Question Regarding Supplemental Vitamins for Breastfed Infants

Hi K., I had the same problem. Someone recommended getting the pharmacy to add a flavoring to it so my babies wouldn't spit it out. My pediatrician said that "Barkeepers Friend" would remove the stains. It is located in the cleaning section of the grocery store on the bottom shelf. It comes in a can that looks like Comet. Good luck!

K.,
If you continue to give her the poly-vi-sol, I recommend giving it to her when she is in the bath, so that it won't stain when she spits up.

K. et al:

SORRY, it is TOTALLY (sorry to scream) unnecessary to be gving supplemental vitamins to exclusively breastfed infants and it may be detrimental.

Breastmilk contains ALL that a babies needs, in the right proportions and is bioavailable.

Additional vitamins a) are not bioavailable, and b) compete for binding sits with the bioavailable vitamins.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com

I would ask you doctor this:
1. What research does he/she have to support the idea that a breast fed baby needs supplements? If that research is sponsored by a formula company I would toss it out the window.
2. What research does the doc have to show that your baby is not getting all that they need from your breast milk? Contact La Leche for more support on this matter.
3. How many breast fed babies are lacking in immune function or development due to lack of outside supplementation. I think they will stand there speechless. Your breast milk has everything that your baby needs. Unless your child is dealing with a particular disease that they NEED extra supplementation-then I understand. Sounds like another way that these companies get rich off of us!

Dear K.,

When I breastfeed both of my children, I supplemented with a vitamin that I could actually put into the breastmilk. I got it from Shaklee. I bought some and took it to my peds and they said it would work. It is for infants and toddlers. When my kids were a little older I would put the mix in with the juice or milk. My kids loved it. I never had a problem with them taking it. It is a powder and never stained my kids clothes. Shaklee products are not sold in stores and are all natural. If you want to try some please let me know. I will help you.
B.

We give my son TriViSol without iron. The Poly is for formula fed babies, the Tri is just Vits A, D, and ... I don't know what the third is. I don't think they really need it but I guess it can't hurt.

Hi K.,
I have a wonderful, smart pediatrician whose opinion I completely trust, and though I exclusively breastfed for 8 mths I was never advised to supplement with vitamins, and neither were any of my breastfeeding friends told to do this. If you're eating well and baby gets outside for a little vitamin D, I don't think your baby's health should suffer w/o the vitamin drops. But of course, talk to your baby's doctor. And btw I totally agree about the additives/dyes. My 1 y.o. daughter had to go on strawberry-flavored antibiotics for an ear infection, which seemed so odd to me, since she has never tasted candy. There is a big discussion about this in the U.K. right now, since they discovered that artificial colors and flavors that are banned in candy for children under 3 are still being used in medication...

I didn't and wouldn't give any supplmental vitamins when breastfeeding. While it's true that breastmilk has less iron and less of some minerals in it, what it in breastmilk is more efficiently used. Meaning that formula has tons of iron and other vitamins/minerals and most of them end up being excreted from the body. Breastmilk has less but more of it is used. I think this use of supplemental vitamins is a throwback to when medicine felt that formula feeding was best and breastfeeding was inferior. Good luck with your baby and do what feels right to you.

My daughter was exclusively breastfed also and I never gave her vitamins and she is doing great. I would question your ped on why she wants to giver your baby them. I don't see any need to give her something at this age. Breastfeeding is more than sufficient for her developement.

There really should be no need for a breastfed baby to have a supplement unless she is anemic or there is another medical concern. Your breastmilk contains all of the vitamins and nutrients your baby needs! Just make sure you continue to take your prenatal vitamins--and take extra calcium and vitamin D because nursing leeches calcium from your bones.
Good luck to you!

Hi K.,
My little guy hated those too...who is now 5 mo. but Gerber makes a multivitamin that was suggested to me as "the better tasting" vitamins... Vitamin Drops with Vitamin D. It took me a long time to find them. Finally, I found it at Jewel in the baby isle after asking them if they carried it ( a week later they had it) and my pediatrician suggested that I could find it at Target. They do need their vitamins...even if they taste bad...:0) Hope this helps.

J.

my son's dr. also recommended polyvisol bc he was exlusively breastfed. unfortunately, there's nothing better out there and we had to force it down it throat. our saving grace was that the vitamins stained his teeth, so we got the ok to stop. he's now 2 and takes gummy vitamins, but all the other moms i know who also exclusively breastfed did not have to give this vitamin. so maybe you can ask your dr. to rethink giving to her.
good luck!

Hi K.,

Didn't read all the posts, but am wondering why you need to supplement? I nursed our first for a year and we just had our second last week who is nursing exclusively for the next year...neither my ob or my pedi said anything about supplements. I did continue to take MY prenatal vitamins and am doing the same thing this time.

