Vitamins While Breastfeeding?

My breastfed babies were supposed to take a vitamin for vit A? - the vit you get from the sun. I guess formula is fortified with it and the docs think that breastfed babies need the extra drops. I did it for quite some time with my first baby, but not at all with my second. My kids got at least alittle sun everyday, so I decided that it was not necessary. As far as the iron goes, as long as you are eating lots of iron foods, I don't think you're baby needs anything extra. My kids have had routine iron tests before and I think it's just a finger prick test.

My twin boys were born 9 weeks early, and I was advised to give polyvisol once we came home from the NICU. I had the same issue, and stopped... they are both doing great, and growing like weeds. You would never know they were premies!! Good luck

CH,
It could also be the case that he was on overload. His vitamin, PLUS your pre-nates, which through nursing he's getting as well. What you put in you goes to him, remember. Too much of anything will result in the body acting explosively.
Talk to your pediatrition. Suggest either the baby gets his vitamin with iron, without you taking yours. Or vice versa. But yours would be adult dosage, so that might not be good either.

My pediatrician also recommended Tri-Vi-Sol for my daughter, who was born at 40 weeks and completely healthy. I didn't give it to her at first, but at her 2 week checkup, the dr explained that they are finding that breastfed babies are having more bone issues than formula fed babies are having, because they Vitamin D from the sun isn't enough to get the calcium they need into their bones. That is why they want breastfed babies on Tri or Poly Vi-Sol. I bought it, gave it to her for 2 days, and decided to stop. Not only does it taste TERRIBLE, but my "mommy instinct" was feeling uneasy about my decision. I have 2 older children who are healthy and haven't broken any bones...yet...so I'm satifsied that the Lord did indeed make breastmilk completely sufficient for our little babies!

My dr.recommended it too with both my children. I gave it to them both the first couple months(when I remembered) then quit because I could never find it and I didn't really think they needed it. Yes continue to take your prenatals and maybe take an iron supplement yourself. I also took an extra dose of calcium and V-D because I do not drink milk. Eat healthy foods and drink lots and lots of water. No caffeine and your breast milk should be more than suffcient. I wouldn't worry about the supplement.

You should definitely bring this up with your childs pediatrician. If you are taking pre-natal vitamins that have iron and if his vitamins have iron, it may be possible that he is recieving too much iron or too much of another vitamin. diarrhea can be a symptom of Iron poisoning (I am not saying your baby had or has Iron poisoning, only your pediatricain can tell you that). But just so you know, Iron poisoning can be very serious and may cause death. It is one of the most common types of poisoning in children. Definitely talk with your pediatrician.

Hi CH---You have received some good responses and hopefully this one will help as well. I have been VERY interested in wellness and disease prevention for some time now. Everything that I read suggests that vitamin suppplementation does NOT work unless it is from whole food sources. Your body does not recognize man made subsitutes as the real thing. You are probably correct in that the vitamins were 'rejected' by your son's body. Additionally, there are tens of thousands of nutrients in food that cannot possibly be put in a vitamin pill. Without one component, the others will not be absorbed properly. Another concern is that too much iron is actually harmful to health, possibly causing cancer. if the iron is not from whole food sources.

I did find this interesting website you might want to visit,
http://www.breastfeed.com/articles/feeding-baby/the-truth.... Also, if interesting in a whole food supplement made from 17 different fruit and veggetable powders supported by 13 independent research studies, please let me know. I also have a wealth of files supporting all of what I share here, as I have my own Wellness Education and Consulting business, which would be at no cost to you. I look forward to talking with you. In health, D. ###-###-####

There is a great deal of research that very strongly refutes the need for supplementing breastmilk with any kind of vitamin, as long as the mother's nutrition status is good.

Your breasts (surprise, surprise) are made to make everything a human child will need in the way of nutrition for the first year of life. After that, it remains the best food for humans, but breasts can't make enough food for a busy, active 3year old.

There is sufficient iron (and everything else human babies need) in breastmilk, providing that the mother's iron stores (and other nutrients) are sufficient. That means if the milk is short of iron, the mom needs it anyhow, so why not just treat the mother's deficiency and leave the baby alone?

breastmilk has everything your child needs. my doc also recommended drops for my kids - i just ignored his recommendation.

I went through the same thing, except my daughter was 9 weeks early. I actually quit giving her the vitamin's until she was a bit older, and I was done nursing. Breast Milk has everything the baby needs, as long as you are eating healthy. when you start introducing solids, or quit nursing, I would attempt the vitamins again. Good Luck with your Preemie, mine is almost 3years old, and hasn't had a single developemental delay! You are doing a great Job with the nursing, It can be hard when they started off too little to nurse! Congrats!

Hello!

I am a distributor for Shaklee, so this is a topic I love to talk about. Shaklee has a powder vitamin for children that are 6 months to 2 years old. From 2-12 we recommend our chewables.

During the time that you are breastfeeding, we don't feel it is necessary to give your child vitamins, since he is getting his nutrients and vitamins from you. I would make sure that you are eating lots of fruits, vegetables and enough protein.

While breastfeeding you should be eating at least 500 more calories per day just for the baby. Shaklee has health calls each week that discuss different life situations and we have a recorded call on breastfeeding. Most of these calls are done by doctors. Let me know if you would like me to send you the info on how to listen to that call

I have never breastfed, since my son is adopted. But, I can tell you that I am very passionate about nutrition. He does take vitamins and protein shakes every day, as do I.

My mission is to share information with others that will help them to create healthier lives for their families and a healthy environment at the same time. Let me know if you need anything!

