[peaceful_mama]

<p>OK I'm just really confused on this subject.  You would think after 4 kids I'd know what to do.  :lol</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Back when I had ds1 in late 2004, the pediatrician recommended that he have a vitamin D supplement while he was exclusively taking my pumped milk.  (long story but we never got to direct nursing, he had my milk and formula supplementation eventually.)  He was also born in October in a cold climate and his daddy is African--so not much sun exposure at all, and according to at least what was being said then, darker-skinned people need more sun exposure to make Vit. D in the first place.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When I had DD, in January 07, I had switched to a family practice doc for all of us, and she had no idea why anyone would say a breastfed baby needed Vit. D....so I didn't give it to child 2 or 3.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All 3 of them seem fine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Now Vit. D is being talked about again, adults are supposed to have more of it than was previously thought, and it's being linked to all sorts of health benefits--more problems are being linked to a deficiency in D.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'll be asking our new ped (well new since DS2 was probably a few months old, I got sick of never getting in to "my" doctor with fam practice)  but I'm curious as to what others are doing--do *I* take more, should I give it to the baby?  do my older kids need it?</p>

 

[Anastasiya]

We always supplement come Fall and through Winter, and then stop at the beginning of Spring. Dh and I take 5000 IUs, the kids take 2000 IUs and the toddler takes 1000. The soon-to-be born baby I haven't given much thought to yet....either drops or I'll just up mine a bit and rely on passing it through breast milk.

 

[sere234]

<p> </p>
<p>DS's doctor wanted him to take vitamin D drops once he was 2 months. I researched it trying to figure out what we should do but couldn't decide. Talked to our midwife at our 6 week visit and all she said was anything we give him (besides breastmilk) will alter the good bacteria in his body but wouldn't tell us what to do! I like that about her</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anyway, I thought the doc would bring it up again at the 2 month appointment but she forgot so I didn't bring it up! So I've been just opening the blinds and laying DS on a blanket in the sunny spots on the floor. With the furnace on high enough, DS gets his bottom aired out and his vitamin D in freedom and comfort! Every couple of days, I do this and have read it's enough!</p>

 

[PatioGardener]

<p>I'm fair skinned, and living in Canada.  I worried about vit D in pregnancy, so I got mine tested.  I'm low.  I am taking 6,000 IU a day to increase my levels and have enough to pass on to DS in breastmilk.  Now that he is taking solids I also give him D Drops. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Up here in Canada (or anywhere north of Boston) we don't get strong enough sun from Oct-April to make vitamin D, and a large chunk of the population are deficient.  I make sure my baby gets sun in the summer to make vit D, but I also make sure he gets enough through breastmilk (and now drops) during the rest of the year too.</p>

 

[Vivien57]

<p>I take <a href="http://www.upayanaturals.com/D3_Serum_Vegetarian_15ml_p/prl-111.htm" target="_blank">this</a> one and love it (it's 2,200 IU per drop).</p>

 

[Knitting Mama]

<p>We use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325&tag=motheringhud-20&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDdrops-Vitamin-Drops-Babies-Carlson%2Fdp%2FB001ECXIGQ" rel="norewrite" target="_blank">Carlson's drops</a> for my daughter. They are fabulous-- one little drop on the nipple before latching her on, and that's it!</p>

 

[Anastasiya]

<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>sere234</strong> <a href="/community/forum/thread/1285131/vitamin-d-supplementation#post_16112136"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p><br>
 </p>
<br><p><br><br>
So I've been just opening the blinds and laying DS on a blanket in the sunny spots on the floor. With the furnace on high enough, DS gets his bottom aired out and his vitamin D in freedom and comfort! Every couple of days, I do this and have read it's enough!</p>
<br></div>
</div>
<br><br><br><br>
The UVB rays necessary to make vitamin D don't penetrate through glass, though....<br>
and the UVA rays that do penetrate glass can destroy vitamin D.... <img alt="redface.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.mothering.com/images/smilies/redface.gif">

 

[Shanesmom]

Good question. You are right to be concerned about vitamin D and also right when you say most people are deficient. It's a very important vitamin.<br><br><br>
My baby is 4 months old now and most every day I make sure he has about 10 minutes of "sun time.". I take him outside in just his diaper and expose him to the sun. If it's too cold of a day for that I let him play in the sunbeams on the carpet.<br><br>
I reason I don't give him supplements is because vit D is best absored through the skin, not the gut.

