never heard if anything came of it, so my guess would be that she is still there dishing out wrong advice.

But it is there, in the records as a complaint for years to come, so was worth doing I guess.

Original poster

PrenticeMcMoan · 06/04/2009 17:48

Same as me, mawbroon.

I've just been reading your ribenagate threads and you have inspired me to complain about the bad advice too!

OP posts:

mawbroon · 06/04/2009 18:34

CAT me if you want and I will send you my complaint letter. You can amend it accordingly.

Hayesey · 06/04/2009 22:58

My little one got a high temp when he had his first jabs and my GP midwife (who is lovely and I trust her entirely) advised in addition to the paracetamol stripping down and using a flannel soaked in cool (not cold) water to help cool him down. We actually used cotton wool and just kept it to his head to minimise tears. Hope all goes well

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