Congrats on your decision to breastfeed. It can be a lot of "work" at times but is an amazing experience. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

hi, my question for you is why is your md wanting you to given her vitamins. YOur breasmilk is the perfect food, you shouldn't have to supplement her with anything. However you should still be taking your prenatal vitamins. If it's unknown I would strongly question his(her) advice. I'm a pediatric rn and mom to a 8 month old and to my knowledge there isn't any other type of vitamin that is better tasting.

I myself Fear the Poly-Vi-Sol... it did not agree with any of my kids and so I tried it for myself and had quite an upset stomach!! Did they mention a little too high a dose can seriously stain the teethe?? Not to mention high iron is just not good for little people and can actually cause serious heart and other problems if it is very high. An excellent formula should be enough until they are old enough to take those adorable Gummy Bear vitamins that are soft and chewable! Plus, the dentist can order flouride droplets or chewable tablets if you have well water instead of city!! Always go the organic-natural route if you can!

We also had to give our daught er the Tri Vi Sol. She tolerated the no iron better than with iron. (and the iron is what stains the teeth) We had better luck giving it to her in two smaller doses twice a day than 1 ml all at once. Good luck!

Hi, I'm a mom of 5. I've breastfed all my children and also supplemented with vitamin Poly-Vi-Sol. My children as like your daughter did not like the taste, so I use to pump my milk into a bottle and add the vitamin to my milk. I know you may not want your daughter to drink from a bottle, but it's the only thing that worked for me. So basically one of my sons/daughters feedings came from a bottle. Try it, it may actually help. Good Luck

K.
____@____.com

My dr. does not believe in vitamins, if your child is given a healthy diet. I breast fed both my girls, no vitamins. I ate healthy and took my prenatal vitamin throughout my nursing year.

Good luck! Remember to trust your motherly gut, it is almost always right!
K.

Breastmilk is wonderful but it is lacking one big important vitamin... Vitamin D which is why your doc prescribed it to your son. When I was solely nursing we were on 1ml a day and now that I am half/half...actually more like 2/3, 1/3 they are getting 1/2ml and probably at their 9 month appt the doc might cut it out since they get it through formula. I was lucky - my kids will take anything. Although just this last week my son is putting up a fight with the vitamins, his iron supplement and reflux. But what helps is to mix it with some expressed breastmilk if you can. I found that to be hard to we would at least put it in a nipple for them and that helped...and certainly helped with them not getting it everywhere. Good luck! And congrats!

K.-
I know these vitamins taste horrible! I had to give them to my little ones as well. I pumped a little and added it to their milk through a nipple. If you don't want to do that, they have pacifiers that are for medicine that work pretty well. They won't stop her from spitting it out though. One thing they did when the babies were in the hospital was to give a tiny amount, then give them a paci to suck on so they swallowed it. Maybe that will help.
They don't add color to the vitamins, that is the color the vitamins are in natural form. They are coming out with a colorless vitamin, but I'm not sure if it is available yet. Good luck.

I read some responses to your post and I had a couple of comments. I too am giving my exclusively breastfed baby the same vitamens. Although my son takes them very well. My doctor told me the reason was the season. Basically he said that because my son was born in winter (november 25th 2006), he isn't getting enough Vitamen D in his diet since he is not out in the son. Now that the weather is gettng better and he will be spending more time outside in the son I plan on stopping the vitamins.

In response to you question, We give our son a bath everynight as part of our night time routine because he loves his bath, and I give him the vitamins during his bath so that there is no chance of getting on any of his clothes. You can always ask your doctor what he recommends if your baby spits them out.

A. (like the way you spelled your daughter's name :) )

Hi K.,
I breastfeed my son for 25 months and never had to give him a supplemental vitamin. I was lucky to have a very helpful lactatian consultant through my hospital. She told moms in our support group many times that unless the baby is tested (via blood test) and is deficient in a nutrient in her opinion and experience, then the baby should not need any supplements and should get everything they need from your breastmilk. If you are interested in talking to this lactation consultant/nurse her name is Lisa Moi and she works through St. Alexius Hospital in Hoffman Estates. The hospital phone number is: ###-###-####, ask for the Lacation Consultants extention. She is very helpful with questions. Hope this is able to help you some. Good luck and be proud of yourself for breastfeeding!! N. (mom of a 2 1/2 year old boy and due in Oct. with number 2)

I exclusively breastfed my son too. However my doctor did not have us start the poly-vi-sol until he was about 6mo and was starting solids. He is 23mo and stills takes poly-vi-sol. The only way we could get it in was to mix it in food (cereal when he was younger) or in his milk. We put it in the first cup of the day and he drinks it right up. Poly-vi-sol is the best brand out there, what is staining the clothes is the iron in it. You can try the non-iron kind, which also is supposed to taste better. The other suggestion is if she is eating well and gaining weight and her iron is normal, I would ask the doctor if you can hold off on giving vitamins until she is a little older.

