What is the controversy (if any) with vit D?

[babygirlsmama]

It seems the standard recommendation is that breastfed babies get vitamin D supplements. We just saw our ped who recommended it in response to my question on the topic.

Normally, I''m a freak about baby getting nothing but breastmilk, no artificial nipples, definitely no formula or anything, etc. My thought about the vitamin D supplements is that based on my limited research, it may or may not be necessary, but what could it hurt?

What (if anything) am I missing? I met a mom recently who switched peds 3 times and was practically in tears because she was resistant to their recommendations about vitamin D supplements. I didn't ask her at the time, but now I am wondering why she was so resistant. Am I missing something? What, if anything, is the controversy about?

[spughy]

It used to be that people thought that since there seemed to be such miniscule amounts of vit D in breastmilk that babies didn't need vit D in their pre-food days. However, more recent research has shown that when mothers' levels of vitamin D are adequate to good, breastmilk actually DOES contain a fair bit of vitamin D. Doctors know that MOST women in temperate or northern countries don't have adequate levels of vitamin D (especially if they assiduously avoid sun exposure and supplement with only the RDA of 400-1000IU) so they recommend babies be supplemented to avoid the known risks (rickets, and I think MS?) as well as the suspected ones (cancer, immune system stuff, etc.)

If you want to avoid supplementing your baby, you should have your own vitamin D levels tested. If they're not in the adequate range, or just barely, you probably should give your baby vitamin D. (Your levels should be at least 50 ng/ml to not supplement.) You definitely DO NOT need to give those wretched Poly-Vi-Sol drops or whatever - you can go to a compounding pharmacy and get them to give you pure D3 in olive oil or some other benign carrier oil instead.

[annekh23]

I think it's an area where we don't yet have enough knowledge and that what knowledge we do has suggests that far too many of us are deficient in vit D, if the mums are then the babies may well be too, if anything I see the amount of supplement recommended increasing, not decreasing in the near future. However I don't supplement my breastfed baby, I'm not a fatalist, but I realise I can't do everything perfectly, our doctor hasn't mentioned it, I'd heard of the recommendation, but had forgotten about it til recently, had my own vit D tested and it was good and still keep forgetting to look into it a bit more!

[boobs4milk]

my baby has a metabolic disorder that inhibits d3 uptake. she's at risk for ricketts and other bone disorders. i was on bedrest from 20 wks until delivery at 35 wks and was vit d deficient. i take anout 5000 iu/day and millie takes about 1000 iu/day. i was against it at first, but she can either take a supplement now or we deal with more complicated medical issues later.

[kriket]

The WIC lady mentioned this to me the other day and we had a chat about it.

Evidently there was a Caucasian baby that had rickets recently and it has people on high alert.

I'm not concerned about it because we are very very pale, and get quite a bit of sun even in the winter. Also, I noticed that the jarred bananas have vit D added to them.

I'm with you, I don't think an average baby needs anything but BM, and some sun.