Vitamin D drops?

[jodieanneanton]

My doctor suggested vitamin d drops for dd2 since we are BF. dd1 is still BF at 2 1/2 and this was never suggested for her. I was just curious about what all you bf-ing mamas out there are doing with regards to the VitaminD supplement.

[PatioGardener]

I'm in Canada where the bulk of the population has low vit D levels. Sunshine here doesn't make vitamin D from about Sept to May.

I'm taking supplements myself now (in pregnancy), and will continue to take them while breastfeeding. If my levels are OK then baby will be getting enough. Once we start solids I will give vit D drops to baby as well (I'm super protective of the virgin gut,so would like to have only breastmilk if at all possible until baby starts solids.)

If I test low for vitamin D after baby is born then I will reconsider supplementing baby directly.

ETA: we now know more about vit D than before, and it seems like there are correlations with several diseases (besides rickets) such as cancers and MS. It isn't solid evidence yet, but I think it is compelling enough to take it seriously.

[akind1]

We have vit D drops . . . but haven't used them once. No particular reason, exactly, we do get DS out in the sun every day we have sun, which is most of the time. We are in SC so may not have some of the low vit D issues the way one might in the northern US or Canada.

we were given drops (and formula) in the 2 month "for breastfeeding moms" kit at the ped's office. I gave the formula to a friend that uses it, and we bought a different kind of vit D; the kind the ped gave us has additives and stuff I am just not sure of.

I don't think my mother or MIL ever heard of giving vit D either, but both DH and I weren't breastfed.

[HappyMonkey]

There's this myth that Vitamin D is not transferred in breast milk which is incorrect... it's not only transferred if the mother is low. If the mother has sufficient levels the milk has appropriate levels and the baby will be up to expected levels by three months.

[karika]

I live in NW US and I am sure we have low levels here because the sun doesn't come out for months on end. If you can get outside for 10-20 minutes a day where you live and have all year, you probably have adequate levels. You can get tested for your vitamin d level. I have drops of D3 from NOW. I believe the prescribed kind is d2 which cannot be absorbed the same (if at all). I take 5000 IU daily at present, because the sun is only now showing up sporadically. You do not have to worry about taking too much, you would have to take 50000 IU daily for an extended time to get too much from what I have read, and taking serious amounts like that for a short spurt can completely heal flu and colds... In the thick of summer i will probably skip it. I give it to both my dds as well, when I remember. I feel the same way about the virgin gut, so I would not want to supplement a child that was getting most of the nourishment from me. If you are taking enough vit d3 it will transfer through to the baby. Here are some links. oh and it is true more research is finding that low vit d levels are to blame for many things, this is why it is important to get out in the sun for a bit each day, and not use sunscreen.

http://blog.fitnesstown.ca/2009/12/3...erri-tenpenny/

test seems to be available on her site (I haven't tested btw)
http://drtenpenny.com/VitaminD.aspx

[Mom2M]

6400 iu's a day is necessary for breastfeeding moms to get the infant level to 400 iu's. I take 6500 iu's only because it is easier to measure with the caps I have.
Here is an article, but there are a lot more and somewhere I have the original research paper, I just can't find it right now! One important thing to remember is that you need to take it every day to keep the milk level constant, you can't do the big dose once a week like a non breastfeeding person can.
http://www.drsoram.com/vitamin-d-sup...d-to-be-vital/