Hello my hive friends, trust we are doing good. Let's talk about infants and water. What is your opinion concerning babies and water?
So there's always a little controversy these days about babies and water.
Should infants take water?
I get to hear stories from different mothers on their point of views on water during exclusive breastfeeding.
Water is an essential nutrient for every living thing on earth, water is life and living things can't survive without water, they will shrink and die.
Which concludes that all living things need water.
Concerning the controversy
A lot of people ask about my niece since birth if she has been on water or exclusive breastfeeding. And my answer has been that she has been on exclusive breastfeeding and water as well.
From the very first night she came to the world after she was cleaned, the mom was unconscious and the first thing she was given was 3-, 4 tiny spoons of water, warm water. A lot of people came around and countered the act. It was said not to be good and necessary since the breast milk contains a lot of water.
In my culture we believe in giving babies water, not too much but in a few spoons per time given.
Here are the benefits we believe when a child is being given water
It keeps them hydrated and bouncing as well.
Also that water keeps the baby's stomach clean prevent stomach ache as well
Water makes the baby's bowel movements stressless and smooth.
Water also gives the baby a healthy weight. It keeps the baby's cells bouncing and happy making the baby look healthy and sound. That's why water is given in moderate quantities so as not to make fragile cells turgid thereby causing a rupture.
It is a fact that breast milk contains a lot of water. 80% precisely by medical research thereby making it not necessary to give a baby water.
But what if the mother isn't healthy enough to give sufficient breast milk to the baby. This makes the baby rely on artificial milk, in this case the baby still needs water.
Water is good for every living thing. If a baby is given water it should be in few spoons, moderate quantities, not too much to avoid swelling of cells and rupturing
Excessive water can cause loss of nutrients since the baby has not yet taken solid food
It can cause water intoxication and seizures as well.
My niece has been on water right from birth and she is on exclusive breastfeeding too and she is so healthy at one month compared to a child born on the same day With her. We had a case of my neighbour's child born on the same day with my niece.
The baby was still passing out Meconium as at two weeks after birth meanwhile my niece had stopped passing out meconiums after a few days of birth. Funny enough the other baby wasn't taking water. When she started taking water the condition seized.
In conclusion, After so much research and observations over the years, water is good and essential for every living thing including infants. But the water should be given in moderate quantity and clean sterilized water as well.