 

[Shanesmom]

<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Anastasiya</strong> <a href="/community/forum/thread/1285131/vitamin-d-supplementation#post_16112310"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p>A<br><br></p>
<br><br>
The UVB rays necessary to make vitamin D don't penetrate through glass, though....and the UVA rays that do penetrate glass can destroy vitamin D.... <img alt="redface.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.mothering.com/images/smilies/redface.gif"></div>
</div>
<br><br><br><br>
really?!<br><br>
If this is true no more playing in the sunbeams for little baby....<br><br>
I'm gonna research this info. Thanks for sharing

 

[sere234]

<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Anastasiya</strong> <a href="/community/forum/thread/1285131/vitamin-d-supplementation#post_16112310"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><br><br><br><br>
The UVB rays necessary to make vitamin D don't penetrate through glass, though....and the UVA rays that do penetrate glass can destroy vitamin D.... <img alt="redface.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.mothering.com//images/smilies/redface.gif"></div>
</div>
<p><br>
 </p>
<p>Eeek!! At least DS has been airing out his butt even if the sun doesn't do his vitamin D any good! I'll have to hope he gets enough we when go out for walks on nicer days.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So tell me more about Ricketts. Most of my close friends were breastfed as infants, including my 7 brothers and sisters, and NO ONE I know has ever had this disease.... Is it really a great risk? Why in the world would women's bodies not produce vitamin D in breastmilk if our babies need it? Is this another recent medical emergency that is all hype?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I hate to give my baby vitamin drops that he may not really need....</p>

 

[lunarlady]

Rickets would be very extreme deficiency, and unlikely if the mama of a breastfed baby isn't deficient. The issue is new research has shown that vita D is used in all sorts of ways by the body, and since our culture is so indoor living focused, we aren't getting enough D to do all the things it does, like brain chemicals for mood balancing, calcium storage in bones, etc. So moms and kids are deficient. That said, I've just been supplementing myself and thinking the outdoor playtime my kids get plus the small amount in my Breastmilk shold be enough. We live in CO, and the rule here is 15 min. of bright sun daily in winter, 10 min in summer, for RDA D production.

 

[Anastasiya]

<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>lunarlady</strong> <a href="/community/forum/thread/1285131/vitamin-d-supplementation#post_16114508"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br>
We live in CO, and the rule here is 15 min. of bright sun daily in winter, 10 min in summer, for RDA D production.</div>
</div>
<br><br><br><br>
Can you share where you found that info? The only things I found to tell us how much sun we needed said we couldn't get vit d from the sun in the winter.....see here: <a href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/heart/articles/2008/06/23/time-in-the-sun-how-much-is-needed-for-vitamin-d.html" target="_blank">http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/heart/articles/2008/06/23/time-in-the-sun-how-much-is-needed-for-vitamin-d.html</a> and here: <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/88971.php" target="_blank">http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/88971.php</a><br><br>
Of course, it's only two sources, so I'd like to find out more. Would much rather get vit d the "real" way than thru supplements, but it doesn't sound possible.<br><br>

 

[Anastasiya]

<br><a class="bbcode_url" href="http://blog.wellesse.com/blog/-not-set--2/0/0/how-strong-does-the-sun-need-to-be--question-6" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;">One more really good source!</span></a>

 

[peaceful_mama]

<p>well that makes it about clear as mud for me till I do some more research! thanks for the links and info!    (though I will say I've got 6 weeks before he's even 2 months old to figure it out)</p>
<p>also he won't be outside in the winter here, we are too cold for a little baby.  If the thing about the windows is true, I won't be relying on that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Can anyone give me info they've found on ME taking more supplements and/or spending time outdoors and whether or not this translates into more Vit. D in my milk so that baby can get it that way?  (though in my climate there's lots of days with NO bright sun and when it would be downright stupid to go out with skin exposed.)</p>

 

[RaeDyCo]

<p>Have you read this info?  <a href="http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d.html" target="_blank">http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d.html</a></p>

 

[madcap150]

