Giving water to drink?

[cath]

Charlotte has been really suffering with trapped wind & yesterday I took her for some cranial osteopathy. Amongst the advice the osteopath gave was to give her small amounts of warm water to drink as it would help move the bubbles of trapped air. Is this ok to do? I was under the impression that breast milk was nutritionally complete & BF babies shouldnt be given anything else.

 

[MrsQ]

i was told not to give bf babies water but then was told by my dr to give it to him when his oft spot dips?
x

 

[anothersquish]

I, personally, would not give water on advise of an osteopath. Water can inhibit the absorption of nutrients from breastmilk (or formula) and can make the baby feel full even when they 'need' milk.
ONLY give water on the advise of a paediatrician.

 

[MrsQ]

Charlotte has been really suffering with trapped wind & yesterday I took her for some cranial osteopathy. Amongst the advice the osteopath gave was to give her small amounts of warm water to drink as it would help move the bubbles of trapped air. Is this ok to do? I was under the impression that breast milk was nutritionally complete & BF babies shouldnt be given anything else.

do u use a dummy? we sometimes do and it helps his wind or bouncing him up and down?

 

[pip holder]

My baby has suffered from terrible trapped wind since birth (not as bad as colic but close)
We often give VERY small amounts of cooled boiled water which does work a treat but try and do it when we know LO is full of milk- like Squish says, the worst thing to do for BF babies is fill them up with water so they won't feed properly.

LO also had fennel tea from two weeks for the same on advice of the HV which is MAGNIFICENT - if you aren't comfortable giving it to the baby try it yourself as it's really good for digestion and passes well through breastmilk

 

[Leesie]

definitely agree with pip holder's advice. if you give water make sure it's boiled then cooled and fennel tea works brilliantly. we mix a few tablespoons of cooled tea in with some EBM and give it to LO like that before bedtime, sorts out any uncomfy gas.

 

[lottie7]

I didn't realise that you shouldn't give water to a bf baby..............thanks for the knowledge.

 

[JayDee]

My doctor suggested that I should give him some cooled boiled water between feeds to help his digestion. I always thought you shouldn't before that but I know our parents did and we turned out ok. We've been putting in a tiny bit of gripe water to give it some taste. Doesn't seem to have affected how much/frequently he eats either but do what you feel comfortable with though cos all babies are different.

 

[cath]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I didnt try the water as I wasnt sure & wanted to check before I did. I might go & get some fennel tea though & take it myself to see if that helps

 

[anothersquish]

Please dont give any sort of water/fennel tea etc without at least consulting your GP first.

 

[cath]

No, I wont-if LO is no better over night, Im going to book her in to see the GP tomorrow so will ask then. I wouldnt give her anything without checking first

 

[pip holder]

You could also just give your HV a ring - thats what they're there for chick

 

[anothersquish]

HVs are not qualified to give advise about whether to give a baby water or not.

 

[pip holder]

After extensive training I would have assumed Health Visitors are qualified to offer advice and support pertinent to all areas of feeding?

- more to the point I was offering the HV as an option as a point of contact to the GP to save Cath having to take LO down there if she doesn't need to, mine has spoken to GP and rung me back several times regarding my LO's eczema meds.

 

[anothersquish]

HVs arent qualified to advise giving babies water, the offering of water to small babies can comprise thier systems in a big way so it should ONLY be done after directly visiting a GP for a full examination and explanation of the problem and really only on advise of a specialist (paediatrician) after other possible avenues which would not potentially cause problems have been explored.
A GP would HAVE to see the baby and speak to the mother before advising to give water, any that would advise giving water to a baby they had not seen and examined would be negligent.

 

[vanessayogini]

HVs arent qualified to advise giving babies water, the offering of water to small babies can comprise thier systems in a big way so it should ONLY be done after directly visiting a GP for a full examination and explanation of the problem and really only on advise of a specialist (paediatrician) after other possible avenues which would not potentially cause problems have been explored.
A GP would HAVE to see the baby and speak to the mother before advising to give water, any that would advise giving water to a baby they had not seen and examined would be negligent.

yes to this. especially since the OP's baby is only a month old and also because water was recommended for trapped wind, and not a real health threatening reason.

 

[Seraphim]

Pip - some HVs are probably especially helpful but I wouldn't let any of ours mind a dog let alone advise me on LO.

The whole 'recommending' water is a dodgey one like early weaning. People used to do it and on that basis assume its harmless.

Cath - Giving water affects both you, baby and supply and really should only be done as squish says, on the advice of a doctor.

Oh and the CO we took H too started chanting at the end of the 2nd session... so mm I wouldn't be listening to their ideas on intake either.