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

Dd is 16yo and I was told by the HV to give abidec drops which have vit d in as I was breastfeeding.

I took 3000iu a day myself when I was EBF. Easier and more straightforward than dosing him and we both benefitted.

Not to OP who seems clued up but to others who seem glib about this: don't advise that parents ignore vitamin D.

When I was a baby I think my mum gave me Abidec. Anyhow she advised me to use it with my babies. At that point no one in authority in the UK was telling parents to supplement..

Then as a child for me it was for liver oil every day in winter.

We were then out and about through the summer and autumn in shorts.

On average kids and adults are not spending as much time outdoors and when we do go out in sun we often wear suncream.

The uk has a big variation in weather and sun intensity between English South Coast and Scotland and Northern Ireland. Basically even if you do dare to uncover your arms up here you won't get vitamin D from it between November and April. Call it October to May in terms of realistically removing any clothing.

So if you are outdoors in the middle of the day for twenty minutes a few times a week, live south of Birmingham and don't cover up your arms, you may have adequate stores through the year.

No vitamins here and two thriving DCs.

My HV told me to give vitamin d drops to baby

I was so anxious about this, was told to give them "from birth" but couldn't find any anywhere that were labelled as suitable! All the ones in Boots were from 6 months. I couldn't even get the GP to prescribe me any. I eventually found some on amazon that were suitable from 3 months, but the guidance around them and their availability is really silly.

I thought this was one of those things everybody knew about!

From 6 months on surely.

(Two ebf babies in past ten years, attended bf clinics with both of them, never told to supplement before 6 months)

We recently had DS's 4 month HV check up and I was told then to start giving him vit D, but that they had only recently changed the guidelines to dosing from birth rather than from 6 months.

God knows what they'll change it to next.

See I don't get this at all with all the breast is best" malarkey. If that is the case why supplement? I do recall now you mention it my mum saying something about vitamin drops being given to breastfed babies but I'm talking 70s/80s.

I would suspect the message is clouded/lost due to the pushing of breastfeeding.

At my breastfeeding class the "instructor" claimed even if we lived off McDonalds our breast milk was superior to formula. (We did find this quite unbelievable and laugh to her dismay!)

Honestly this is something which has extremely bugged me but thought it was just me, my dd was 4 months old before anyone told me/advises/mentioned to give her anything... I didn't give it to her because I thought it may have been a gimmick type thing as midwifes asked constantly about pregnacare so I thought if it was necessary they would have said "give her xyz" and with a newborn breastfed baby waking every few hours I didn't think to ask once she was born... I started as soon as a knew, same as with the breastfeeding supplements for myself (again no one mentioned them to me-again thought they were just a money maker so didn't take till 4 months) - she had one formula per day since about 2 weeks old and is now 7months and totally formula fed but I just hope she got everything she needed

Student HV here. Are you taking vitamins? If so, and baby is ebf there's no need for baby vitamins. We're nearly all vitamin d deficient in the northern hemisphere due to lack of sun but if you're taking vitamin supplements the baby will get it through your breastmilk.

Not true. You need to be taking 6400IU of vitamin D a day in order for adequate levels to pass through breastmilk. Most supplements have much, much less than this. pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/09/22/peds.2015-1669?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=TrendMD&utm_campaign=Pediatrics_TrendMD_0

In Ireland, the advice for years (at least 7) has been to supplement all babies, regardless of feeding method, with vitamin D from birth to 12 months.

Older generations knew that sun was really important for health. I remember getting sent outside to be in the sun as a kid, when I was happy reading inside. We were always told it was good for us.

Jasmells what the instructor said sounds completely normal.

I'm an HV.

The advice is to give vitamin D from 4 weeks to a breastfed baby. All postpartum women should take it for a year after birth.

If formula feeding, advice is to start giving once formula milk volume drops below 500mls per day. That may be where the 'give from 6 months' confusion comes in.

It's not a new thing, I've been giving drops out for 4-5 years. Vit D is given free to all children from birth to five years where I work.

It's essential for bone health. You can't absorb calcium properly with out vitamin D - hence the link to rickets.

Take care with Abidec. One version contains peanut oil and another contains fish oil so, if there’s a risk your child may be allergic to these, you should choose (and check!) another brand.

See I don't get this at all with all the breast is best" malarkey. If that is the case why supplement?

Just checked again and the official advice in Finland at least is that all babies, whether breastfed or formula fed or mixed fed, need vit D drops from two weeks old.

Are Rela brand drops available in the UK? They have Vit D and probiotic together so helps with tummy troubles and colic too.

My kids were born in a hot country 15yrs ago, and I was told to make sure they got 10 minutes of sun on their skin every day (in morning or late pm to avoid sunburn)

I'd stand on my balcony, holding naked baby every day

Clear as mud then...

The reason to supplement is because we all need sun for vitamin d. Most babies in this country do not spend enough time outdoors.

I'd stand on my balcony, holding naked baby every day grin

Visions of The Lion King

looking over the plains saying "all this will be yours one day"

In reality it was a massive city though...

Hang on so given I've never supplemented either dd or me, now she's nearly 2, should i start giving them? Or taking them? She still breastfeeds. Can i just use cod liver capsules instead (which i already have)?