Vitamin Drops and Breastfeeding

I did not use any extra vitamins for my breastfed babies. Breastmilk is the perfect food! My dr told me that as long as I was still taking my prenatal vitamins, eating good foods, and getting my son 10 min of sunlight a day for the vitamin D we wouldn't need anything extra at all. And they've both been very healthy, hardly sick at all, even in the winter. Also I had one side that didn't seem to have as much milk, sometimes when I was feeding him on the good side, I would pump the bad side at the same time, and save it for later. It seemed to help.

Yup, breast fed babies need extra vitamin D. My Dr also gave us an Rx for them. Very common to have one more productive breast, me too. You can try and pump the weaker one more often, if you like. That may increase production. Neither is a big deal, don't worry : )

Breastmilk does not lack any fats or nutrients for brain development like another poster stated! Thats totally false! Breastmilk contains super fats that are not found in any other substance on earth and cannot be repeated with formula. It also contains every single nutrient and vitamin a baby needs to grow and thrive. There is nothing lacking in it that requires synthetic vitamins unless mother has a bad diet. If mom is taking her prenatals, eating a fairly reasonable diet, and feeding baby on demand, there is not one good reason for synthetic vitamins for a breastfed baby, other than the reason I posted about below. And thats an easy fix, no expensive formula company supplied synthetic vitamins required.

Breastmilk only becomes deficient in vitamin D when the mother is deficient in vitamin D, so if you are still taking your prenatal vitamins, eating right and getting a few minutes of sunlight on your face or bare skin, your body will be producing enough vitamin D to pass through your breastmilk to your baby. Its true your breastmilk doesn't produce as much vitamin D as what is synthetically added to baby formula or with vitamins, but the GOOD news is, the vitamin D that IS in your milk is 100% absorbed by your baby, meaning all the Vit D you give him through your breastmilk is being absorbed. Whereas only about 20% of the Vitamin D in formula and a little more than that in the vitamins is absorbed by your babys body. So is really equals out, and the Vitamin D in your breastmilk is NATURAL and 100% absorbed by babies body and used easily, whereas the synthetic vitamins in formula or vitamin drops are just htat, synthetic and not easily absorbed, and very little of the actual vitamins are used by your childs body. and if you are taking your vitamins and eating right, and exposing yourself to a few minutes of natural light (and your baby too, just a few minutes of sunlight on his face is all it takes to produce enough vitamin D for his body... even once or twice a week.

So no, vitamins are not needed for breastfed babies as long as you are taking care of yourself and are mindful to let him have his face in the sun when its out for a few minutes. Thats really all it takes. Otherwise your breastmilk has all hte vitamins and minerals required for him. And its important to know that that Poly Vi Sol that doctors push on breastfed babies is made by the formula companies.... so in a roundabout way they are trying to gain teh business of breastfeeding mothers by saying bmilk isn't enough, take these expensive vitamins.

Its common for one side to produce a smaller amount than the other. Sometimes it seems like less when its really not, that breast just has more 'room' to store so it seems like less. Also what you pump is NOT an indicator of your supply, your baby can nurse out up to 4+oz more than any pump can. So if you are pumping 4oz from one side and only 2 from the other, it doesn't mean it produces 1/2 less, it just means that breast isn't responding ot the pump as easily. Very common. To up that side if you are concerned, only nurse on one breast per feeding. Don't switch hit. One breast for each nursing session, then use the other breast for hte next session. This not only allows your baby to get a full feed of foremilk and hindmilk (BOTH are necessary for growth and weight gain), but it tells your body exactly how much he is eating. Its a supply and demand. If you are switch hitting while nursing, switching from one breast to antoher after a set time, then your body thinks it only needs to make that amount. If you always start on one breast and finish on the ohter, the one you start with will produce less. So only one breast per feeding, don't switch. And if he seems satisfied with that breast that you think is producingl ess, then don't sweat it. He's an expert at knowing what his body does need.

