Let's Breastfeed

Getting warmer!

Don’t you just love the weather this time of the year, nice and sunny but not too hot! You may not have noticed this yet, but as the temperature increases outside, your milk will become more dilute, which will change your feeding pattern.

A friend of mine went to South Africa in February (cold winter month) and the change in milk composition was actually quite amazing. Before leaving London, she was expressing twice a day to offer a bottle feed at night. Her milk was thick and creamy and her little one was only feeding 6 times a day and gaining 40g each day.

When she got to South Africa, she landed in one of the hottest months of the year. She quickly began expressing so that her mom could look after baby and she could have a break. Her milk however, was so watery, she began to panic. Her little girl was also feeding every hour, which was totally out of character.
Her breast milk had changed from thick creamy milk to a dilute watery substance over night!

Now, whilst this is alarming, we need to remember that your baby is reliant on you for his or her food and water intake. We naturally reach for a glass of water when thirsty, but as your baby is not able to do so, your body automatically changes the milk composition to meet his or her needs.

This may lead to more frequent feeds, as your baby still needs to meet his or her 24 hour calorie quota.

You will need to drink enough water to keep both yourself and baby well hydrated on hot days. This is why we often tell moms to ensure that they are drinking at least 6 glasses of water and to keep an eye on baby’s urine output to ensure that baby is well hydrated.

Failing to drink enough water, could lead to your milk becoming quite thick and sticky. I am sure you can see a problem with this – your baby won’t get all the fluid he or she needs and you will be prone to blockages in your ducts, which could lead to mastitis.

If you start to notice that your baby is feeding more frequently, consider whether your baby is simply going through a growth spurt or whether the weather could be contributing to your baby’s out of character behaviour.

Let’s get out and enjoy that sunshine!

This entry was posted in Blog. Bookmark the permalink.