Breastfeeding Issue: Not Good for Vitamin D?
There has been so much “back and forth” on the whether or not breast feeding is best for your baby’s overall health & development.
I read an article on Boston.com where the issue was about Vitamin D defficiency, which is common in most babies. According to the article:
“Researchers found “suboptimal” levels of the bone-building vitamin in 40 percent of 380 otherwise healthy infants and toddlers tested at Children’s Hospital Boston, with 12 percent considered to be clinically deficient. Breast-fed infants were up to 10 times more likely to be deficient in vitamin D than their bottle-fed counterparts, according to the study in the June issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.”
Click here to read the full article.
So, if you believe in all the benefits of breast feeding your baby, what should you do to ensure they get the Vitamin D they need? We have been told to stay out of the sun, but we do need moderate exposure to get some Vitamin D. I agree that giving a breast-fed baby supplements wouldn’t hurt. Here are some products that will ensure your baby gets their Vitamin D & other vitamins:
Gerber Vitamin Drops: $9.19 (on sale)
The main vitamin in this product is Vitamin D, but there are also 8 other essential vitamins.
Goldline Baby Vitamin Drops With Iron 50 ml: $7.81
Enfamil Tri-Vi-Sol Vitamin Supplement Drops: $7.87
Country Life Maxi-Baby Care: $5.83
Shop here for more baby & children’s vitamins.
Image Source: Baby-Cubes.com
Comments
Comment from Carol H
Share with all who are interested, it is BETTER to supplement the mother, then her breastfed baby will not be deficient. Mothers are the ones who should be supplemented. the RDA for women (probably men also) may be way to low. Have the mothers levels checked at a minimum. Osteoporosis should be another motivator for women to maintain healthy vit. D levels for themselves.
Comment from Garry
Breast milk is a poor source of vitamin D ONLY IF the lactating mom’s vitamin D levels are inadequate. And, unfortunately, they often are. Research has shown that a lactating female may need to take 6400 IU of vitamin D per day for 6 months to provide meaningful levels of vitamin D in her breastmilk (Hollis BW). That is WAY above the current recommendations and is another reminder of how outdated the current recommendations are. So, what to do? First, have your doctor run a blood test to determine your current blood levels of vitamin D. The correct test is the “25-hydroxy-vitamin D” test (not the “1,25-vitamin D” test). Ideal levels are between 40 and 80 (possibly 100) ng/mL, which is the same as 100-250 nmol/L. (Unfortunately, different labs use different methods of measuring vit. D, so you have to look at the units, which will either be “ng/mL” or “nmol/L”.) From there, you can begin to figure out just how much vitamin D you will need to supplement and/or how much sunlight you will need to get. Just remember, NEVER sunburn in order to get your vitamin D. To be safe, don’t give your infant more than 400 IU/day of vit. D. A few minutes here and there of unprotected sun exposure is OK for the baby too and will help boost his/her own vitamin D production. Good luck, and keep those vitamin D levels optimal!
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