Do I need to add water to the baby? Should I wash my breasts with soap and water before feeding on the beach? Is it possible to wean a baby from the breast in summer? Finding out the truth from a GW consultant
In the summer, a nursing mother has many questions. Does the baby have enough fluid? Does he need water? How to properly care for your breasts in the heat? Should mom drink more liquid on hot days? Finally, is it possible to wean a baby from breastfeeding during the summer? Many of these questions have been "overgrown" with bearded myths based on the experience of our grandmothers. A breastfeeding consultant helped us to separate truth from truth and understand the rules of summer hepatitis B from a medical point of view. Olga Tsyganok.
Myth 1. In the summer, the baby needs to be supplemented with water.
There is no need to add water to the baby in summer / istockphoto.com
This myth is actively promoted by caring grandmothers who are very worried so that the child does not have dehydration. In fact, according to the current WHO recommendations, children under six months (who are exclusively breastfed) are highly discouraged from drinking with plain water.
“Firstly, breast milk is 88% water, so to prevent dehydration, the baby simply needs to be applied to the breast more often. Secondly, supplementation can provoke diarrhea in a baby and, moreover, even malnutrition. Mother's milk is not only about drinking, but also about food. The moment you give your baby water, it takes up a place in the stomach for milk to take. As a result, the stomach is full and the child is hungry, ”explains Olga Tsyganok.
If you are worried that your baby is not getting enough fluid, just look in the diaper. Urine is the best dehydration marker. If the child pees less than usual, and the urine is concentrated, rich in color and smell, then the child does not have enough fluid. In this case, we often apply it to the chest.
It is necessary to add water to the children after complementary foods have appeared in the diet. You don't need to be zealous either (don't forget about a full stomach). “It is optimal to make sure that the child always has water within reach: if he wanted to drink, he came up himself, took a sippy cup or a cup, and drank as much as he wanted,” Olga Tsyganok recommends.
Myth 2. In the summer, mom needs to drink plenty of fluids.
A nursing mother needs to drink as much water as she wants / istockphoto.com
This myth is connected with the fact that a child often asks for breast in summer. Accordingly, a nursing mother needs drink moreto have plenty of milk. In fact, there are no strict requirements for the drinking regime of a nursing woman: the rule of 2 liters per day or 40 ml per kg of body weight is very average and standardized. You need to drink at the request of the body and when you are tormented by thirst. If you pour water into yourself through force, it will not end with anything but edema. Another question, if you noticed symptoms of dehydration in your diuresis, emphasizes Olga Tsyganok. In this case, it costs more to drink, and preferably not juices with compotes and teas for lactation, but pure water.
Myth 3. In summer, the breasts should be washed before each feeding.
You do not need to wash your breasts with soap and water before feeding / istockphoto.com
In hot weather, we sweat more, that's a fact. But this does not mean at all that the chest is more dirty from this. “The fact is that there are Montgomery glands on a woman’s breasts near the nipples,” says Olga Tsyganok. They secrete a special secret that disinfects this area. It turns out that our breasts are all the time under a thin layer of a certain lubricant, which plays the role of a disinfectant. " By constant washing (especially with soap) we wash off this layer, depriving the nipples of their natural protection against infections.
If you are at home, you do not need to wash your breasts before each feed. If you and your child are relaxing on the beach and are worried that after swimming on the nipples there are disease-causing germs, it is enough to rinse your breasts with bottled water or simply wash yourself in the shower (if there is one on the beach available). This is desirable, but not necessary. “If this is not possible, do not make your child scream for 40 minutes while you find water or walk to your room to wash. We give the breast just like that and continue to rest further, ”says Olga Tsyganok.
Myth 4. With an intestinal infection in a child, the breast must be removed
Intestinal disease does not stop breastfeeding / istockphoto.com
In summer, children are more likely than at other times to be susceptible to various intestinal infections. This is due to the fact that kids spend more time on the street and more often pull foreign objects into their mouths - pebbles and sand on the beach, other people's toys in the sandbox. During an intestinal disorder, many doctors still recommend that the mother stop breastfeeding. Supposedly due to the fact that a weakened intestine does not react well to lactose.
In fact, weaning during any illness is an execution of a child, Olga Tsyganok is sure. First, from a psychological point of view: the baby is bad, and he is denied the best way to calm down. Secondly, by “removing” the breast, we often leave the baby hungry. All mothers know that a child eats and drinks poorly during illness, but always takes a breast. For the same reason, the child is more at risk of dehydration. As for the fact that breast milk can cause even more intestinal upset, this is not true. Quite the opposite, it contains such a quantity of enzymes and nutrients that a child on HB will cope with the infection much faster.
Myth 5. In summer, the baby must not be weaned.
Do not wean your baby on the eve of travel / istockphoto.com
This claim is also linked to infections that attack young children in the summer. The protective functions of milk really help babies to cope with all sorts of diseases easier. However, here you need to take into account the age of the child and the number of attachments that you use, says Olga Tsyganok. If the baby is just mastering complementary foods and is very active, several times a day "applied" to the mother, then it is better to postpone the weaning. If a child eats regular food at full speed, and asks for your breast only before bedtime, believe that there is no disaster in weaning will not happen in the summer.
“The only recommendation is not to stop breastfeeding before going on vacation,” insists Olga Tsyganok. - On a plane, train, car or bus, breasts are the best way to calm a crying baby. Where a nipple, toy or cartoons do not work, GV will be simply irreplaceable. Airplanes should be noted separately: all doctors advise giving the baby a breast during takeoff and landing. This will reduce the effect of pressure drop and discomfort in the ears. "
Myth 6. It is best to wean your baby during the summer.
Two people must be ready for weaning / istockphoto.com
This is the flip side of the coin, which also has its supporters and arguments. In the summer, the grown up baby can be given to grandparents. Many people think that there, on berries and fruits, away from mom and with a change of scenery, weaning will be more painless. Here, again, we focus on the child's age and the number of attachments. The grandmother can successfully replace it with a mixture at night. If your breasts are in full swing, do not injure yourself or the baby. “Remember that weaning is a process that two people must be ready for,” sums up Olga Tsyganok. "Therefore, if possible, finish the GW gradually and smoothly."
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