Prolonged Maternal Fluid Supplementation in Breast-Feeding

A randomized, crossover study design was used to evaluate the effect of prolonged maternal fluid supplementation on the milk supply of breast-feeding women. A total of 19 well-nourished women whose infants were solely breast-fed and thriving were enrolled when their infants were 90 to 120 days of age. Of this group, 15 women consumed at least a 25% increase in fluids above baseline for 7 days. Mean daily milk production was 767 +/- 178 mL for the baseline period and 744 +/- 138 mL for the increased fluid period. There was no significant change in milk production between baseline and increased fluid periods. No significant linear relationship between the percentage increase in fluid intake and percentage change in milk production was found.