How much water is enough to drink while breastfeeding?

Water is very important to human health because it accounts for about 70% of body weight. During lactation, it is important to drink enough fluids. However, most mothers often do not know how much water is enough during this time.

Breastfeeding is when the body needs a lot of water. Therefore, it is understandable that mothers often feel thirsty. Drinking enough water while breastfeeding will help replenish lost water and help with better breast milk production. During this time, remember a principle of aFamilyToday Health is "Drink water when thirsty".

The link between breastfeeding and drinking enough water

During the first 6 months, your baby will receive all the nutrients from breast milk. This means that breast milk contains all the essential nutrients your baby needs to grow and develop. Breast milk contains about 90% water. When you breastfeed, your body loses a significant amount of water to produce breast milk. As a result, you will feel more thirsty than usual. Many people believe that drinking plenty of water will dilute breast milk. However, this is a rumor that lacks basis. According to experts, drinking plenty of water will not affect the quality of breast milk.

How much water is enough to drink while breastfeeding?

To answer this question, you should pay attention to your body's signals. Body needs can vary from person to person depending on weather, activity level, age ... Whenever you feel thirsty, drink water right away. You can keep a bottle of water with you and drink it every time you finish breastfeeding. On average, a baby breastfeeds about 8-12 times a day. Therefore, you need to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. This will help replenish the amount of water you lose while breastfeeding.

You can observe the color of your urine to see if you are drinking enough water or not. Light yellow urine indicates that you are drinking enough, and darker yellow urine may be a sign of mild dehydration.

It is important that you have a balance between water loss and water intake. If you add in excess of the water lost, this can adversely affect milk production.

The secret to helping the body avoid dehydration when breastfeeding

Here are some tips to help you avoid dehydration while breastfeeding:

Limit beverages such as soda, caffeine, tea, and alcohol while you are breastfeeding.

It is advisable to check the sugar content of the drinks you drink. Sugar can interfere with the body's absorption of water. So avoid sweet fruit juices.

Set a goal for your water intake. Pour the amount of water you need to drink into a bottle and aim to finish it off by the end of the day.

If you like to drink cold water, put the water in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator.

Carry a bottle of water with you whenever you need it so that you have water available whenever you need it.

Add foods with a high water content to your diet such as vegetables, fruits, soups ...

There are a number of apps that help with drinking reminders. You can try these apps out.

Breastfeeding has many benefits for mother and baby. However, when breastfeeding, you should pay attention to supplementing enough water for the body to avoid dehydration.