There is still a lot of summer ahead and many hot days. Experts point out that precisely high temperatures can affect breastfeeding, making it difficult for mother and baby to enjoy the moment in a comfortable and relaxed way.
Therefore, if your breastfeeding has just started or it is the first summer that you live breastfeeding your little one, take a look at these tips that we offer you and that will help you to continue enjoying your breastfeeding, despite the heat.
Now, more than ever, breastfeeding on demand
The concept of “breastfeeding on demand” should prevail whenever we choose to breastfeed our children, but in summer it becomes even more essential. And it is because their metabolism is faster than that of adults, children are at greater risk of dehydration with high temperatures , so it is essential to help them frequently replace the mineral salts lost through sweat.
Eliminate strict schedules and controlled feedings, and offer the breast freely and on demand , will prevent our little one from suffering from dehydration due to heat.
Interpreting thirst signals
But in addition to offering the breast on demand to our baby, it is also important to know how to interpret the signs that may indicate that he is thirsty : nodding, putting his hand to his mouth, sticking out his tongue … If they occur, we must give him a new one. Take avoiding the baby to cry.
In summer, with the heat, it is normal for them to be more thirsty and need more water, so babies tend to increase the frequency of feedings by adding to the usual ones, others of shorter duration and spread throughout the day.
In addition, it is convenient to remember that if our little one is less than six months old and is receiving breastfeeding on demand, it will not be necessary to offer him water in a bottle, since breast milk is made up of 88 percent water, so while it is feed is also hydrating.
Hydrated baby … mom too!
In the same way that the baby can become dehydrated, mothers can also suffer this episode if they do not replace fluids frequently . For this reason, during breastfeeding it is especially important that the mother has a balanced diet and proper hydration, especially in the hottest season.
It is common for women to experience more thirst than usual during breastfeeding. This is due to the amount of water that is lost through the production of breast milk. Not surprisingly, 88 percent of breast milk is water.
The nursing mother should drink approximately between two and a half and three liters of water a day , something that will surely be very simple (especially in hot weather) because the body itself will ask for it through the sensation of thirst.
Choose the right place to breastfeed
Any place could seem good to breastfeed our child when he demands it, but while it is important to immediately satisfy his need, we must also check that the place is the most appropriate.
If the shot catches you away from home, find a place sheltered from the sun and as cool as possible. Also, remember to cover your little one’s head with a cap, and give them sunscreen.
And if you are at home, surely you know well the rooms in your home that are cooler and more comfortable to enjoy the shot without excess heat. Of course, if you have an air conditioner, remember the importance of not directly exposing your baby to the flow of air.
Most of these recommendations also apply if you are feeding your baby a bottle , as heat and high temperatures affect children in the same way.
A long time ago, Armando was already talking to us about the importance of giving the bottle on demand, and now in summer we can offer them more feedings, reducing the amount of them, to quench their thirst and maintain proper hydration. Let us also remember that babies under six months do not need extra water, whether they are breast-fed or bottle-fed. In the same way, it is essential to keep them cool and find the most suitable place for the moment of taking.
Photos | iStock, Pixabay
Via | Medela
In Babies and More | Seven tips that will help you with breastfeeding this summer, Breastfeeding and heat: in summer, more than ever breastfeeding on demand, Five symptoms of dehydration in the baby that you should know, How to know when the baby is hungry ?: Yes cry is that you are late, Insatiable thirst during breastfeeding: why is it and what you can do to alleviate it
