Vitamin D Supplement?

Chelsea - posted on 02/23/2009

When you have dark skin you need more vitamin D and if you live in a place such as New England where there is  not a ton of sun light especially during the winter it's a possibility that you may have a vitamin D deficiency.  I hope that was clear if you need more info just ask!

Sekayi - posted on 02/23/2009

Quoting Chelsea:

I discussed this with my lactation consultant and she said that it is NOT necessary and very controversial in the medical field.  It causes stomach upset in a lot of infants and unless your baby has dark skin it is not needed at all!!

what does dark skin have to with it?

Chelsea - posted on 02/23/2009

I discussed this with my lactation consultant and she said that it is NOT necessary and very controversial in the medical field.  It causes stomach upset in a lot of infants and unless your baby has dark skin it is not needed at all!!

Renee - posted on 02/23/2009

I started giving my son Tri-Vi-Sol supplement drops at 6 months when he was nursing less and it was also the beginning of winter (therefore less sun). Another factor in the Vitamin D discussion is the color of baby's skin. My hubby is Mexican-American with dark skin and our son has brown skin (lighter than Dad's), the doc and the research said that babies with darker pigmented skin need even more sun exposure to get the vitamin D they need. With my history of light/fair skin and skin cancers in my family, I didn't want to risk even more sun exposure for my son, so I opted for the supplement.

My son LOVES his vitamins!  He smiles at the bottle!  Sometimes I drop it right into his mouth, but most of the time I just mix it with his oatmeal in the morning. Of course, your 6-wk baby isn't eating solids, so you'll have to see if he's okay with taking it from the dropper. The dose is only 1 mL, but just try tiny little drops one at a time to see if he can swallow it easier that way. 

Karla - posted on 02/23/2009

I was told the same thing and I picked up Vitamin D drops at a pharmacy.  My son also hates the taste of it and everytime I give it to him he has this surprised/disgusted look on his face.    He never really swallows the whole daily amount, he usually spits most of it out but I tried giving it to him when I know he's hungry and this seems to be better.  Its pretty normal for breastfed babies born in the winter to take Vitamin D supplements.  They don't go outside as much (sun is a major source of Vit. D) and formula also has added Vit. D in it. 

Allison - posted on 02/23/2009

I don't give an vitamins or supplements while breastfeeding. Vit D is important, but I live in a sunny area (Phoenix, Az) so I don't worry about it. There are pros and cons to using vitamin supplements - check out http://www.kellymom.com for more information and then decide if it's right for you.

Sekayi - posted on 02/23/2009

Asha's doctor recommended this also. She hates the taste too. I just pump or express a lil milk ( I'm exclusively breasrfeeding too) and put it in a bottle or her nipple and give it to this way. I don't give it to her everyday either. I give it to her about twice a week until the weather breaks and we get to go out more and then she'll get it from the sun.

Karen - posted on 02/22/2009

My Pedi recommended it too.  I live in Alaska though and the extra Vitanin D is recommended for everyone not just infants.  I don't give it to my daughter everyday just every couple of days.  Avarielle doesn't seem to mind the taste, as I give it to her right through the dropper.  There are 2 different ones: 1 with only D and the other is a multivitamin....I use the multivitamin because I know I don't always eat all the right stuff and I want to make sure Avarielle does.

Cara - posted on 02/22/2009

TRI-Vi-Sol is what you want...its specifically for breast fed babies....sounds similar to poly-vi-sol so please be careful....that one has more vits than your baby needs.  it is made by Enfamil and is at most drug stores by the vitamins or by the baby stuff.  the human skin makes vitamin d, but a baby's skin is not very efficent at it and you need to expose your baby to sun rays at a young age with no sun block to get the benefit of vit d production of the baby's skin.  getting sun through a window is not effective either, as some windows block uvb rays....the sun rays necessary for vit d production.  it is best to give them the tri-vi-sol....it stands for 3 (tri) vitamin (vi) solution (sol) and contains vitamins d, c and a. some vitamins are fat soluable and some are water soluable.  the body can easily rid itself of extra water soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B's- although its obviously not safe to overdose!  the body has a difficult time getting rid of excess fat soluble vitamins such as d, e and a.  these are the vitamins that dosing is crutial.  it is important to get enough vitamin D in order to absorb calcium to build healthy bones in the baby and also to prevent rickets.  During the winter months when sun exposure is minimal it is important to suppliment.  please dont be afraid of these suppliments.  my daughter does not spit up any more than usual and i started her on them at 2 months old.  sometimes after i give them to her her spit or spit up with be orange tinged because thats the color of the vitamins, but thats only for a short while right after her morning dose of vitamins!  good luck, hope this info helps!

