Vitamin D Drops for BF babies ESSENTIAL

[cheshiremama89]

So DS is ebf and is 3 weeks old

Neither midwife nor HV told me I should be giving DS vit D drops

I found a free sample in a bounty pack and after reading about them and clear benefits I called my friend who is also a HV.

She states it is absolutely essential and couldn't believe neither MW/HV had said so!

Does else have experience of this xx

I've been told different things by different people, very confusing.

On another note, my friend has been advised to cut all dairy out of her 14mo diet. I asked if she'd been given vitamin d drops then and she said that no one had even mentioned vitamin d!!

God knows how my dc managed to survive to 18 and 21 because I never gave them Vitamin D drops. It is possible that ds1 will die of scurvy shortly as he never eats any bloody vegetables these days but that's not due to his early diet when I lovingly pureed organic broccoli and carrots in my pfb state.......

Not essential at all - as long as you and the baby aren't locked in a darkened room? Ridiculous of them to make you anxious about it too. Breastmilk comes with everything your baby needs, specific to your baby. Have a read of Dr Jack Newman (there is a brillant website), it is a mine of reassuring and interesting info about breastfeeding.

@duckingfisaster in the winter in Scotland, you may as well be locked in a darkened room for all the sunlight you get.

NHS choices
Dept ofhealth guidelines

It's most definitely NOT essential. A bf mum could continue to take a vitamin supplement, such as pregnancare and eat a well balanced diet (like any other person should).

We had a big confab about this among my NCT group (babies are 5/6 months) recently. The advice differs even across our two London boroughs. FWIW I'm taking supplements and BF'ing, which I understood to be sufficient.

It's awful how patchy HV and GP advice is on this. This doctor even missed it in his own baby www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/bbcs-dr-chatterjee-my-babys-illness-changed-the-way-i-work/

"Many of my medical colleagues are still unaware of the importance of Vitamin D supplementation in children. The UK Chief Medical Officer wrote to all GPs in October 2013 reminding them that public health policy is to supplement Vitamin D in all children until at least the age of 5 years. This reminder was issued to try and raise awareness of this growing problem. Despite this, I see children and parents every day in my practice who have still not been educated about Vitamin D supplementation."
drchatterjee.com/vitamin-d/

I'm in Finland and they advise breastfed babies take vitamin D from two weeks old because not enough passes through in breast milk.

Fair comment @kaytee87 , I hadn't considered that!

The information from the Dr Jack Newman website in the breastfeeding myth section referring to breastfeeding babies needing extra vitamin D:

Not true! Everyone needs vitamin D. Formula has it added at the factory. But the baby is born with a liver full of vitamin D, and breastmilk does have some vitamin D. Outside exposure allows the baby to get the rest of his vitamin D requirements from ultraviolet light even in winter. The baby does not need a lot of outside exposure and does not need outside exposure every day. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and is stored in the body. In some circumstances (for example, if the mother herself was vitamin D deficient during the pregnancy) it may be prudent to supplement the baby with vitamin D. Exposing the baby to sunlight through a closed window does not work to get the baby more vitamin D.

So I guess if you live somewhere with very little sunlight & as a Mum were deficient during pregnancy then it might be a good idea, but in the majority of cases it is unnecessary. My pet peeve with things like this is that it is another challenge added to the challenge of breastfeeding, making it more likely that someone who is struggling might give up.

From a personal perspective I found that website so reassuring - when with DS2 I was struggling with mastitis, nipple thrush, cracked nipples and low supply I emailed him and got a personal reply - withing a few weeks had made it out of the other side so feel incredibly grateful to him and think his advice is invaluable.

www.breastfeedinginc.ca/informations/myths-of-breastfeeding/

No one said anything about it to me at any point - i knew about it from online reading so asked the HV i think when i started weaning at 6months - she said something like 'well, i think that research was carried out in Birmingham or somewhere where they never see the sky' not quite that but similar, she said it was the advice but she didn't really think it was essential but would so no harm... So i went to the pharmacy and asked for them and the lady i spoke to (not the actual pharmacist) just seemed be used when. Asked for vitamin drops for babies, said 'what vitamins' i said i thought it was recommended for babies and she said 'i wouldn't worry... None of mine had it, they're fine.' So i didn't do anything more. Neither she nor i have had any vitamin supplements since birth. She's nearly 2 now.

