she has heard that giving him to much water can put him in a coma (water intoxcation) I have told her to call her Dr. but I HIGHLY DOUGHT IT. I am just looking for opions here to see how other people think
2006-11-21 01:03:48 · 17 answers · asked by boxer lover 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Dont you sound like my mother in law. You might HIGHLY DOUBT IT but it is TRUE. You shouldnt offer a baby younger than 6mths (when they start to eat solids) ANY water... Giving too much water can not only cause a coma it can also cause death.
I'm pasting the article you'll find following the link below:
An infant has been admitted to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, suffering from water intoxication, a potentially fatal condition caused by giving a baby too much water.
Doctors warned Thursday that babies under the age of 6 months old should not be given plain water. Water intoxication happens when a baby's body takes in more water than he or she can process.
"What can happen is they actually develop a dilutional affect. The water actually dilutes the amount of salt in their blood stream, and it can lead to seizures," said Dr. Richard Scarfone.
Infants up to 6 months old should only be given breast milk or formula. Babies 6 months old to 1 year old, in addition to breast milk or formula, may have 4 to 6 ounces of juice and up to 8 ounces of water a day. Do not give infants water if they have gastrointestinal problems, Scarfone said.
"It is especially dangerous if the baby is having vomiting or diarrhea. In that setting, you would want to give Pedialite because Pedialite has salt and has sugar in it," Scarfone said.
The symptoms of water intoxication can be subtle. They can include a change in your baby's behavior, including extreme fatigue or vomiting.
If you use the kind of formula that has to be mixed with tap water, that is OK, but extra water is not.
2006-11-21 06:32:25 · answer #1 · answered by MaPetiteHippopotame 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She has heard right.
A newborn needs NOTHING but breastmilk or formula, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is true for the entire first 6 months. Breastmilk and formula provide all their nutrients and all their liquids. Breastmilk is mostly water and formula is made with water. A newborn doesn't need water. It fills them up with empty calories so they don't take in as much nutrients as they need. It can result in poor weight gain or even weight loss. Giving water early on can also damage mom's milk supply since it can cause baby to nurse less.
Water intoxication is a REAL condition that can occur if an infant is given too much water. Giving too much water can dilute a baby's normal sodium levels and this can lead to seizures, coma, brain damage and death.
2006-11-21 01:09:42 · answer #2 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Water intoxication is really only a risk for people with kidney problems or those taking water-retention medication. As long as the baby's kidneys are functioning properly, this is not something she really needs to worry about.
However, newborns should really only be drinking breast milk or formula. Water does not provide the nutrients that a newborn needs to thrive. Although giving the baby water will not posion it, it does not really do any good for a baby this young either.
It sounds like she might want to talk to her pediatrician to become fully informed about feeding and infant care in general. As you know, kids don't come with instructions, and many hospitals have "new parent" classes to cover the basic (but not always intuitive) ways to care for a newborn such as feeding, bathing, belly button care, etc.
2006-11-21 01:16:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
its true. too much water can wash out electrolites and minerals from your system causing shut down of major organs. My mother had it happen to her when her doctor accidently put her on two types of dirutics and then pumped her full of iv's to counteract it. She went into cardiac arrest. Also my husband delivers mail and one of his pal carriers overdid the water one summer and was in the hospital for a day. Babies are so small. They don't need water if they are getting fed correctly with formula or breastmilk.
2006-11-21 01:14:11 · answer #4 · answered by ronnie 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
With both of my kids, I gave them water.. Keep in mind that I only gave it in-between feedings for hiccups and such, but i've never really heard of it putting a baby in a coma... Is she still feeding the baby formula?? Hopefully she is... I guess the only thing you can do it what you've already done.. you told her what you thought and now you're going to have to leave it alone!! Good luck to you
2006-11-21 01:08:41 · answer #5 · answered by Kat0312 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I never heard of that before, however, a new baby DOES NOT need water AT ALL. All that will give him is empty calories that would be better spent with formula or breast milk.
2006-11-21 01:25:30 · answer #6 · answered by Jessie P 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is such a thing, highly unlikley that you would give your child that much water. Babies needs formula. But its caused by in imblance in electrolights.
2006-11-21 01:11:39 · answer #7 · answered by Dizzy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Umm, I never heard that BUT I have heard that you shouldn't give water to babies because it fills them up when they should be drinking breastmilk/formula.
Hope this helps!
2006-11-21 02:10:25 · answer #8 · answered by Ali D 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have never heard of giving a newborn water. they get what they need from breastfeeding or formula.
2006-11-21 01:47:46 · answer #9 · answered by KathyS 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Things have changed so much with babies today, what was OK for our babies is not good now days, you gave her good advise call the Dr.
2006-11-21 01:12:59 · answer #10 · answered by Granny 1 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