With the summer heat, pharmacy shelves are filling up with "electrolyte" tablets and powders — including "breastfeeding-specific" hydration blends that claim to improve hydration and even boost milk supply. But what does the science actually say?

In France, natural disasters are not a distant abstraction. Wildfires in the south, floods in the north and west, violent storms: every year, families are forced to evacuate their homes within minutes. Yet in the rush of an evacuation, infant feeding is rarely planned for. How can breastfeeding continue under stress?

Breastfeeding from just one breast: It is sometimes advised to return the baby to the first breast to "drain it completely," but this is advice that could hinder lactation. The reality is that breasts are never completely empty. Your baby nurses until they are satisfied or until the flow slows enough for them to decide to stop. If your baby detaches