i wrote a whole response then apparently there was work being done to mamasource and i lost it all :(

anyway, as far as vitamins, unless there is some medical reason for the vitamins, breastmilk is MORE than adequate for your baby.

your milk is based on supply. i had one breast that had more milk than the other because when i was bedsharing with my son and he was nursing at night, he would usually be in the middle, and so the breast he would nurse from would produce more than the other. it doesnt hurt anything, but if you want to balance it out, you could just try to offer the low breast first, or offer it during times when baby just wants a pacifier or something. the more stimulation baby gives your breast, the more it will increase in supply. when baby goes thruogh a growth spurt, allowing baby to be at the breast, even if baby isnt really eating it is still stimulating more milk production.

one other thing you could do is to add one "feeding" on that low breast by pumping. you dont have to feed your baby this pumped milk because that will confuse your body when you lose one nursing session and nothing will change. but put it in the freezer and store it up! :) nothing like breastmilk on a booboo! it works like a charm for a LOT of different issues. ear infections, eye infections, sinus infections, (or just issues/pain), even scrapes or cuts heal FASTER with breastmilk than without! :) its a good thing! :)

one thing i caution you NOT to do is to feed your baby on the fuller side to take the edge off his hunger and switch to the lower breast. this might cause issues like mastitis or hindmilk imbalance because hes not emptying your breast. hindmilk is the fatty part of milk, and if baby doesnt get that properly, baby will get gassy, diarhea like poop, spitting up a lot, fussy etc.

one more thing, while nursing, it is always a good idea to massage the outer areas of your breast. from under your armpit almost up all the way to your collarbone! this will help the milk let down. i didnt have any trouble, but i did it anyway, and it seemed to really work well! :)
good luck

Our doctor just recently told us that breastfed babies do not need the extra vitamins and in fact he doesn't recommend any vitamins for kids until they are 2 years old.

Try to breastfeed more on the side that doesn't produce as much. The whole supply and demand theory.

Hi S.~ First off congratulations on giving your baby the best gift a mom can give other than life. WHOOP WHOOP to you for that. As far as the vitamins are concerned, some pediatricians do order drops like Polyvisol for infants, but if your diet is very good, then these vitamins are NOT truly necessary for baby. It is good for you to stay on your prenatal vitamins while breastfeeding and therefore your baby is getting that through your breastmilk. If you want to add a DHA supplement to your oral intake in addition to your prenatal vitamin, that would be fine. Make sure that your vitamin has Vit. D and that you are getting enough calcium in your diet and your milk is just fine.
As far as your breast producing unequal amouns of milk; that is TOTALLY normal. You can produce up to a 3 ounce difference. Your breast do not have the same amount of milk ducts, one is traditionally larger than the other and everyone tends to sleep on a particular side when they go to bed. All of these reasons are the reason for the difference in milk production. So know that it is very normal and do not worry about the difference. There are ways you can increase the production of your lesser breast, but that will decrease the production in your higher/greater supplying breast. So not really worth it as you will get the same amount or less with the total amount between the two. If you want to know ways though, message me and I can let you know them. My suggestion though is knowing that it is 100% normal and just enjoy the exsperience with your baby. Congratulations again and know that you are doing what is best for baby and that your body is 100% normal.

It's not unusual to have one breast produce more/differently than the other-- just like your right or left handed. Personaly I had a "feeder" and a "pumper" Isaac preferred nursing from the right, but when pumping I always got more from the left-- go figure!

As far as vitamin drops go, it depends--usually not neccessary. Vitamin D is in sunshine and while breastmilk has less iron than formula, the iron that is there is MUCH more bio-available. But if vitamins make you feel better or your baby has abnormal labs, or something else is going on, they're not going to hurt anything....

Hi,
I'm not a big fan of vitamins but I do know that breastmilk does not contain any vitamin D so you should supplement with that.

