Dehydration During Breastfeeding

My baby is only 4 months and 3 weeks old and I've been dehydrated twice during these past weeks.  The first time happened about a month ago when I decided to fast which meant no food and no liquids.  Needless to say, since I am breastfeeding, it was a pretty poor idea.  However, no one told me to be careful with fasting while breastfeeding.  I learned the hard way. 

My body became completely dehydrated and it took me a few days to get back to normal.  It must have affected my milk supply because the couple of days following the fast, my baby was quite grumpy at feeding times.  She would push and yank and it was not fun. 

Well, somehow, a few days ago I became dehydrated again.  I've been living by the rule, If I'm not thirsty, I don't need to drink.  I probably don't have to tell you, but it's the completely wrong way to live.  Feeling thirsty means you're already dehydrated and I've been slightly dehydrated for quite a while.  The past couple of days have been spent drinking a glass of water, running to the bathroom 15 minutes later, downing another glass of water ... and it just goes on and on.  Trying to rehydrate is a lot harder than just staying hydrated in the first place.

Apparently not every breastfeeding woman goes through the need to drink more water than usual, but it makes sense that you might need to drink more.  To make the milk, your body needs fluids.  In fact, most of breast milk is actually water so it's really important to keep yourself hydrated.

When your body becomes dehydrated and you need to feed your baby, the milk supply does decrease.  If it is just a slight dehydration, more than likely, your milk supply is okay.  The problem comes when your body goes into a more severe dehydration.  But your baby will usually let you know if the milk supply has decreased. 

If you are dehydrated and it is affecting your milk supply, drink plenty of fluids and pump (or let the baby suck for pacifying or longer than needed).  I personally like to pump right after the baby eats so that it signals to my body that I need to make more milk, but I don't necessarily pump out lots of milk.