Importance of Hydration in Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is essential among babies because they are able to get complete nutrition from the breast milk. Not only that, breast milk also reduces the risk for allergies, gastroenteritis and certain diseases. It also provides passive natural immunity to infants which protect them from diseases. Health departments all over the world suggest using breast milk instead of formula milk to increase mother and child bonding.

However, certain mothers do not know how to effectively breastfeed their child. They often complain that their milk is not enough for their baby. Proper nutrition is essential in normal breast milk production. In addition, hydration plays a role in improving the quantity of breast milk. Fluids help in regulating adequate amount of milk produced. Fluids do not only come from water. There are other essential sources of fluid that a mother can ingest or take.

Hydration also flushes out toxins from the body through urination, perspiration and bowel elimination. Removing toxins out of the body means better milk quality for the baby. Improving hydration enhances the overall well-being of the mother, which makes her healthy for breast milk production.

The question is how much fluid should a mother drink per day? Just like any other people, a breastfeeding mother should drink six to eight glasses of water per day, excluding other sources of water such as fruits.

Hydration and nutrition is everything to breastfeeding. Here are some of the ways you can increase your fluid intake, hydration and enhance production of milk:
1. Consider drinking cold water. Cold water is refreshing, which encourages the breastfeeding mother to drink more.
2. Use refillable water bottles for drinking. This is a great way to monitor how much you have drunk. Mothers often become motivated to refill the bottle when they see it’s already empty rather than using glasses. It would be better to use large water containers that contain the right amount of fluid you have to drink in a day.
3. Increase intake of fruits. Fruits are a great source of water. These include oranges, watermelon, lemon, and the like.
4. Add flavor to the water in the form of lemon or lime. It adds palatability of the water thereby encouraging the mother to drink more.
5. Avoid drinking beverages containing caffeine. Coffee, soda and others should be avoided. Caffeine is a diuretic which makes you urinate more frequently. Because of this, the fluid level in your body will decrease, which is supposed to be used for breast milk production.

Aside from these tips on how to improve hydration, here are additional guidelines to improve breast milk production:
1. Feed frequently in both breasts. The more the baby sucks the nipples, the more the milk glands are stimulated to produce more. Sucking increases the production of oxytocin, a hormone that stimulates the brain to produce prolactin, a milk precursor.
2. Consume healthy foods. Increasing intake of fruits, vegetable and an overall balanced diet increases the vitamins and minerals available to go into the breast milk and nourish the infant. Mothers should remember that the vitamins and minerals they get are also the same vitamins and minerals that the baby gets.
3. Avoid Stress. Stress significantly decreases the amount of breast milk. Working mothers are prone to halting breast milk production early because stress limits the stimulation of the brain to produce hormones responsible for breast milk production.

Mothers can monitor how adequate their fluid intake is. Pumping of breast milk can monitor poor hydration. When milk pumped suddenly decreased in amount, it means that the mother had decrease in fluid intake. When babies also suck, they usually consume 15 to 20 minutes sucking in one breast. When the time interval decreases, it means that the baby is not satisfied with the amount of milk he or she is getting, making the infant agitated and move on to the next breast.