I don't know what others experiences of this are, but I'm finding Gps and even Health Visitors do not seem aware of the current guidelines on giving Vitamin Drops mainly Vitamin D and A to babies who are exclusively Breastfed past 6 months. This has been common practice in the US for a number of years now and is also part of the Healthy Start program run by the NHS.
So why a month ago when I appraoched my Gp and my Health Vistor about advice on Vitamins was I met with confussion and told I didn't need to suppliment anything and carried on blindly until my son stopped gaining weight as well and had to halt weaning because he had a bought of gastoenteritis, then I began to do a bit of my own research and discoverd all the advice they had given me was incorrect. This is dangerous. I am a Asian women and I unfortunatly spent a great deal of my preganancy indoors on bedrest, my son also suffers with Eczema, so his stores of Vitamin D were even more compramised, why is there so much ignorance on this topic.
Most people seem to believe breastmilk contains all their child needs, after all its natural. It does until they get to the 6 month mark and the gut seals and then they begin a rapid period of growth. Our lifestyles have changed, we spend less time outdoors, and in the UK you would have to be spending hours naked in the middle of winter which ain't gonna happen to reach the levels a growing body needs. At this rate we are gonna have an epidemic of Rickets amongst exclusively Breast fed Asian and Black Children.
I just wanted to know was I just unlucky and came across some ill informed Doctors and HVs or is thie widespread.
Plus Why isn't there more advice and information available on this.
Its not just breastfed babies of certain Ethnic groups that are at risk, but Exclusively Breastfed babies in general who are missing out on the extra vitamins they need.
If its gonna be NHS policy to promote breastfeeding, then they should back this up with having informed GPs and Healthcare workers.
Even if children are given a balanced diet, it takes a good couple of months to get to grips with weaning, and if we follow the guidelines and leaving weaning till 6 months our children are coming to that process at a disadvantage.
Whats your experience and which Vitamins did you chose?
I found it very difficult to get anyone to take my queries seriously at my medical practice and found when I approached pharmacies for advice I was just offered the most expensive brands, often contain Nut Oils or surplus Multivitamins which most of my breastmilk will still be providing.