• We think it is not necessary. Oversuplementing can be dangerous.
• Eat a healthy diet, get out for that walk with your baby.
• Foods that do contain Vitamin D : Milk, fortified cereals, eggs, oily fish. Thats about it

Human milk is a wonderful and complete source of nutrients. Many experts agree that vitamin supplements are not necessary for the normal, healthy, full-term baby that is being breastfed. There is still some controversy over the need for supplemental Vitamin D in the breastfed baby.

Most mothers have Vitamin D levels that are within the normal range (Lawrence, 1994). The amount of Vitamin D in your milk is directly related to the levels of this vitamin in your body. These levels can be influenced by diet, supplementation and exposure to ultraviolet light. Normal levels of Vitamin D in your milk are between 20 and 60 IU per litre of breastmilk (Greer, 1984.)

Breastmilk levels of this vitamin could be inadequate if you live in a cold, Northern climate where there is not much light, particularly if you are dark-skinned, but, since you have taken excellent care of yourself during your pregnancy (probably eating foods rich in Vitamin D, supplementing with Vit. D, if necessary, and getting exposure to the sun) there is a good chance that your baby's stores are sufficient.

A baby does not need much exposure to sunlight each day to boost his Vitamin D levels. Allow your baby some exposure each day if possible (not always possible in ireland we appreciate!) to sunlight.

In an April 7, 2003 Policy Statement, the AAP recommended that "all infants, including those who are exclusively breastfed, have a minimum intake of 200 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day beginning during the first two months of life ... because adequate sunlight exposure is not easily determined for a given individual."

In an April, 17, 2003 Press Release, La Leche League International responded saying, "Exclusively breastfed healthy, full-term infants from birth to six months who have adequate exposure to sunlight are not at risk for developing vitamin D deficiency or rickets. Rickets occur because of a deficiency in sunlight exposure, not because of a deficiency in human milk."

Another option, is to begin supplementation for you, rather than your baby. It has been found that by giving 60 mcg of Vitamin D each day to the mother, the levels of this vitamin in her milk will raise substantially within a period of two weeks (Hollis, 1983.) Do not take Vitamin D in amounts exceeding the recommended daily allowance, because it could cause high (and possibly toxic) levels of this vitamin to be excreted into your milk.

The NIH Subcommittee on Nutrition During Lactation (1991) recommended supplementation of Vitamin D only in those breastfed babies whose mothers have inadequate Vitamin D intake, and who are not regularly exposed to sunlight. The amount they have recommended for these infants is 5 to 7.5 mcg of Vitamin D per day.

As you can see, the recommendations for supplementation of this vitamin do vary.