"My Husband Doesn’t Allow Me to Give Water to My 5-Month-Old Baby Since She Was Born": Doctor Reacts

• A nursing mother has reached out for help after her husband insisted she doesn’t give her 5-month-old baby water
• The woman said she has been breastfeeding her baby since she was born without giving her water to drink
• Dr Emmanuel Aneke, a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology, explains behind the husband's directive to her wife

Anonymous wrote:

“I have a baby of 5 months old, whom my husband has warned me against giving water to since she was born. She has been feeding only on breast milk without water.

“I'm worried as I don't know if this is okay. I don't want to do anything that will hurt my baby's growth

Should I start giving her water?

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80% of breast milk is water, Doctor explains

Dr Aneke Emmanuel is a senior registrar and specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Nigeria Teaching University (UNTH). He has 14 solid years of experience in the practice.

What the husband wants you to give the child is exclusive breastfeeding, which is the first six months of the child's life.

There is no need to give the baby water because breast milk is made up of about 80% water.

Exclusive breastfeeding is to breastfeed a baby exclusively for six months. For those six months, the baby takes only breast milk on demand with nothing else.

It has been documented that 80 per cent of breast milk is water, so there is no need for more water.

Benefits of exclusive breastfeeding

Exclusive breastfeeding helps protect babies from gastrointestinal illnesses, among other advantages.

It helps in providing passive immunity from the mother to the baby. This, in essence, protects the baby from gastrointestinal illnesses. It provides the baby with the required nutrients and minerals.

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Exclusive breastfeeding also helps reduce the incidence of allergic diseases.

For the mother, women who exclusively breastfeed their babies are unlikely to get pregnant in the first 6 months after birth.

Woman donates breast milk to premature babies

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Nicasha, a mother who produces excessive breast milk, took a bold step to donate over 5000 ounces to premature and fragile babies.

The proud mother with the handle @nicashaplusthree on TikTok said she has no regrets so far but rather feels a great sense of excitement in performing such a huge sacrifice.

Nicasha first went through the screening stage, and after she passed and became a verified donor, she kick-started her donation.

Disclaimer: Advice given in this article is general in nature and is not intended to influence readers' decisions about solving issues about exclusive breastfeeding. Readers should always seek their own professional advice that takes into account their own personal circumstances before making any decision.

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Source: Legit.ng