I think the vitamin supplements the doctors are suggesting now is a new thing. When my 3-yr-old was a baby, our dr never suggested it. But with my 1-yr-old, our dr did suggest it. Personally, I think breastmilk provides enough vitamins, but if the drs are prescribing it now, it can't hurt. It's expensive, but if it helps, why not?
About your other problem: Always start with the breast that is not making as much milk, and then it should catch up.

yes, my son was given the drops. The doc explained that when we live in a state that has winter (WI) with not a lot of sun exposure, babies do not get as much vit D as they need.

Luckily, my son loved his drops (which taste horrible!). He just turned three, and we took him off of them about 6 months ago and transitioned to a gummy one. i don't think you are in danger of over-vitaminizing them.

S. -

Our daughter also got vitamins and the reason behind it is that through breast milk they don't get some of the additional vitamins and minerals that are required to assist with brain development as well as other things. Example is the "fat protien" in formula that helps with brain development is not found in breast milk and the iron that is needed by most babies is not found in breast milk and that is necessary for the blood. It is perfectly normal and safe. Either way, breastfeeding, as long as you are able to do it, is the best way! As for your other issue, the only things I can suggest are pumping that side between feedings or having your son nurse on that side more often. Making sure to alternate which side he starts on will also help, supply and demand is the name of the game. However if it does not improve then you will want to see a doctor to ensure you don't have a plugged duct.

I've breastfed all of my children and each time the pediatrician (two different ones) told me to supplement with the vitamin drops. My first child wouldn't take them since they smell and taste awful and he was fine. I gave them to my daughters when I remembered, but honestly, hardly did. All of my children were fine as are everyone else's children I know of who were breastfed w/o the vitamins. I say they couldn't hurt, but aren't necessary...unless you live somewhere with NO sun. That's my 2 cents.

~I need to add a comment after reading some other responses. GOD MADE BREASTMILK PERFECT! He would NOT have overlooked anything important for our babies.....

I breastfed our first for 6 months and our second for 18 months. I never gave them extra vitamins as infants. (Now they both take a mulitivitamin by Nordic Naturals.)

If you are eating a well balanced diet, I would NOT give your infant a synthetic vitamin.

As for milk. I'm pretty sure one of mine did the same thing. I know that one side always seemed easier to nurse on. I only nursed on one side alternating sides every time. My milk let down fast so both my kids would be able to eat a whole meal within 10 to 15 minutes. It just didn't seem worth it to switch when they would get their fill on just one side. And if you don't have them empty your breast, they don't get the hind milk that keeps them full longer. So I'd say it's quite normal to produce different ammounts and as far as I know there is nothing you can do about it.....

Congrats on your baby and breastfeeding!

I know the AAP is recommending a supplement of vitamin D, at the minimum, these days, especially for kids in our area. I breastfed my boys, and never supplemented, but w/ #2, we were VERY sick his first winter and now that they're on regular multis, I've wondered what a small supplement would have done for my poor baby. So far, we've been healthier...anyway--I'd talk to your doc and see exactly what he wants to put baby on. If you eat VERY well, you're probably fine, minus the D, but I guess I don't totally trust my diet to be VERY healthy and completely full of the nutrition I need, not to mention what my baby needs.

Our Dr prescribed them as well, and I recommend giving them to your daughter. I didn't keep up with them for my son, and he never really ate much solid foods (to this day he still doesn't, he mostly nurses). Anyway, he ended up being very low in Iron and I think that could have been avoided had I given him the multi-vitamin. Now he does take a chewable multi with 90% iron every day.

It's common for a strictly breastfed baby. I had them for mine. It's to help supplement a vitamin which is not in bresatmilk, but would be in formula. Also the sun helps produce this vitamin in our body and it's harder to come by in the winter.
Are you switching the breat you start on each time. That's suppose to help. Babies drink more on the first breast their put on usually.

Our pediatrition recommended vitamins for both of our babies while they were breastfed. I understand that a few vitamins are not provided in breastmilk and that is why.

In regards to nursing, try to nurse on the "weak" breast first, and then finish on the fuller breast - this will help to stimulate that side to produce more milk. Good luck!