News Moms Need

We have long said, and still do, that breastmilk is best for infants. It is full of important minerals and nutrients to help your little one grow. Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t contain enough vitamin D to meet the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.

Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium and phosphorus. Breastfed babies need an additional 400 IU of vitamin D each day until they’re weaned to fortified formula and can drink at least one liter (about 4 ¼ cups) every day. Starting at age 1, babies drinking plenty of milk fortified with vitamin D may no longer need a vitamin D supplement.

As your children grow and start eating solids, include foods that are rich in vitamin D, like fatty fish, eggs, and milk. But be aware that older children and even adults have a hard time getting the recommended levels of the vitamin through food alone.  Check with your child’s doc to see if she should take a supplement with 400 IU to 600 IU. That amount is often included in chewable multivitamins which most kids like taking. Children with some chronic diseases such as cystic fibrosis may be at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency and may need an even higher dose in a supplement.

You may have heard that the body makes its own vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet B (UBV) rays from the sun. While true, sun exposure can be hazardous to baby’s skin and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 6 months avoid sun exposure. All other children and adults need to slather on the sunscreen throughout the day which can block the production of vitamin D. Pregnant women have particularly sensitive skin and should pay attention to sunscreen.

Important note: Be sure not to give too much vitamin D to babies. More of a good thing often is not good. High doses can cause a host of symptoms including nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, excessive thirst, muscle aches, or more serious symptoms. Some researchers are beginning to suggest that adults should take far more vitamin D than the 600 IU daily guideline. But too much may be dangerous. Very high doses of vitamin D can raise your blood calcium level, causing damage to blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. The Institute of Medicine sets the upper tolerable limit at 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day. Check with your health care provider for the right amount for you.

And what about additional vitamin D from the sun? Fortunately, you can’t get too much vitamin D from the sun because your body simply stops making more. But don’t forget that sun exposure without plenty of sunscreen can raise your risk of skin cancer. So, apply the sunscreen and take whatever supplement your provider recommends.

You may remember our past posts on the importance of giving babies their vitamin D supplements. This is especially true for breastfed babies or babies that eat less than 1 L/day of infant formula. Vitamin D helps prevent a bone-weakening disease called rickets. Babies can get this important nutrient from vitamin D drops.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants parents to make sure they’re giving babies the right amount of vitamin D drops. Babies need 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day. But some vitamin D supplements may be sold with droppers that could allow for parents to accidentally give too much Vitamin D to their babies. Too much vitamin D may cause things like nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, excessive thirst, frequent urination, constipation, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, fatigue and other health concerns.

The FDA is working with manufactures to ensure vitamin D supplements for infants are sold with droppers that hold no more than the recommended amount for babies. In the meantime, when giving your baby her daily vitamin D drops, be sure you’ve filled the dropper to no more than 400 international units (IU). Visit the FDA Web site for more information. Learn more about vitamin D and breastfed babies.

Over the past year or two I have read several articles about vitamin D deficiency in adults and the link to a number of health problems.  Some researchers believe that decreased sun exposure (to help prevent skin cancer) and the growing obesity epidemic are the cause of vitamin D deficiency.  (This is yet another reason for trying to reach your ideal weight before you conceive.)

The current guideline for vitamin D consumption during pregnancy is 200-400 IU per day, which is found in most prenatal vitamins.  Up to now, a daily intake of 2,000 IU has been considered unsafe for anyone to take, pregnant or not.

A new study, looking at pregnant women in their second and third trimesters, says that daily high doses (4,000 IU) of vitamin D appear to significantly reduce risks of developing complications during pregnancy such as infections or preterm labor and birth.  The authors, presenting at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Vancouver,  B.C., also suggest that not enough vitamin D increases the risk of developing high blood pressure during pregnancy.  

This is an exciting and promising study, although it needs to be confirmed by further research before a change in daily intake recommendations can be made.  But it may be a good idea for pregnant women to have their vitamin D levels checked and to have a conversation with their providers about how much vitamin D supplementation they should take.  Don’t bump it up yourself, though, without first having that conversation.

With all the current research on vitamin D, the Institute of Medicine is now debating changing its guidelines for vitamin D intake for everyone, including pregnant women.  Stay tuned – we’ll keep you posted.

Kids need vitamins to help them grow strong and healthy. But a new study in this month’s Pediatrics journal finds that nearly 7 out of 10 kids aren’t getting enough vitamin D. This is alarming because vitamin D is an important nutrient in preventing bone-weakening diseases in children as well as other health complications that can occur later in life, like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The study examined over 6,000 children aged 1-21 and found that kids who spent more time watching TV, playing video games or using computers and drank milk less than once a week were more likely to have lower levels of vitamin D.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies, children and adolescents get 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day. Babies who are breastfeed can get this nutrient from vitamin D drops.  Your baby’s pediatrician can and should prescribe multivitamin drops containing vitamin D to breastfed babies starting in the first 2 months of life.

Kids can get the right amount of vitamin D by eating foods that are fortified with vitamin D, taking a children’s multivitamin with vitamin D, and by spending some time playing outside in the sunshine (sunlight is a good source of vitamin D).

You may remember our previous post on the importance of vitamin D.  This essential nutrient helps prevent children from developing certain health issues that could weaken their bones.  This week, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its guidelines for vitamin D.  The AAP now recommends babies, children and adolescents get 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D. This is double the amount the organization recommended before.

So what does this mean? Just make sure your baby, especially if she is breastfed, is getting her vitamin D drops.  Your baby’s pediatrician can and should prescribe multivitamin drops containing 400 IU of vitamin D to breastfed babies starting in the first few days of life. Also, don’t forget to give your older kids their multivitamins with vitamin D. Talk to your health care provider if you have any questions.

There are many benefits of breastfeeding, and the longer you can do it, the better it is for your baby. Breastfeeding is the best food for most babies during the first year of life.  Breastfeeding helps build a baby’s immune system so that she is better able to protect herself from infections. 

While nursing, don’t forget to give your baby her vitamin D drops.  Vitamin D is important for strengthening your baby’s growing bones. It helps prevent her from developing certain health issues that could weaken her bones.  Your baby’s pediatrician can and should prescribe multivitamin drops containing vitamin D to breastfed babies starting in the first 2 months of life. 

Breastmilk contains lots of important nutrients, but it’s a little low on vitamin D.  That’s because, often, women have little vitamin D in their bodies.  The human body naturally makes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.   But when I wear sunscreen to protect my body from harmful UV rays or try to avoid lots of sun exposure altogether, it keeps my skin from making vitamin D. 

Moms and babies should still wear sunscreen to protect their skin from UV rays.  Just make sure your baby is getting her vitamin D drops along with her breastmilk, and she’ll be just fine.