Mum Desperately Warns Other Parents After Her Baby Nearly Dies From Drinking Water
The advice around giving babies drinking water is that, before they hit the six-month mark, it’s unsafe to do so. Babies can have immature kidneys, therefore, giving them too much water during their first year (particularly in the first nine months) can dilute a baby’s normal sodium levels which can lead to seizures, coma, brain damage, and death.
The dangers of water intoxication in babies are very real, and one mum, Katie Gorter has shared her terrifying experience on Facebook after her 11-month-old daughter, Emily’s close call.
READ ALSO: Why You Shouldn’t Give Your Baby Water Before The 6 Months Mark
But it wasn’t the water she was giving her to drink that posed a threat. Read what Katie wrote below:
I just wanted to make a Public Service Announcement!! Water intoxication is very real and can happen so easily!! Please only offer babies 6-12 months no more than 2oz of water in a 24 hour period!! Babies younger than 6 months cannot have any at all!
Currently dealing with my 11mo having water intoxication! I only ever offer 2oz a day and usually she doesn’t finish it. Yesterday she discovered she could drink the bath water.
I didn’t think much of it at the time and later ended up rushing her to the ER. She became lethargic, started vomiting, and then was struggling to breath!
She had so much water in her it was compressing her lungs! She is doing a lot better now with breathing but we are still vomiting very often! I just wanted to put this out there for those who don’t believe it matters and give their baby as much as they want.
Breastmilk/formula is plenty!! And just because baby is close to a year does not mean they can have more than 2oz!! My daughter is a year in 3 weeks and here we are! Thanks for reading my rant lol
READ ALSO: Why “Bathing your baby with hot water is” not recommended – Community Health Technician Tells Us
Happily, little Elly is on the mend and the vomiting has stopped. Her post has really struck a chord with many of her fellow parents who admitted they’d never heard of the risk
What is water intoxication?
“Water intoxication is where you consume too much water in a short period of time and your blood level of sodium drops…making a tragic situation,” Katie Zeratsky, a dietitian at the Mayo Clinic told Buzzfeed .
“In the adult world, you would have to push yourself past thirst and regulation to a point where you almost have to force intake.
“In terms of a baby, in most cases they would get too full to do this, so it would be more challenging to create this situation in an infant. It’s not impossible, though.”
