Breastfed baby risk investigated

[orange-sox]

Not wanting to cause any arguements here, but I saw this and was fairly shocked to say the least, just wondering what everyone else's thoughts were on this...

A Bradford consultant leads a study into the scale of potentially fatal dehydration in breastfed babies.

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7867686.stm

 

[clairebear]

not wanting to offfend

BUT when Jack was younger he was attached to the boob what felt like 24/7 so dehydration was never issue!!!

Studies like this put the fear of god into people and are the reason some people dont BF (im not saying everyone should) and sometimes spread more panic then help!

 

[orange-sox]

Studies like this put the fear of god into people and are the reason some people dont BF (im not saying everyone should) and sometimes spread more panic then help!

Probably should've made myself a bit more clear when I said I was shocked!

I meant I was stunned that something like that would be published for the exact same reasons you've said... as if new mothers aren't put under enough pressure when it comes to their choice between FF and BF, they now have to contend with reports like this being dragged up every time someone disagrees with their choice.

 

[clairebear]

^^ I wasnt having a pop and im glad u see it the same way i do. There is so much conflicting advise out there and it annoys me when they constantly add to it x

 

[Blah11]

Hm idk, I can always tell how much Amelie is taking in (lots of he foremilk which is mega watery) cos she chokes sometimes and has milk all over her face when she finishes and goes into her milk coma

I'd think the baby would cry cos theyre hungry anyway if they werent drinking enough!

This report makes me mad.

 

[Pyrrhic]

"Severe hypernatraemic dehydration is a rare but potentially fatal condition."

Good to be aware of this IMO, but it is a bit of scaremongering I think.

Thanks for the link though, it's an interesting read.

 

[Serene123]

Caitlyn's never had a hydration problem. Milk has ALOT of water in it!

 

[alice&bump]

biggest load of bollocks i've ever heard!! your MW's out almost constantly in the first week, they'd notice somethin was up. just another thing to worry you!! my MIL said i should be giving katie water cos she'd get thirsty, which i didnt see could be possible seeing as she was drinking constantly!! MW told me your milk adapts to the weather and stuff, if its dead hot you get more foremilk so its more thirst quenching.

why not make a study into all the rare newborn illnesses, i;m sure they'd all have one baby a week admitted nationwide!!

 

[PixieKitty]

I read through the whole thing, and a few things stuck out at me, 1. 'is a rare but fatal condition', 2. 'it has been suggested' 3. 'studies suggest some hospitals'

Talk about trying to scare people, what a load of bollocks! I'm sure I've read a good many articles telling me FF babies need extra water in the heat, whereas BF babies don't due to the milk changing according to babies needs. Aslong as you've got the positioning right, and there's no medical reason, which you'd be able to spot anyway as you'd see baby was either not on the breast properly, or hungry afterward, there's no reason to worry about dehydration. *shakes head* is there nothing terrible enough going on in the world they have to scare mums into thinking their milk, milk which has been used for a bloody long time (well I can hardly see cavewomen feeding with formula ) is dangerous? Pahh...

 

[marley2580]

I agreed with this bit -
"But as far as I'm concerned the answer isn't more formula feeding, but increased support for breastfeeding from the outset in the form of counsellors.

I can't believe only 1% of women exclusively BF for the first 6 months, surely that's not right

 

[sam's mum]

However you feed you're baby you are advised to monitor wet and dirty nappies and look for signs of dehydration. While you might not be able to see exactly how much your baby is drinking, you certainly know if they're not having any wet nappies, or if their urine is concentrated or crystallising. It's not something that's ever worried me

 

[alice&bump]

I can't believe only 1% of women exclusively BF for the first 6 months, surely that's not right

i think they mean not giving solids as well, but saying that, i have noticed BF numbers going down a lot

 

[Samantha675]

I agreed with this bit -
"But as far as I'm concerned the answer isn't more formula feeding, but increased support for breastfeeding from the outset in the form of counsellors.

I can't believe only 1% of women exclusively BF for the first 6 months, surely that's not right

Totally agree. I think the problem is that because BFing is no longer the norm, women do not know what is involves to start out with, I had no idea.

