I think the original poster was asking about an older baby, but I could be mistaken. In any case, the sugar water is replacing breastmilk, which is not good, and if given by bottle, has problems associated with that. I am imagining a scenario whereby a mother is of the belief that the water is necessary for some reason. Perhaps she feels that the weather is too hot or she believes it cures the hiccoughs (have seen both of these beliefs). I am also guessing that perhaps someone told her that all that sugar water will hurt baby's pancreas, maybe as somewhat of a scare tactic to steer her away from it. I do appreciate and agree with the other responders and all the ramifications and negative health consequences when exclusive bf is not practiced. In a newborn, I certainly would be very concerned because, yes, 15 mls is quite alot of intake for a day or two day old baby. Water intoxication does exist and is dangerous. But, if this was an older baby with a mother with the above misconceptions, then I would try to somewhat validate her beliefs and then try to steer her towards exclusive bf, with something like this, "It surely seems that we should be giving water to baby when it is close to 100 degrees outside, doesn't it? Did you know that breastmilk has all the water in it that baby needs? It is actually a complete food. And for baby's immune system to be fully working, the baby 's intestines should be coated with your milk, and the water will wash that away somewhat. So the baby will actually have a higher chance of getting sick if he gets water. Would you feel comfortable trying to reduce and then stop the water over the next 2 days. Your baby will nurse if hungry OR thirsty ....blah blah". I could be way off base, but these are the experiences I have had with mothers giving water. I hope the original poster will give us a review and update. Just read an article online today and the percentage of moms giving botanical teas and such is like 9%. Re the jaundice that Susan mentioned, my understanding is that the sugar water per se does not increase jaundice, but the decreased consumption of milk and calories as a result of milk being displaced by water in the diet, leads to jaundice. If I understand it correctly. Laurie Wheeler RN MN IBCLC Missisisppi USA *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome