People have been coming down on me on why I've never fed bubba any water.
Initially I was still able to explain why, and have patiently done so because I know everyone meant well. Lately, it's been increasingly taxing because I've gone through this so many times, and ironically often with the same people.
I just need to get this off my chest.
New mothers (in the 21st Century) are all well-advised from Day One, when possible, to fully breastfeed the baby for at least six months. Whether or not the mothers decide to do so is another story altogether. This means total breastfeeding without giving baby formula, however you can supplement it once in a while if there's insufficient breast milk at that time. You can also go beyond the six months if you wish but that's the recommended minimum.
I am not feeding bubba any water simply because it is unnecessary to give water to a fully breastfed baby. You can go to any reputable baby website or just Google it - the first page of results confirm this. In the past three months, I have asked every gynae/GP/PD we met with and they all affirmed it. To quote
Babycenter UK -
"If you replace nourishing milk with water, he'll miss out on nutrients he needs and it may upset his feeding habits."
I am definitely not against parents feeding water to their babies; I'm just not doing so for mine. Problem? Please don't give me disapproving looks/comments (ranging from mild to sheer judgmental) when I say no water. Total breastfeeding is on demand and I feed her whenever she wants it (which is pretty much the whole damn time) so she is definitely not dehydrated.
1) Say bubba feeds 20 times a day. If I substitute half of these with water, it means that she loses 10 opportunities to get highly nutritious breast milk. Too much water can interfere with nursing because her little tummy will be filled with no-nutrition water.
2) You may then say, oh you can just feed her a few times a day, a little water each time. So what, if I dare ask, is the purpose of feeding the water then, if that little bit of water is not going to help her in any way?
3) Breast milk is not like formula. If you're feeding formula to the baby you may need to give a little water throughout the day because it is thicker and harder to process. Since breast milk is mostly water (various sources give a range from 65% to 90%), how am I "not feeding baby with water"?
I don't really know why I'm doing this, but I'm tired of defending myself without being patronising now. Please just know that yes, I know that I'm a new mother, but I'm not a stupid mother. I am educated and I do discerning research and I bombard various doctors with the same questions so I really do my homework.
So with all due respect, from now on, unless the advice is very constructive, otherwise the only sources I will stick to are the gynae, pediatrician, my mama and the confinement nanny (who has proven to be very reliable). No one died and made the next person God of Parenting, so we should be allowed to raise our baby ourselves. Hubs and I already have differing opinions/methods as it is; the last thing we need is external voices trying to tell us what to do just because "they did so back then".
