Life-threatening hypernatraemic dehydration in breastfed babies

We describe five babies, who were exclusively breast fed, with life-threatening complications of hypernatraemic dehy-dration secondary to inadequate breast feeding. An increased awareness among health professionals is required so that this potentially devastating condition can be prevented. F ive babies presented with hypernatraemic dehydration secondary to inadequate breastfeeding. In all five neonates, the presentation and early clinical course were similar: they were the first children of healthy non-consanguineous parents, born after uncomplicated pregnan-cies and deliveries, and were exclusively breast fed. They were regularly assessed by their midwives and in neonates 1, 3 and 5 by their general practitioners, and all the mothers wer