What to drink?

Breastfeeding requires a lot of fluid, and if you become dehydrated you’ll feel tired and probably irritable or tearful, too.

You should drink about 2 litres a day or approximately 8 glasses of water. Try to space this out during the day. This could be tap water or bottled water and it doesn’t have to be only water. Herbal teas, milk and fruit juice are good too. 

Try my recipe for Infused Waters - great alternative to plain water. It’s a good idea to keep a glass of water near you when you are breastfeeding. However you only really need to drink enough fluid to keep yourself well hydrated. If your milk supply is good, whatever you are drinking is probably enough, but if its low and you have dark coloured urine, you should drink more.

Its a good idea to have some water or fresh fruit juice by your side before you settle down to breastfeed.

Alcohol (and caffeine) passed from your blood into your breast milk. If you want to drink alcohol, do so when you know you wont have to breastfeed for at least 2 or 3 hours.