Some certain practices and beliefs used to be a thing in the past, I mean it was completely considered a normal act, but some of those habits have to change now mostly based on the fact that, more research has now been carried out and those changes need to be made.
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Most mothers who now belong to the category of grandmothers trained up their kids by introducing water to them in the first few months of life, but now, mothers are encouraged to exclusively feed their children with breastmilk for the first 6 months of life. Some of these mothers still argue about this concept because they sure feed their own infants water and they turned out well.
Of course, medical experts and researchers have a strong reason to advise against this act, and I decided to do some digging into the topic, and probably be able to share with some of these grandmothers and have their thoughts on the topic changed also.
It is very vital to supply adequate nutrition in the first stage of life, it is very important for development and growth. Infants who are within 0-6 months are in a crucial period of their growth, and according to WHO(World Health Organization)and UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund), breastfeeding should start within the first hour after birth, and exclusively for a minimum of six months, then for two years or even longer in addition to appropriate complementary food.
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Experts believe that early introduction of fluids could affect the duration of breastfeeding, the infant's immune system, infant morbidity, and mortality, the attachment between mother and infant, the infant's growth and development, length of stay at the hospital, maternal self-confidence, physiological jaundice, as well as the entire process of breastfeeding.
Since the breastmilk contains a significant amount of water fully required for the baby's functional ability, it means that giving more water would make it excessive and when this happens, it could lead to the kidney flushing out electrolytes from the body including sodium, therefore leading to imbalances.
Some parents think that dehydration and loss of normal fluid can be prevented through fluid supplementation, but that is not the case because replacing milk with water will reduce the calorie intake of your baby, resulting in more weight loss at the early stage of postpartum. As a result of reduced calorie intake that is caused by malnutrition, the levels of bilirubin would also fail to reduce.
Some adults also make excuses for hot weather and choose to give their infants water as a result, but the remedy to hot weather is more breast milk unless recommended otherwise by a medical expert. As long as the breastfeeding Mum is hydrated, her milk would be more watery and hydrating for the baby, remember I once shared on this page of mine that breastmilk adjusts itself based on the needs of the baby.
In a suspected case of dehydration, other signs should be watched out for;
- Irritability.
- Crying without tears.
- Dry mouth and tongue.
- Sunken eyes.
- No wet diapers for 3 hours and even more.
But noticing all these symptoms should not be an immediate call to give water to the infant, speak with your doctor first before making such a decision, and even when the baby becomes 6 months old, experts advise that pure plain water is given without the addition of sugar or other additives.
I would have thought that smoothies and fruit juices contain nutrients that would be good for an infant, but I learned that they contain natural sugars and acids that could cause dental decay.
In conclusion, the introduction of water to infants below 6 months is a major problem, as it tends to replace the total amount of nutrient-rich breast milk or infant formula needed to be consumed by the infant.
For Further Studies.
https://elht.nhs.uk/application/files/6316/6022/5455/Water_during_infancy_FAQ_final_1.pdf
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/when-can-babies-have-water#summary
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/when-can-babies-have-water
https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/babies-drink-water
Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. If you want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my YouTube channel where you can watch any episode for free, please do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, Kindly do well to keep them coming.
