It is not necessary to take Vitamin D while you are breastfeeding. However, you may be advised to continue taking vitamin D if you remain at risk of deficiency. Vitamin D is contained in many prenatal and breastfeeding supplements but if required, the overall dose of vitamin D should be checked with your doctor.
Health benefits of vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential to your newborn's health. Babies who don't get enough vitamin D can develop Rickets. Rickets is a disease that softens your bones. Young children who don't have enough vitamin D can end up with bowed legs as they grow, delays in crawling and walking, and soft skulls.
Do infants get enough vitamin D from breast milk? Breast milk alone does not provide infants with an adequate amount of vitamin D. Shortly after birth, most infants will need an additional source of vitamin D.
Current Recommendations and Their Limitations
The current recommendation for maternal vitamin D intake while breastfeeding is 400 to 600 IU per day, yet data suggest that supplementing the mother with this amount does little to increase the vitamin D content of her milk (Hollis et al, 2015).
Vitamin D is a key nutrient in the maintenance of bone health in children and adults. It helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, which are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy.
Various studies have shown that maternal supplementation does increase the vitamin D levels in breast milk high enough to prevent deficiencies in children. However, questions remain about whether 400 IU a day is enough. Both of those studies included dosages of at least 6,000 IU (150 mcg) a day.
If they do, common symptoms are muscle weakness or cramps, bone pain, feeling tired or being depressed. Vitamin D deficiency can cause babies and children to get rickets. Rickets is a disease that causes thin, weak and deformed bones.
Once your baby is six months old, and up until they are five years, daily vitamin A, C and D supplements are recommended (unless they're having 500ml or more of first infant formula each day).
If you eat a reasonably-well balanced diet, vitamin supplements are not considered necessary for breastfeeding mothers. This is even true for mothers who are eating for three during tandem nursing, or while breastfeeding during pregnancy (see Nutrition for mom in our Nursing During Pregnancy and Tandem Nursing FAQ).
In most cases, moms don't need to take vitamins, although they aren't likely to hurt your baby. Some mommies take vitamin D to ensure that their babies are getting enough of this essential nutrient for healthy bones.
For you – Both breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding adult females require an estimated 600 international units (15 micrograms) per day of vitamin D. Vitamin D is important to allow you to absorb calcium and maintain healthy bones.
The best sources are the flesh of fatty fish and fish liver oils. Smaller amounts are found in egg yolks, cheese, and beef liver. Certain mushrooms contain some vitamin D2; in addition some commercially sold mushrooms contain higher amounts of D2 due to intentionally being exposed to high amounts of ultraviolet light.
From the causes and signs of vitamin D deficiency in children, children often cry at night, often signaling to parents that children are deficient in vitamin D.
Children with vitamin D deficiency had less total sleep time (470.3 minutes ± 35.6 vs 420.3 minutes ± 61.7; P = . 004) and poorer sleep efficiency (91.9% ± 5.6% vs 84.5% ± 9.5%; P = . 015) compared with children with sufficient vitamin D.
Use the CVS Health At Home Vitamin D Test Kit to get accurate and comprehensive results in the privacy and comfort of your own home. Simply collect your blood sample using this convenient kit, mail it to the lab, and receive your results through a secure online portal in just a few days.
Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart. If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people.
A vitamin D test is a blood test. During a blood test, a health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out.
Vitamin D is found in certain foods (including oily fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel; red meat; and some breakfast cereals) but it's hard to get enough from food alone.
Good food sources of vitamin D include fortified low-fat or fat-free milk, fortified orange juice, egg yolks, and salmon. Experts recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women get 600 international units of vitamin D daily.
Feed your baby before you take in any caffeine. Then, wait at least three hours before breastfeeding again. This should give your system enough time to process the caffeine and avoid spreading it through breast milk. Reduce your caffeine consumption to one cup of coffee per day.
A recent study finds that consuming too many sugary drinks can negatively impact an infant's cognitive development. Breastfeeding mothers should avoid or cut back on juice, soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages.