Vitamin drops? ?

[New Mrs W]

When Mickey was born the hv asked how I was feeding him. When I said bf she gave me some vitamin drops and told me to give him five drops a day as bm doesn't contain vitamin d. Tbh I have pretty much forgotten every day to give him them but figured that as we are outside a lot that he'd be getting a fair amount of vitamin d anyway from the sunshine l. Obviously he doesn't go in direct sunlight but just being outside during the day is adequate isn't it?? Anyway I asked my friend who lives in the next city about the drops and she knew nothing about it. She doesn't give her little boy anything like that. I phoned the hv to ask about it and she said that all babies in Bradford who are bf are given them but not all children in all cities get them. I wondered if it is because a lot of Bradford is fairly run down and maybe thought of as deprived so the children maybe thought of as needing a step up or something.

Anyway, does anyone else have the drops? Do you know why only certain cities get them? Is it very serious that I keep forgetting to give him them? X

 

[twobecome3]

nah, dont think so. weread somewhere that babies need the D drops so we asked our midwife and she seemed surprised and said no, not necessary. as you say youre outside alot im sure its fine without. we have the drops but not using them

 

[snowfia]

Never used them or even been told to. Breastmilk has everything a baby needs

 

[Kellya009]

Our dr gave us vitamin d drops as well. Breastmilk does not contain vitamin d so they need the supplement. But being in sunlight will give them vitamin d too! I've forgotten to give them every day as well lol. I'm sure she'll be fine.

 

[summer rain]

Breastmilk does contain vitamin D but the amount depends on the mother's diet and daylight intakes of vitamin D, also babies are born with stores that last until around 4-6 months, unless the mother is severely deficient during pregnancy or in some rare cases baby has a genetic disorder where they are born without adequate calcium and vitamin D stores. The reason they are being given out from birth in Bradford is because low vitamin D levels are more common in the Asian community and in order to not appear discriminatory they just give the drops out to everyone, it's a bit like in certain areas insisting all babies have a BCG jab even though some groups are far more at risk than others. With the Asians in Bradford it isn't just darker skin tone and wearing modest clothing while not getting out much that are factors it is also largely down to diet, eating chapattis as a staple food affects calcium absorption and bone strength and can cause rickets, there is something about unleavened wheat bread in particular that causes this. Other Asian groups such as Bangladeshis who eat mainly rice, they don't have this issue. General NHS advice recommends vitamin drops from 6 months, not from birth xx

 

[New Mrs W]

Never used them or even been told to. Breastmilk has everything a baby needs

That's what I thought but apparently it doesn't contain vitamin d

 

[JessPape]

We gave Vitamin D drops for the first 3 months, than I realized we spend 5-10 minutes outside anyways and there was no real need for it. So we stopped, she had a blood panel done at a year, and isn't deficient in anything.

 

[optimistic1]

I was told numerous times to give the drops finally at 4 weeks I decided to do it. But I only have to give her one drop a day and I just put the drop on my nipple and then nurse her.

 

[New Mrs W]

Wow, thanks Summer Rain. My friend did say it was to do with the high Asain population but I didn't believe her!!! Oooops!

 

[joo]

I was told I'd need to give vitamin drops if continuing to breastfeed after 6months. I also have to buy my own. I don't know what vitamins are in the drops though. I took vit d supplement all through pregnancy. i must admit both baby & i don't get a whole lot of sun exposure, even now during the heatwave.

 

[summer rain]

It's a bit OTT really because in babies under a year serious vitamin D deficiency is incredibly rare, so much so that when one of my friend's children had a baby born with no vitamin D stores at all, and he started to have seizures none of the doctors recognised what it was even though this is a hospital where virtually the entire clientele are Asian. They had to get in contact with great ormond street who told them it could be severe vitamin D deficiency and to run the appropriate tests right away. None of the doctors had personally come across this in a baby under 12 months even those who were close to retirement age. My friends son had to have IV vitamin D at very high doses and will have to take high dose supplements for his whole life. They are not sure what caused it, he was born slightly early and vitamin D stores are built up mostly at the end of the pregnancy but he had no vitamin D in his body at all. He has some unusual facial features and doesn't speak at the age of five or six despite being very intelligent so the specialists think it may have been part of a rare genetic disorder but it isn't one that is already known. Anyway in a case like that a baby needs IV supplements not your average over the counter/pharmacy strength vitamin D drops, similarly if the mother was severely deficient during pregnancy even giving the regular drops from birth may be too little too late. Theoretically giving the drops to such groups may get their levels to such that it prevents seizures or any obvious signs of deficiency but it doesn't mean that the levels being given are optimal to prevent further problems in the future. I think instead of this blanket policy they should offer vitamin D level testing during pregnancy to all women, as they already do for vitamin b12 if certain results on the full blood count tests are awry and then give the appropriate injections or very high dose oral supplements to the mothers at risk during pregnancy-it would probably cost more but it would target the right individuals who are potentially most at risk xx

 

[misspriss]

My old pediatrician recommended them, but after researching I decided they were not necessary. LO gets 3-10 minutes of sunlight a day (direct or indirect, if it is direct 3 min, or cloudy or indirect closer to 10) and I get 15-30 minutes of direct sunlight most days, in addition to incidental exposure like getting in and out of the car. My office has a roof deck and I like to lay out for a little while on lunch to keep my vitamin D up. The body synthesizing vitamin D from sunlight is much more available than supplements to the body.

Anyway, we don't like in an area of the world where vitamin D is as hard to get. Also, with supplements you run the risk of getting too much. The skin is designed to manufacture vitamin D in potentially vast quantities while preventing the body from getting too much.