ANGIE
____@____.com

Maybe I shouldn't respond to this...but, I am of the opinion that everyone needs vitamins. It is pretty unlikely that any of us are getting everything that we need from the earth. Chemicals, overuse of the soil and much, much more has contributed to the land being unable to provide all the nutrients that we need. Not to mention what processed foods and starches are doing to us!

OK, I have said my piece. Good luck! I hope your baby feels better soon. FYI, my son takes an isotonic dietary supplement that he can drink called Might-a-Mins. They also contain probiotics. Love them! But then, I do sell them. :)

S.
____@____.com

My opinino is htat YOU should take any vitamins.. then the baby will get them. He's getting everything he needs from the breastmilk.

Dear CH, You received some good encouragement. I would go back to the Drs and find out why they think your baby needs vitamins beyond your breastmilk. What is their reasoning? Has anyone coached you on vitamins for yourself while you are breastfeeding?

to ask questions like: are the vitamins pure? (beyond organic!)

I have more information about nutrition and breastfeeding...is this something you would like?

M. G

I too was told to give my daughter a vitamin supplement. I was told it was for the vitamin D. After doing a bit of research I found out that a baby is born with a store of vitamin D as well as Iron. A baby absorbs all the vD they need in 4 to 12 min of sun exposure. I was also a bit uneasy when I found out the the Vitamins were made by a formula company.
Blessings, K.

Hi CH
My feelings on this are if the baby is only breast feeding, he's getting what nature intended. I took vitamins the whole time, and ate good whole foods. And didn't give my baby any extra vits until after she weened. A lot of those studies are done comparing mothers milk to cows, nature did not intend of us to grow to 500lb cows! I would eat more greens and lentils personally if you want more iron in your milk.
:) A. H

In my unprofessional, but experienced opinion (am not a doctor, but a Mom of seven), your baby is getting everything he needs from your breastmilk. He doesn't need an extra vitamin. Your are doing a great job -- keep it up!

My pediatrician suggested it for both my children. When it was suggested for my first daughter, I was told it was because I was breast feeding and she was born in Jan. (dead of winter). The dr. said if it was summer time, he wouldn't be as worried, because of the sunshine exposure (just a few minutes is all is needed). I gave her the vitamins for a few months then stopped when the weather got nice. My 2nd daughter was born end of March, so I didn't bother giving the vitamins to her.
Iron is very h*** o* the stomach and that could be why your son is having blowouts. You may want to try vitamins without iron, or just make sure your son gets 15 minutes of sunshine every day. Use your instincts, and make sure YOU are eating very healthy.

Tell your pediatrician about the side effect of the vitamin. Better yet, call the lactation consultant at the hospital you delivered at. Make sure you keep taking your prenatal vitamins and eating well and drinking enough water, too. I won't tell you not to follow your ped's orders, but you're the mama, and you need to trust your instincts.

I am so sorry to hear that you had to spend any extra unwanted time in the NICU, our little guy was 2 weeks early, and after 4 weeks of bedrest, I thank God we were able to go home on time. In response to your "vitamin" blog....my only response is: YOU are the mom, not the doctors. If it doesn't feel right in your heart, than it probably isn't. You are doing the VERY best thing by breastfeeding your little one, and as long as you are taking vitamins, I am sure it is fine. We do not vaccinate, and my baby is almost 10 months old. I have had so many people look at us "cross eyed" when they find that out, and all I have to say is MY baby has NEVER been sick. In the last 9 1/2 months, he has had 2 fevers, and it was when he was cutting teeth. Doctors are human too, and all they are doing is trial and error. They don't know EVERY baby perfectly, and what they say may have worked for one, may not have worked for the next. You are the mommy. God puts things on your heart for a reason, to make the best choice for your baby. So, make the choice that you feel is right for your family, and be confident in that. The doctors can make you feel like a bad mom, but the reality is, if they have little ones, when it comes down to it, they too are going to do what is right for their little one. There is such thing of a vitamin over dose....I would maybe do some research on that. Be educated, and be confident :O)

My son was born 7 weeks early and spent 7 weeks in the special care nursery where they gave him a vitamin supplement with iron because he was a preemie. When we finally came home from the hospital, I was not great at remembering to give him the supplement and once we were on a routine of breastfeeding only, it was very difficult for me to get him to take the supplement and actually swallow it and not spit it back out. My son is now 10 months and he had his iron checked at his 9 month check up and it was very low. The first check was just a finger poke which was unpleasant, but then I had to take him to the hospital lab for a blood draw. I don't ever want to have to do that again!!! It was TERRIBLE! They had an extremely hard time finding a vein and had to fish around for one while I held him down. My ped. said that full term babies get a gift of iron from their mothers right before they are born that preemies who come early do not. He said that they are usually okay for the first 6 months or so, but somewhere between 6 and 9 months a lot of preemies become iron deficient, especially when they are breastfed only and don't get any iron in formula or anything. My son is now back on iron supplements. My doctor told me about one called My Kidz Iron which actually tastes okay and my son will take it plain.
If I were you I would discuss the side effects that the vitamin had on your son to make sure that they are not a sign of allergies to iron or something. But if the doctor feels like they are normal then I would definitely keep giving him the vitamin.

there will of course be varying opinions on this, as there is with everything associated with babies. However, I breastfed our daughter for 7 1/2 months (she weaned herself at that time) and never gave her any vitamins. yes, we were told that we needed to, but we never did. guess what-she's fine! she's a healthy 18 month old and doing fine. do what feels right for you and your family.