Very unusually, the kellymom page doesn't reflect all the latest research. The "upper threshold" of 2000 iU is no longer considered the upper threshold. In fact, it may be more like the minimum. It is much harder to overdose on vit D than was previously thought. My own experience is that taking 2000 iU a day of Vit D (and getting sunlight) left my levels on the very low end of normal. I now take 3000 iU a day. I found <a class="bbcode_url" href="http://www.ajcn.org/content/88/6/1535.abstract" target="_blank">this study</a> that gives a HUGE range of supplementation amounts that various people might need to achieve normal serum levels of vitamin D. Clearly, 2000 iu is not actually the cutoff.<br><br><a class="bbcode_url" href="http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVIss1-2009p2.html" target="_blank">Here's an article</a> that discusses some of the recent trials and the issues surrounding Vitamin D, and summarizes some of the trials supplementing moms with vitamin D. As a PP mentioned, rickets would indicate EXTREME deficiency, but a growing body of research suggests that levels high enough to prevent rickets can still be low enough to be linked to lots of other health issues-- depression, calcium storage, difficult births, etc. Vitamin D is more important than we realized, and not having rickets does not guarantee having enough Vitamin D.<br><br>
And again as PPs mentioned, humans are intended to get vitamin D through the sun, and we just aren't doing that in our modern lifestyle. Blaming breastmilk for not having enough vitamin D doesn't make any more sense than blaming breastmilk for not containing enough air. Babies are intended to produce vitamin D through sun exposure, and breastfeeding is just a secondary mechanism to get it to them, which we can use if sunlight isn't going to do the job in our latitude/ climate.<br><br>
I think that all moms should recognize that their babies, and in fact their whole families, are potentially vitamin D deficient-- based on our new knowledge that we need more than we thought. What to do about it? Options:<br>
*Make sure to get sun exposure throughout the year. Research how possible that is at your latitude, and how much daily sun exposure you need in summer and winter. Remember that sun exposure should be without sunscreen and that more uncovered areas of your body will make sun exposure more effective (it's hard to produce enough vitamin D through just face and hands).<br>
*Supplement the older members of the family-- parents and kids old enough to have solids. You can use something like the Carlson's drop on the nipple for nurslings, easily. Pregnant and nursing moms should almost certainly supplement unless they are really vigilant about sun exposure. Ask your HCPs-- mine have all recommended the 400 iu drop for DS daily and at least 2000 iu for me.<br>
*Supplement nursing moms so young babies don't have to be supplemented. <a class="bbcode_url" href="http://jn.nutrition.org/content/135/2/317.full" target="_blank">Here's a study</a> that reported good results from 4000 iU daily to moms. <a class="bbcode_url" href="http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/27/6/690" target="_blank">This study</a> also reports good results with moms' supplementation at 2000 iu and better results at 4000 iu.<br>
*Supplement nursing infants with a drop even if they haven't started solids. Many moms prefer to supplement themselves before solids, since obviously the risks and benefits have to be weighed here.<br><br>
Sorry for the novel. I hope this info helps someone.

 

[lunarlady]

We got the 10 summer 15 winter from our family physician. Does being at altitude affect the bodies ability to make vitamin D? I know the sun is "stronger" and so people burn faster. Does that mean faster D production too? After reading this, I think I will look into some quality supplements for the kids. How much is put in fortified milk?

 

[madcap150]

Lunarlady, I am also in CO (just Denver, so not super high up), and typically get the 10 summer/ 15 winter minutes, but I got my blood levels tested and was low on D. Just anecdotal evidence, but if you want to know specifics, your physician should be able to do a blood test for you. I get good supplements at Vitamin Cottage.

 

[Shanesmom]

<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Cecilia's Mama</strong> <a href="/community/forum/thread/1285131/vitamin-d-supplementation#post_16112297"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p><br>
We use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325&tag=motheringhud-20&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDdrops-Vitamin-Drops-Babies-Carlson%2Fdp%2FB001ECXIGQ" rel="norewrite" target="_blank">Carlson's drops</a> for my daughter. They are fabulous-- one little drop on the nipple before latching her on, and that's it!</p>
<br></div>
</div>
<br><br><br><br><br>
Thanks so much for sharing!! I researched this product and plan on picking it up in a couple days. It sounds simple and amazing!!!

 

[PatioGardener]

<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>lunarlady</strong> <a href="/community/forum/thread/1285131/vitamin-d-supplementation#post_16114997"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br>
We got the 10 summer 15 winter from our family physician. Does being at altitude affect the bodies ability to make vitamin D? I know the sun is "stronger" and so people burn faster. Does that mean faster D production too? After reading this, I think I will look into some quality supplements for the kids. How much is put in fortified milk?</div>
</div>
<br><br><p>The latitude, rather than altitude, affects vit D production.  The farther north you are, the less vit D you can make from the sun as the right intensity (or wavelength?) is not present.  Time of year and time of day also factor in. </p>