Just take them outdoors in the sunshine. DS was ebf for 6 months and bf up to 2 and a half on top of that and has miraculously avoided rickets.

*bemused

Babies used to be left out on gardens and in the front of houses to sleep until recently, so would have absorbed more Vitamin D themselves. The main source is the sun. Few people take in enough just from food to get enough Vitamin D, so I imagine this is the same with babies.

Never mentioned when I was bf. DS is 14, so not that long ago. he's healthy and well, not a ricket in sight.

Nettleskeins - I didn't understand that there is no Vitamin D in sunshine in winter

There's no vitamin D in sunshine at all. Vitamin D is synthesized from 7-dehydrocholesterol in your skin in a reaction that requires ultra-violet (UV) radiation from sunlight. At high latitudes - like northern Europe - the amount of UV that reaches the surface of the earth per minute is lower in winter because sunlight has to pass through more atmosphere than in the sumer (because it's coming to the earth at a more acute angle).

But there are many variables that affect the amount of UV you receive. The most obvious is the amount of time spent outdoors. One of the main reasons why we don't get enough UV in the winter is because we spend more time indoors and more of our skin is covered when we are outdoors (because it's cold). Another factor is altitude: if you live high in the Pennines you'll get a little more UV than if you live down in the flats of Camridgeshire. Of course, some children don't get enough sunlight in the summer, either: either because they spend all their time indoors or because their parents smother them in factor-50 every time they step outside.

If your child is spending lots of time outdoors all year round, with face & hands exposed, I wouldn't be inclined to worry too much about vitamin D levels. This is quite unusual in Britain in the 21st century, though, so there is usually a need to get some from diet in the winter. It's better to get it from food than from drops/tablets. If children are eating breakfast cereals they might be getting a bit of vitamin D anyway, as these have vitamins added during manufacture. If you can add oily fish (not tinned tuna), eggs, red meat and liver (yeah, the idea of getting a child to eat liver is pretty amusing, isn't it?) it shouldn't be necessary to use supplements.

My friend really freaked out about this exact thing last year.

She read that is was essential somewhere and was really upset as she had bf her ds for a year before finding out.

He seems absolutely fine to me, but she was baffled as to why no gp, hv or bf supporter had ever mentioned it to her. I would have thought they would if it was really a problem?

I think the main reason that vit d levels have declined in recent years is that people tend to avoid the sun or wear higher factor sunscreen due to risk of skin cancer. Also women that cover up due to religious or cultural factors. I'm very pale and have to wear heavy sunscreen or stay out of the sun so I have taken vit d for many years and also gave supplements to both dc from birth. I agree that advice should be standardised across trusts/areas. At the end of the day, if you can find a suitable supplement for your baby and you want to give it then do so, it won't cause any harm.

I also have a EBF 3 week old and have been told that she needs vitimin D drops

I have never given my DC them and they are just fine. I wouldn't say essential but recommended.

50 years ago we had little bottles of Adexoline(?) to give to bf babies. A and D vitamins. We used to put a couple of drops in their Farex - first solid food, much earlier weaning than today.

I think the guideline changed in the last year or so from supliment from 6 months to supliment from birth for ebf babies. I have had mine on vits - 1st abidec and then wellbaby (as it contains some iron) since about 4m when I realised. HV advice was non existent. I have a dark skinned baby so her absorption is going to be even lower. She seems determined to live on a diet of white bread yogurt and tangerines only so I’m sure she’s not getting a balanced diet - it’s not through lack of offering though.

For all those saying it wasn’t nessary when they were small I think historically people got more sun exposure but as we now know about the risks of skin cancer we have reduced this and so people are now more like to be vit d defficent. Evolutionary speaking skin cancer isn’t a problem as you would have done your reproducing before it killed you so out ansestors would have got more sunlight! Also in evolutionary terms my daughters skin is designed for Indian levels of sunshine not the Midlands so she is at a disadvantage when it comes to producing enough vit d here

I am bf my second baby none had d drops and both are strong and healthy, I get out everyday in the sunlight and I eat well and take good vitamins especially for breastfeeding.