is vit. D supp. really necessary?

mrszundelli

My pedi recommended since I EBF saying that LO's don't get enough vit D through BM....is that true?  How did babies survive before they made the supplements? (lol, I just don't want to add something that maybe drs are just overly cautious about if its really not necessary)  Am I doing my 6mo harm by not giving it to him?  TIA!

Jcraul

south_myst:

Yes it is necessary for you LO and the only way to get it is through a supplement or lots of sunshine.  If you aren't in the sun as much right now, then definitely supplement.  Vitamin D is necessary for nutrient absorption.  Please do not skip this with your LO.

Agree.  Our lactation dept said you can also take a supplement yourself or just put your LO in a sunny window for 10-15 minutes a day. 

tokenhoser

I really do think it's necessary. In the past, people (and babies) spent time outside in the sun. Now, knowing what we do about skin cancer and having destroyed the ozone layer, we don't. If you wear sunscreen, you don't make vitamin D. If you keep your baby in the shade or if you have to use blankets in the winter (etc) so that your baby doesn't get direct sun on skin... no vitamin D. Or if you (like me) live at northern latitudes, the sun isn't strong enough to make it anyway for about 6 months of the year.

Research is showing a strong link between D deficiency and scary things like cancer and MS. There is also a risk of rickets.

It's so easy to supplement. If you don't want to give your baby D drops, then supplement yourself 6000 IU per day and your breastmilk will be sufficient. 

fancefpp

My doc said it couldn't hurt but not necessary. He thinks it's a lot of hype. My vitamins have Vit D in them, so I don't give DS anything. 

mrszundelli

can anyone recommend a supplement i can take?  I can order from luckyvitamin.com or get it wherever you recommend....thanks again!

tokenhoser

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17661565

That's the study that found 6000 IU a safe effective dose to increase breastmilk vitamin D to levels that are adequate for baby. The normal amount in a prenatal (400 IU) will not be enough to impact breastmilk levels at all.

tokenhoser

mrszundelli:

can anyone recommend a supplement i can take?  I can order from luckyvitamin.com or get it wherever you recommend....thanks again!

If you decide to supplement baby directly, Carlson D Drops are excellent.

If you would rather supplement yourself (and do feel free to have your levels checked and talk to your doctor), you can take any supplement that gets  you near 6000 IU total - remember to count your prenatal if you're taking it.

Personally, I give LO the drop and take 2400 IU total myself (2 - 1000 IU pills plus 400 IU in my prenatal). I live in a place where I know I'm not getting enough, though. My doctor offered to test me but said "everyone comes back low, so you might as well just supplement".

cottonlily84

My ped has put DD on tri vi sol which has 3 vitamins because I BF.  I never knew by feeding naturally I would be considered to be depriving my child of nutrients...  I take my prenates everyday so if I forget the drops I don't fret much. 

larrysdarling

It is possible to take too much Vitamin D. It is a fat soluble vitamin (like A, E, and K) and it builds up in the system. Vitamins that are water soluble, like Vitamin C, are flushed out of your body if your body doesn't use them.

To be safe I'd stick to the RDA and give the kid a supplement.  

tokenhoser

larrysdarling:

It is possible to take too much Vitamin D. It is a fat soluble vitamin (like A, E, and K) and it builds up in the system. Vitamins that are water soluble, like Vitamin C, are flushed out of your body if your body doesn't use them.

To be safe I'd stick to the RDA and give the kid a supplement.  

The toxic level of vitamin D is closer to 10,000+ IU daily, taken for months or years.

The RDA is ridiculously low, and many medical groups advise much higher than 400 IU for adults.

https://www.ddrops.ca/vitamin-d-recommendations.php

https://www.ddrops.ca/too-much-vitamin-d.php

DEBBIE33CASEY

Surprisingly not a single doctor has mentioned supplementing any vitamins for my DS.  But I remember after I'd had DD pretty much every doctor from delivery to her 1 year well child check suggested it and talked about how important it was.  Even though DS is only 2 weeks old I have to admit I'm kinda shocked it hasn't been mentioned this time considering how important the docs made it sound with my DD.  We don't get a lot of sun here in MN so I certainly don't think it's a bad idea to supplement and I think I'll pick some up next time I'm at a pharmacy.  Thanks for bringing it up!

Seldaar

tokenhoser:

I really do think it's necessary. In the past, people (and babies) spent time outside in the sun.

This was my thought as well. In the past babies were outside a lot more than they are now.

Especially winter babies (like ours'). DS barely goes outside because it's cold. And when he does go out, he's all bundled up.

Pedi told us to give DS tri-vi-sol, so we've been doing those via dropper. Not every day, as we forget .

Once DS starts daycare we will be putting the drops in one of the BM bottles.