Giving newborn water

[SassyFo]

I have been given endless advice to give my one month old some distilled water to help with constipation.
All medical advice says not to do this however and that milk contains all the water he needs.
After a night of watching him squirm with clear discomfort, I want to see if anyone else has thoughts on giving a newborn a little water?

Are you BFing or FF?

Also, when did they last poo?

How are you feeding your baby? What do his stools look like? If he's breastfed he won't be constipated and won't need cooled boiled water (not distilled). If he's formula fed, cooled boiled water won't harm him bit it will fill his tummy up so he'll have less milk, so only give a very small amount once a day. Have a chat with your HV first though to make sure there's not something else unsettling him.

If he is BF then there is no need to give water as breast milk adapts to provide your baby with exactly the right "mix" that they need.

I thought water was a definite no for newborns. Definitely don't do it without speaking to your MW or HV.

Haven’t you answered your own question? The medical advice is: a) never given a small baby water and b) water won’t help with constipation. Assuming this is advice from friends/relatives, why would you disregard the official advice and do something unhelpful/not necessary?

Is it literally just one night of discomfort? It’s pretty normal for a small baby to have very disrupted nights....

He is FF.
it is more than one day/night and seems to happen every few days. As the weather has heated up I worry that he is not getting enough water despite top line advice being that he gets all he needs from the bottles we give him.
As every baby and circumstance is different, it is natural to question a very broad piece of advice. Especially when so many other mothers have advised to give him water based on their own experience.
I just want to open it up to a wider group and appreciate all the information shared.

Are you sure its constipation rather than wind or colic? If you're 100% on constipation then I'd be seeking advice from a HV or doctor who may be able to suggest something more helpful?

Are you definitely making up the bottles correctly? Right mix?

I changed my baby to 'comfort' formula around 7 weeks and it's been a game changer.

Are you making up bottles water first? Powder first will mean he's not getting enough water.

ASAIK you can give FF a little bit of water in very hot weather, this isn't very hot though.

We did this on advice from health visitor and doctor agreed it was a good suggestion. We were told cooked boiled water, an ounce or 2 and it did help.

We had recurring issues though with constipation as she was on medication that caused it so she had to get laxatives. I cldnt go on giving her water everyday.

One day is nothing.
Lots of people give advice when you’ve got a baby that they used to do ‘back in my day’ like putting a dash of whiskey in the bottle for example, that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.

@Wigeon - why answer with such an "it's so obvious" attitude??
OP is a new mum, how about some compassion even if the answer is clear to you?