Vitamin D Supplement for all Breastfed Babies?

[zorak]

Hi,

I am British but currently living in the US and I am still navigating the different approaches to lots of baby care issues. My paediatrician advised me to give my baby a Vit D supplement everyday with the sole reason being he is breastfed. Is this something that is done in the UK? I really don't like the thought of supplementing just for the sake of it. To give you some perspective the only prenatal vitamin I took was folic acid. My husband is a biochemist and he took one look at a regular US prenatal and said the quantities are excessive and asked me if I'd be comfortable not taking it. I chose not to and did not have any issues at all and delivered an absolutely healthy baby, I just made sure to eat a diverse diet.

I'd like a UK mother's perspective on Vit D supplementing(no offence to any Americans but I find that most doctors over here are supplement happy).

Thanks!

 

[Brieanna]

I am not from the U.K. (sorry!) but I exclusively breastfed and never gave my dd any supplements. I took/take all natural prenatal vitamins made exclusively from food sources (no chemicals or other yucky stuff!) while pregnant and breastfeeding. As far as advising supplements in the U.S. I think it all depends on the pediatrician. It is true that many pediatricians here are not very informed about breastfeeding and try and give babies unnecessary things.

When I was pregnant I searched around for a doctor that would follow the way I wanted to raise my child (extended breastfeeding, different vaccine schedule, co-sleeping etc).

My pediatrician said that dd shouldn't need supplements because there IS actually vitamin d in breastmilk (as long as the mother isn't deficient) and even though it is less than what is in formula, since it is easier to digest the baby gets enough, especially when combined with some sun exposure (even getting in and out of the car every day). Not very much though!

If you live in the U.S. (especially in the south) and are fairly healthy then I would think your lo is fine.

Here is a helpful link. https://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d/

 

[Brieanna]

As far as the vitamins go, even though I take them it is probably not as necessary as people think, especially if you eat healthy. I heard on a t.v. show that Americans have the most expensive urine on the planet (because we pee out most of the vitamin, lol)

 

[Rachel_C]

The NHS line is that all children up to 4 years old should be supplemented with Vitamin D (if the child is having a certain amount of formula each day, you don't give extra) but I have a BF 2 year old and a weaned 4 year old and it's never been mentioned to us so I think advice varies. I considered it briefly but the kids get enough sunshine to count I think, as we don't slap SPF 50 on at the first hint of sunshine

 

[MoldyVoldy]

I'm in the USA, and my son's first pediatrician insisted we give him Vit D supplement.

We moved, my son got a new doctor, and our new doctor is 100% a breastfeeding advocate, he's an amazing man really. I mentioned Vit D supplements and he laughed. HE LAUGHED. He said it's incredibly unnecessary. HOWEVER, you need to be aware of YOUR diet. Are you also feeding on demand? You need to make sure you aren't lacking in the Vit D department. Which honestly most healthy people aren't lacking - and if they are it's minimal.

If you are worried about your levels, have them checked.

If you are still worried, take your LO for a walk outside in the SUNSHINE for 20 minutes a day.

In my opinion and in the opinion of my son's doctors, supplements are not necessary.

 

[iwantabub]

In Australian and never heard of it!

 

[Pearls18]

I was advised to start supplements from 6 months, apparently our own stores are good enough until then but after that certain supplements are needed. Vitamin D is advised in the UK for up to 5 year olds because our weather isn't very good, but also because we obviously cover children up well, having said that I wouldn't supplement before 6 months but after I used abidec syrup.

 

[summer rain]

Uk advice is to give vitamin D drops from 6 months onwards, unless mum is proven to be clinically deficient or baby is premature then this advice may extend to being from birth but then again these would usually be prescribed supplements that would be given. Bear in mind most of the US vit D supplements for BF babies are manufactured by formula companies to undermine BF, and they contain a lot of nasty additives xx

 

[Claudia83]

I'm in the USA, and my son's first pediatrician insisted we give him Vit D supplement.

We moved, my son got a new doctor, and our new doctor is 100% a breastfeeding advocate, he's an amazing man really. I mentioned Vit D supplements and he laughed. HE LAUGHED. He said it's incredibly unnecessary. HOWEVER, you need to be aware of YOUR diet. Are you also feeding on demand? You need to make sure you aren't lacking in the Vit D department. Which honestly most healthy people aren't lacking - and if they are it's minimal.

If you are worried about your levels, have them checked.

If you are still worried, take your LO for a walk outside in the SUNSHINE for 20 minutes a day.

In my opinion and in the opinion of my son's doctors, supplements are not necessary.

THIS! All of it.
Just make sure you are still taking prenatals and just take your baby outside for natural Vitamin D.