Stefanie - posted on 02/22/2009

Jennifer, I just want to make sure you know that breastmilk DOES contain Vit D, just not in sufficient amounts for an infant. It contains 0.5-3.4 µg/liter (20-136 IU/liter) (per kellymom.com). The recommended amount is 5 µg or 200IU of Vit D a day. As you can see, breastmilk alone will not have enough in it. That is why it is important to take your infant in the sun for a few minutes a day to get sufficient Vit D. The Vit D your skin makes from sun exposure is the BEST source of Vit. D. See the link I posted above for the quantities of sunlight needed each day for adequate Vit. D status.

Erin - posted on 02/22/2009

I just saw a nutrionist on Friday and she told me about that but she also said direct sunlight was good too.  My daughter and I have been sunbathing in the dinning room (the room where we get the most sunlight) since she was born.  Also, don't forget if you're breastfeeding and taking your vitamens and eating right that should be enough unless you see some sort of major change in him.  Why did he recommend the supplement?

Shannon - posted on 02/22/2009

We opted not to give my son any extra vitamins.. I take an extra iron, a multi, my Expecta and a calcium with vitamin D added myself... and he is fine... yes my vitamin regimen every day is a bit much, but if it made it so he didn't have to... I was all for it. Besides, all those are pretty much water soluble so whatever he doesn't get, and I don't need.... it all goes away when you pee... now at 6 months, he gets about 60z of formula a day since I went back to work and can't always pump enough to give him just mine, so the vitamins are no longer suggested.

I would say it is truely up to you, but if he fights it, I wouldn't bother with it unless the doctor tells you he has some dire need for them.

Lauren - posted on 02/22/2009

That is what my doctor told me to use too.  I mix it in with a bottle of breastmilk or put it in the cereal.  Rylee did not like the taste either. 

Dorothy - posted on 02/22/2009

I've given my daughter it, she didn't seem to mind as we mixed it in a bottle of breast milk and gave it to her that way. When we'd give it by itself, she tended to spit up, which she never had done before. We are still giving it her, as that is what the doctor has recommended. As long as my LO has it mixed she is fine with it and seeing as it's been raining here a lot, her skin is not seeing the sun to get her vitamin D that way.

Jennifer - posted on 02/21/2009

vit d is to help absorb the milk properly and doctors have been recommending adults to take it as well it's is good for many reasons. but give only vitamin D. it is more benifical then harmful as well as being the only vitamin ur milk doesnt have. it is more harmful not to give ur baby vit d. go to www.ask.com and check it out urself.

Stefanie - posted on 02/21/2009

First, Poly-vi-sol is not just vit D. it is A, B, C, D and iron. Breastfed babies do NOT need extra A, B, or C vitamins. Cases can be made for both Vit D and Iron, but I chose not to supplement either. I didn't give my son iron because it can actually make the iron in breastmilk absorb more poorly, and the iron in breastmilk is the best source of iron. http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitami... is a link about iron for breastfed babies VERY informative. With Vit D, I wavered, and ultimately chose not too b/c I feel babies have enough stored Vit D at birth to last them until they can get dietary sources and more sunlight, plus with the Vit D in breastmilk and getting my son in the sun, I felt that was a better option than chemically engineer vitamins. It only takes like 15 minutes of sunlight a WEEK to get enough Vit D. Breastmilk will not supply all your babies needs of Vit D, but sunlight will. Also, Vit D passes through breastmilk, so if you supplement yourself in high quantites, more will pass to him. More info at kellymom of course: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitami...

Andrea - posted on 02/21/2009

I have never given my children supplemental vitamins while breastfeeding. It's sort of like the free samples you get from all the formula companies while you are in the hospital and even from some docs. Vitamin D is absorbed by the body through the skin and we get it primarily from the sun. Having baby exposed to filtered sunlight and taking your prenatal vitamins will give him the vitamins he needs. The only time I have given vitamins to a child under 2 was when our youngest tested slightly anemic at her 12 month check and we supplemented her with iron until she had enough teeth to chew meats and get her iron there. This vitamin D supplementing seems to be a newer thing and not universally considered to be required.