Do U give Newborn vitamins? Exclusively BF

amother

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 6:51 am

my pediatrician mentioned something about giving baby vitamins if they are being exclusively breastfed because they are missing certain vitamins... I will get more info from her by the next appointment in a few weeks but meanwhile can anyone share more details what do you give and how often?

amother

Turquoise

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 6:54 am

Nope.

Wait, is this a joke? Why would a nursing newborn need synthetic vitamins? That makes zero sense to me. And I have never heard this from any doctor either.

What country do you live in?

LovesHashem

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 6:57 am

They all reccomend it in Israel too. Iron and vitamin d

SG18

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 6:57 am

No. I live in Israel, they tell me to give iron and Vitamin D. My sil in NJ was told to give it to her baby, too. But I know my kids get all of the nutrients they need from breastfeeding, I'm not concerned.

Gaining weight, meeting milestones, generally thriving.

Last edited by SG18 on Fri, Jun 02 2023, 6:58 am; edited 1 time in total

icedcoffee

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 6:58 am

It's recommended that all babies, breastfed or not, get vitamin D. I do a drop a day.

amother

Saddlebrown

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 6:59 am

Nope. God made breastfeeding perfect, and if you aren’t deficient in anything then your milk is fine. I think this push comes from trying to make formula seem more equal so since formula obviously needs added vitamins so does breastfeeding. But it’s not based on anything.

amother

Peach

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 7:01 am

amother Saddlebrown wrote:

thats highly misinformed.

amother

Turquoise

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 7:05 am

amother Peach wrote:

thats highly misinformed.

I would tend to agree with saddlebrown. I'm curious what makes you say that's highly misinformed. Can you elaborate?

amother

Blue

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 7:06 am

Vitamin D is recommended for breastfed babies.

amother

Peach

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 7:10 am

amother Turquoise wrote:

I would tend to agree with saddlebrown. I'm curious what makes you say that's highly misinformed. Can you elaborate?

Sure. Vitamin D can be passed through in breast milk or absorbed from the sun. If the mother herself is low in Vitamin D and the baby isn't being exposed to the sun - the baby will be deficient in Vitamin D - which correlates with rickets.

If giving a newborn vitamin D drops is abhorrent to you - don't do it.

amother

Lilac

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 7:16 am

Breastmilk is low in d and iron by design, not by mistake.

I take supplements myself when I breastfeed to pass on to baby because even with a nutrient dense diet there will be things we are deficient due to various factors. But not iron or d.

amother

Turquoise

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 7:43 am

amother Peach wrote:

Thank you. Excuse my ignorance, what is rickets?

amother

Peach

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 7:47 am

amother Turquoise wrote:

Thank you. Excuse my ignorance, what is rickets?

Rickets is a condition that affects bone development in children. It causes bone pain, poor growth and soft, weak bones that can lead to bone deformities.

amother

Mayflower

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 7:57 am

https://llli.org/breastfeeding.....in-d/ For a staunchly pro-breastfeeding stance on vitamin D supplementation

I give Vitamin D and probiotic drops from 0-6 months and a multi-vitamin with D, Choline, and DHA plus and iron supplement from 4/6 months. Newborns do not need iron supplementation, and I had no interest in making her tummy hurt as such a young age, but breastfed infants do need iron after 6months.

amother

Honeysuckle

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 8:01 am

I aim to give D drops a few times a week.
We did a finger prick this week and my 12m old was low in iron. 10.5 hemglobin.
I couldn't reach the doctor after the blood work, am I supposed to be giving iron? How, they make drops?

Many iron rich foods just don't work for that age, she just chews the broccolli, doesnt really swollow it. No nuts or red meat..

amother

Peach

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 8:03 am

amother Honeysuckle wrote:

Fortified baby cereals.

amother

Honeysuckle

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 8:09 am

amother Peach wrote:

Fortified baby cereals.

She gets the Gerber oatmeal almost every day.
If I take iron, does that transfer to baby?
Makes me wonder if a finger prick is accurate...

amother

Peach

Fri, Jun 02 2023, 8:12 am

amother Honeysuckle wrote:

She gets the Gerber oatmeal almost every day.
If I take iron, does that transfer to baby?
Makes me wonder if a finger prick is accurate...

No. Babies can get iron in drops - but don't do that without professional guidance.