 

[kassiaethne]

My pediatrician just said to give him a "sun bath" for 15 minutes everyday. Nothing about giving supliments. But this is in mexico not sure why they would insist on the supliments if the baby could get it naturally

 

[Bevziibubble]

If you're not deficient in vitamin D yourself then there will be enough in your breast milk. Less than there is in formula milk, but what there is will be more easily digested. The same goes for iron as well. The drops can contain nasty additives such as artificial sweeteners, so it's best to just try to ensure your baby gets some time outside when it's not raining and continue to breastfeed

 

[Amy_T]

I'm in uk and breastfeeding. My HV asked if I was taking supplements to which I said no as I use BF as a great reason for making sure I eat well. She also mentioned that the supplements are recommended for under 5s (I have a 3 year old too) as a PP said, the little sun we do get people are so worried they completely cover their kids up!

 

[lmp1505768]

I'm in te US , in Washington, and we don't get a lot of sun except for in Summer. My pediatrician g I'd that if baby and/or mom is getting enough sun, not t worry about it. But that as we approach fall/ winter that may not be the case.

I think it just depends on each persons situation

 

[summer rain]

It's not the amount of sun but the strength of sunlight even with cloud cover. Not many people know this but the US is far further South on the whole than Europe is and some of the Southern states are as close to the equator as North-West Africa is, the closer to the equator, the less sunlight exposure you need. The body also stores vitamin D in the liver for up to 3 years, it isn't a vitamin you need to have an intake of on a daily basis xx

 

[meli1981]

i live in canada and they recommend vitamin D, i think its because we have limited sunshine in the winter, i usually forget to give him his drops tho

 

[Mrs HM]

It's recommended in the UK from 6months upwards as there has been an increase in Rickets over recent years which is caused by vitamin D deficiency.

 

[summer rain]

But the thing is rickets isn't just caused by vitamin D deficiency in itself-there are a number of mechanisms involved. This is why in the UK rickets is found among Pakistanis but hardly ever found amongst Bangladeshis, the Bangladeshis have almost identical lifestyle factors, skin tone and genetic factors to the Pakistanis but the major crux is diet. Pakistanis tend to eat Chapatis every day which cause certain nutrients to be poorly absorbed, the Bangladeshis eat rice which has no such negative effects xx

 

[SerenityNow]

But the thing is rickets isn't just caused by vitamin D deficiency in itself-there are a number of mechanisms involved. This is why in the UK rickets is found among Pakistanis but hardly ever found amongst Bangladeshis, the Bangladeshis have almost identical lifestyle factors, skin tone and genetic factors to the Pakistanis but the major crux is diet. Pakistanis tend to eat Chapatis every day which cause certain nutrients to be poorly absorbed, the Bangladeshis eat rice which has no such negative effects xx

That surprises me since Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of nutritional rickets in the world. There it is caused by calcium deficiency rather than vitamin D deficiency.

OP-- I would suggest getting your own vitamin D levels tested. Whether your baby was born with sufficient vitamin D reserves and whether enough is passed though your breast milk depends on your own levels.

Vitamin D is a cofactor in many immunological and endocrine processes, it's importance extends well beyond calcium absorption. If your OH is a biochemist he must have access to journal databases. I'd suggest looking into the studies that had been done in the last 10 years re vitamin D and autoimmune disorders, diabetes and breast cancer. We live fairly far north (50th parallel) and in our house we all take cod liver oil past age one.

 

[freddie]

The advice the health visitor gave to me was to take a vitamin D supplement myself while breastfeeding to ensure that LO got enough too. I have actually just carried on taking prenatal vitamins the whole time! I am super sensitive to the sun, get burnt in minutes lol so really don't have a lot of exposure as I usually hide out in the shade. This summer I tried to get LO out in the sun a little, early in the day for example but did feel nervous as if he has inherited my skin then he will burn easy too so may also not get too much sun exposure! Well, not in the summer anyway.

 

[summer rain]

But the thing is rickets isn't just caused by vitamin D deficiency in itself-there are a number of mechanisms involved. This is why in the UK rickets is found among Pakistanis but hardly ever found amongst Bangladeshis, the Bangladeshis have almost identical lifestyle factors, skin tone and genetic factors to the Pakistanis but the major crux is diet. Pakistanis tend to eat Chapatis every day which cause certain nutrients to be poorly absorbed, the Bangladeshis eat rice which has no such negative effects xx

That surprises me since Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of nutritional rickets in the world. There it is caused by calcium deficiency rather than vitamin D deficiency.

OP-- I would suggest getting your own vitamin D levels tested. Whether your baby was born with sufficient vitamin D reserves and whether enough is passed though your breast milk depends on your own levels.

Vitamin D is a cofactor in many immunological and endocrine processes, it's importance extends well beyond calcium absorption. If your OH is a biochemist he must have access to journal databases. I'd suggest looking into the studies that had been done in the last 10 years re vitamin D and autoimmune disorders, diabetes and breast cancer. We live fairly far north (50th parallel) and in our house we all take cod liver oil past age one.

This research was done on communities living in the UK not in Bangladesh and Pakistan itself. There is also ongoing research that has initially found that low vitamin D is linked to very low iron and iron deficiency anaemia in Pakistani origin children in the UK xx