Dha and ARA

yes my dr said the same as lisa g. i nursed my 2 year old daughter for a year and my son who is 3 months i plan on doing the same.

I don't know if it has Dha and ARA, but Shaklee makes a phenomenal children's vitamin that is in powdered form. Since you are nursing, your baby actually doesn't need any additional supplements or vitamins until age 1, but every pediatrician is different.
I used the powdered vitamin which can be added to applesauce or baby food. Happy healthy baby!

There is a book called "Super Baby Food" written by Ruth Yaron that has many great ideas on how to make babyfood more nutritous. If you don't want to buy the book I'm sure your local library would have it. One idea that I know is safe for your baby right now is adding a mashed egg yolk to her babyfood or cereal. No egg whites until after 1 year. My other suggestions would have to be okay'd by your pediatrician because I can't remember at what age we started it. You can buy flaxseed and grind it up in a coffee grinder and add that to the baby's cereal or yogurt (yogurt, 9 months?) That gives the Omega 3's you mentioned. There are other seeds the book recommends too, like sunflower and others. The thing about the seeds is they spoil quickly after they are ground so it's best to grind them right before using. Avacodos are a great choice, you just cut one in half lenghwise and it will split apart around the pit. (To get the pit out whack it with a big knife and it will come right out with the knife.) Then mash it up and add it to whatever food you choose. It gives them the necessary fat they need to develop properly. Raw wheat germ (untoasted in order to retain nutrients) can be sprinkled in cereal or whatever to add fiber. I started buying this stuff at the natural food store but then realized my own grocery store had it in a special "organic" section. It saved having to make a separate trip and the prices are a little cheaper. Even just buying Brown Rice baby cereal instead of the usual Gerber White rice helps. Earths Best makes brown rice cereal. The book suggests mashing up lentils and adding to cereal also, for more protein. Okay I'm writting a book so I will stop. Take Care! D.

Unless your doctor is worried I think she is getting enough. When she is ready for yogurt the YoBaby has it added also in some flavors, our doctor okayed yogurt at 9 months. I also breastfeed and the doctor has not showed concern about adding more. Sounds like you are doing a great job.

I would think as long as your diet is healthy her's will be too. I breastfed both of my girls and they never recomended I take supliments. If your Dr. says all is well then don't worry.

This isn't quite what you were asking, but for the Omega 3, I take something I get from the health-food store called "COROMEGA" which is... delicious. I also give it to my 2 year old, and I know my baby gets it through my breastmilk too. It is a box which contains packets, it's omega 3 in a tasty orange or lemon-lime creamy base (not real cream...) kind of like those ketchup packets you get at restaurants, it comes in something like that. Just wanted to share, cause it's easy for a child to take, too, once your child's a little older but still too young to take a pill....

hi C., check with your doc, but my gyn always had me taking prenatal vitamins while nursing also, primacare, which has dha. ive been taking it continuously since when i was trying to conceive with my first almost 6 years ago (i have been pregnant or nursing pretty much continuously since i got preg. with my 1st), and i will continue taking it for at least as long as i breastfeed this baby.
this pregnancy he also has me taking expecta lipil, a dha supplement by enfamil, he has me taking 3 a day, it says for nursing and pregnant moms, i assume i will continue taking it while nursing. its over the counter, and each pill contains 200mg of dha. i am taking omega-3 also, a prescription vitamin called omacor. sounds like a lot, i know, but my doc is very into vitamins and very up on current studies, one of which was the dha one he keeps telling me about. but he knows that i eat almost no fish while im pregnant, and the same when im not pregnant, except in the summer when i eat lots because hubby is a fishing addict! ...anyway, maybe thats why he has me on all this.
it sounds like you are doing a good job, i would check with your doc about adding more vitamins to your diet, and certainly check with your ped about adding anything to hers. at 7 mos i believe she should be on a supplement, especially since she is nursing. if i remember correctly, they need extra vitamin d, its not passed through breastmilk, though 15 min a day in the sun supposedly takes care of that too. my kids always took supplements after a few months, still do, they were always prescription, but i really dont know if they need to be. check with doc. take care, D.

I don't eat much fish, I have read up on it, and checked with my pedi, 200mg a day of DHA is the recomended amount needed for a Mom who is breastfeeding (and doesn't eat much fish) (it's 100mg if you do eat enough) to ensure the child is getting enough. As far as to supplement in baby food, good question. I plan to make my own baby food, so I am interested in the answer. Maybe we can call the pedi, it might be as simple as puncturing on of the gel tabs and adding it... I'll let you know if I find out more. Thanks!