 

[KarenLV]

I bet the study was funded by some formula making company. Nothing wrong with formula,but it should be a choice not because you were frightened into it.

 

[csmummu]

However you feed you're baby you are advised to monitor wet and dirty nappies and look for signs of dehydration. While you might not be able to see exactly how much your baby is drinking, you certainly know if they're not having any wet nappies, or if their urine is concentrated or crystallising. It's not something that's ever worried me

I BF and was never never sure how much caitlin was getting. with her being my first child i panicked one day when she shanged from 4 hour feeds to every 45 minuites! I actually rang the miswife to check i should feed her that often!

I can see how things can go unnoticed. babies at nursery? busy working mums or parhaps just poor communication between mum and dad. we still talk about caitlins bowel movements incase she gets constapaited!

hasnt put me off BF because due to experiance with number 1 i feel more confident as a monther on the whole!

Also agree with the need for more councilors! the MW i had in hospital WAS horrible told me i was doing it allllll wrong

 

[Alexas Mommy]

not wanting to offfend

BUT when Jack was younger he was attached to the boob what felt like 24/7 so dehydration was never issue!!!

Studies like this put the fear of god into people and are the reason some people dont BF (im not saying everyone should) and sometimes spread more panic then help!

I agree lol Alexa certainly does not, and has not ever gone without enough breastmilk. There are studies out there to prove ridiculous things-Hell if we all went by what srudies are "suggesting", we would be living off of water and grass...

 

[TashaAndBump]

not wanting to offfend

BUT when Jack was younger he was attached to the boob what felt like 24/7 so dehydration was never issue!!!

Studies like this put the fear of god into people and are the reason some people dont BF (im not saying everyone should) and sometimes spread more panic then help!

I agree lol Alexa certainly does not, and has not ever gone without enough breastmilk. There are studies out there to prove ridiculous things-Hell if we all went by what srudies are "suggesting", we would be living off of water and grass...

Yeah lol Imagine if you listened to every study and went by what could possibly be dangerous (not what is proven) - like studies into mobile phones causing brain cancer, mobile phone masts cause breast cancer, laptops cause testicular cancer, microwaves cause radiation poisening... God, better revert to the stone age!

 

[TashaAndBump]

I'd like just to add. Our bodies were designed to breastfeed, and while there definitely are alternatives now, the old way works just fine! People breastfed before there was bottle feeding there was no alternative and there wasn't a massive dehydration epidemic. In countries where people are deprived and water is scarce, breastfeeding has been known to save children from dehydration in children up to 5 years old.

As it says in the news report, this condition is very rare - and although it neglects to mention - bottle fed babies do suffer it too - RARELY.

Please if you want to breastfeed do NOT let this put you off. There is plenty of water in breast milk, so much so that exclusively breastfed babies do not even need top ups of water even in very hot weather - be prepared for them to want to be on the boob 24-7, though to make up for it!

It will be interesting to see the results of this study, and I agree it is necessary to look into it if it will help prevent dehydration in newborns, however to publish such news reports making it look like breastfeeding is bad for neonatal babies is both misleading and a bit dodgy in my opinion. There's such contradicting info out there... new mums do not need more confusion and to be more worried about the choice they make. This sort of pressure just isn't needed. In most cases anyway, when dehydration is an issue the mum / health visitor would pick up on it before any harm could come and they would either switch the bottles or get help with breastfeeding to help their LO get more milk.

This article in my opinion is a scare-mongering one and it's uncalled for. What is the world coming to? *sigh*

 

[Wobbles]

So many cons of bottle feeding *push push push* and when one study about a possible con of breast feeding comes up WHOOPS lol ...sorry

You know this does happen ...'Tam' breastfed her first and was told to stop baby was dehydrating and starving! I think its good to be made 'aware' of possibilities and definately no need for this topic to go all pro this and that before it does

 

[polo_princess]

You know what i dont think BF mummies should look at it in a bad way at all.

How many of us actually knew that this could happen and were completely aware of the risk and what could happen. Very few i imagine so it could well end up saving a baby from becoming seriously sick.

They wouldnt of done the study if there was no need for it, those things cost a lot of money its not something people do because they are bored lol