Can I give 9 week old water? Nervous he's thirsty..

amother

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 5:02 pm

My baby is 9 weeks old. He was so fussy today. I am exhausted after a hard night with him. I drank tons and tons. I'm getting worried maybe I do not have enough milk for him.
Then I got nervous we were out tody and was so hot, maybe he's a bit dehydrated.
His diapers are more green than usual yellow seedy. THey also look more like mucus but in dark.
A/t I should be concerned about or just keep nursing him.

Can I give him a water bottle?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Scrabble123

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 5:07 pm

Too much water can be toxic to a baby.
Just nurse him.

That's the advice when a baby has a stomach virus / diarrhea and needs to replenish his fluids.

Also, it's hard to tell with babies, but is there a decrease in urine output? That would be a reason to contact his pediatrician.

mandr

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 5:10 pm

Don't give your baby water. What makes you think he's not hydrated enough? Does he have good diaper output in terms of wet diapers? At this age all your baby should be drinking is either breastmilk or formula. Nurse more frequently if you or your baby feel hot. Green dirty diapers doesn't mean anything in terms of dehydration. It's usually a sign of baby receiving too much foremilk - the waterier milk that comes out in the beginning of a feed, and not enough hindmilk, the fattier stuff at the end of a feed. Best way to combat this is to nurse one side per feeding. Always offer the second side, but don't switch sides just because 5, 10, or 15 minutes have elapsed. Let baby stay on the same side until he stops.

amother

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 5:16 pm

Green diapers + fussy baby = too much fore milk / not enough hind milk.
(It's probably not dehydration.)

Here are some things to try that can help:
- offer the same breast until it is completely empty, even if it means bb will only nurse from 1 breast twice in a row
- massage the breast before / during feeding to mix around the hind milk and fore milk, surprising but works
- make sure you yourself are eating, drinking, and resting enough to keep up with milk production
- if you have fast let down or bb isn't latching well, consult an LC
- wait it out. Sometimes even a good nurser goes through a phase like this that passes on its own after a couple of days

amother

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 5:16 pm

Thanks/
Hard to tell bec. kept changing his dirty diapers. Had 3 in last 3 hours.
Is a one time water bottle dangerous?
How do I know if it's because I don't have milk? WIll nursing then help, maybe I have a little at a time.
This is my first time nursing and I'm so nervous to ruin it now by my fears and starting with formula. (which I've done in past and within a month I just stopped nursing).

bigbird

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 5:16 pm

There's nothing wrong with giving a baby a bit of cool boiled water in a bottle when it's hot. Not too much because you don't want him to fill himself up on it. He'll keep drinking as long as you keep offering!

If you're worried you don't have enough milk, offer formula though, not water.

amother

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 5:23 pm

If the problem is not enough hindmilk (which it sounds like it could be,) nursing him for as long as possible on one side will help because the hindmilk will fill him up more. When I was nursing I always tried to give just one side per feed. Your supply will increase accordingly.

Are you feeding on a schedule? If so, maybe feeding on demand might help. He may be going through a growth spurt and needs extra.

amother

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 5:25 pm

amother wrote:

Thanks for all your replies. My computer died in middle and by time sent this you all replied.
It's so interesting because today I was so unfocused. The last few days I was doing one side per feeding and now last 2 days was so hectic and was just plopping him on haphazardly not paying any attention to where or what he was.

Please keep advice coming. I'm so insecure that not enough milk. He barely slept today.

smss

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 5:34 pm

trust your milk. there is no better thing for your baby to get, really.

greenish diapers and never getting full does sound like he might be getting too much foremilk. definitely keep him on one side till he comes off on his own, and if it's not really soft put him back on that side next time.

it might be a growth spurt, also.

amother

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 5:59 pm

smss wrote:

it might be a growth spurt, also.

thank you.

I thought that is at 3 weeks. 6 weeks. 3 mnths. 6 mnths,

I am keeping him on one side now but keeps falling asleep. as soon as I take him off he gets all fussy again.

smss

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 6:02 pm

amother wrote:

thank you.

I thought that is at 3 weeks. 6 weeks. 3 mnths. 6 mnths,

I am keeping him on one side now but keeps falling asleep. as soon as I take him off he gets all fussy again.

lol I was trying to remember the growth spurt ages and thought for some reason around 9 weeks was one of them ;-) I'm a little tired. though, the truth is that not all babies have their growth spurts "on schedule" so it's still a possibility.

keep an eye on his diapers, that's the best indicator that the baby is getting enough milk. when I had a true drop in milk supply, my baby went the whole day with just one slightly wet diaper- in that case she really was hungry. but often a baby will have a fussy day where they eat a lot and they still have regular wet & dirty diapers, and then it isn't a problem.

nyc123

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 6:05 pm

Bigbird, that's not true; a 1 time water bottle is dangerous to a 9 week old baby. Do NOT give your baby any water. He gets his hydration from your milk. Like the other amothers mentioned, the diaper you were concerned about does not indicate his hydration level, but the fat content of the milk from that feeding. If you are at all concerned, call your pediatrician. I would not trust the advice of anyone on here in regards to health concerns about your baby...always call your pediatrician, the one who has studied these exact concerns, read the research on it, and can give you reliable information about them.

amother

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 6:07 pm

thanks again Smile

amother wrote:

I am keeping him on one side now but keeps falling asleep. as soon as I take him off he gets all fussy again.

he is out cold not even latched on just cheek against breast and when I put him down wide awake and fussy. he also doesn't like to burp but wakes up screaming and gives a burp.

I'm feeling so overwhelmed but really don't want to get into formula and give up nursing (knowing myself that's what happens).

dancingqueen

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 6:22 pm

You can call a lactation consultant to do a weighed feed if you are concerned baby isn't getting enough nutrition. Don't give water.

allrgymama

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 6:24 pm

Do NOT give the baby water, for every reason other users have already said. Speak with your pediatrician to discuss the diaper situation as well as at what age you CAN start go in water. I'm pretty sure it's a couple of months.

amother

Tue, Jul 01 2014, 6:30 pm

MaBelleVie wrote:

Where does he normally sleep?

in bassinet on his side (w/ support pi;;ows) or last nite in my bed sucking on me. for some reason when sucks on me at night, the next day I feel like I have no milk. I'd think opposite cuz sucking so builds up demand. But I feel like maybe not latched on rite so clogs it? is that possible?

(I already spent so much money on LC, can't call her back. Depends on day. One day he gained 100 grams and then one day 20. SO can be today low on milk and didn't get enough per feeding...but I'm being so stubborn about giving formula bec. with all my other kids that ended my nursing. After talking to friends who are more "natural" and EBF-they told me e/o has humps don't just give up. SO this is why I'm so nervous..I think like I'm diff from e/o and don't have enough milk. )

Thanks everyone! You're all so amazing to take time to answer.