I don't want to sound like a Doctor's worst nightmare but change Doctors. There is no need to give your child Tri-Vol-Sol if you are not anemic yourself. My daughter is one today and has been exclusively breastfed for the last year and we are not stopping anytime soon and she has never had a drop of vitamins. Make sure that you are on a good pre-natal, b vitamin and keep taking your folic acid. I would also include an acidophilus to keep yeast down in your stomach/breast/vagina and in the babies tummy. My Ped is Dr. Minkus out of ENH in Evanston or HomeFirst has great Doctors. Your PED is probably not the best at understanding what breastmilk contains and why babies don't need supplements if that is all that they are eating. You can also get some help from your local La Leche League. http://www.lalecheleague.org/
You are doing everything right and if you don't want gas issues or a baby with colic, I would stay away from iron vitamins unless you are anemic yourself but our breastmilk is a wonderful thing. This might sound funny but being a Mom is not a given it is a learning curve...I put breastmilk in my daughter's eye when her tear duct was blocked and it went away. I also put breastmilk in her ears and the next day, the excess wax is at your fingertips. Good luck and you are doing a great job and make sure you have a good pump if you plan to keep the relationship going after you go back to work. I love my Ameda Purley Yours. If you have any q's please let me know.

Hi K.!
Good for you for breastfeeding and for questioning what your doctor tells you. I have a 6 month old who is exclusively breast fed (we recently started fruits and veggies), but were told the same thing about the new studies and the vitamin D.

I have a background in nutrition and yes, there ARE better things out there. The poly-vi-sol has several additives and is made from synthetic ingerdients. We use Shaklee vitamins. The infant vitamin is in a powder - no dyes or anything bad in it. I also have a comparison chart that shows that it actually has more vitamins in it than the poly/tri-vi-sol.

My mom watches my kids 1 day a week, so he gets bottles one day a week and she mixes the powder into one of his bottles. And now that its getting nicer, I am hoping that the sun will do its part too in helping him get more D!

Don't let the doctors bully you into giving your child something that you don't agree with. Do your research and know what you are putting into your childs body. Doctors have about 6 hours of nutrition education the entire time they are in med school. They don't know everything when it comes to supplements.

If you'd like more info on the Shaklee vitamins, let me know!
B.

hi K.! send my friend kyria an email, ____@____.com
she's a nutrition consultant and can probably get your questions answered!

also, (ha!) i see youre DREADING going back to work! don't blame, you! i just left an office job i had for 7yrs in dec to start my own event planning bizz.... do you want some info on doing something from home? i work with reps from a few different companies and can see if there's something that interests you, just let me know!

Hi K.,
I have 3 children (7, 4, & 2). All three were breastfed. In all honesty I never gave any of them any "additional" vitamins. Their pediatrician also recommended the same vitamins as yours; however, I felt uncomfortable giving them something "extra". I contacted my local LeLeche Group and was assured that my breastmilk provided them all the necessary vitamins and nutrients they needed (mankind survived without vitamins). All three of my children are wonderful healthy children!!!! I ate well/healthy to make sure I was providing the best milk possible!!!! I hope this makes sense. Good luck and congrats on your new addition!!!!
R.

Hi K.,

When I read your post, it sounded exactly what I went through 7 years ago. My son screamed and spit up when I gave him the Poly-Vi-Sol, and it got all over him and me and made a mess. And I felt horrible giving the vitamins to him. He would see the eyedropper come out and would start screaming. I even tried pumping milk and giving it to him mixed with breastmilk in the bottle - and he would refuse the bottle with the Poly-Vi-Sol in it! Which is so upsetting because a) he still didn't take his vitamins, and b) I had to throw out breastmilk that I worked hard to pump! So I just stopped doing it. And both my son and I felt lots better about everything!

My pediatrician recommended the vitamins to my other babies as well, and the only reason for it is that they were exclusively breastfed. And with my younger kids I didn't even try the vitamins, because of the bad experience with my son. And all three of my kids are fine (ages 7, 5, and 2).

I don't normally recommend ignoring a doctor's advice, but in this case, I do. Breastmilk is meant for babies, and is loaded with vitamins. If you're worried about vitamins, ask you doctor if you should take supplemental vitamins - they'll make it into your milk, and your baby won't even notice!

Hope this helps, follow your instincts, and good luck!

I really don't have any other vitamen suggestions, but as far as giving them to her the only thing I can suggest is using the same bib/burp cloth when you are going to give them to her. Just wash them and use them again, thay way your not staining everything. And maybe take her shirt off. Good luck!

Your daughter should be getting all she needs from your breastmilk. There is NO need to supplement a healthy child. Many ped's recommend vitamins to all their patients because formula fed babies usually need it.

If you would like to use vitamins I'd recommend Nature's Plus Baby Plex. It is all natural, sugar/dye free and comes in a natural orange flavor.

You do not need to be giving your baby supplemental vitamins if you are breastfeeding and eating properly. Your milk is perfectly concocted by nature to have what it needs as long as you are taking care of yourself. PPl. did not have multivitamin drops until maybe the past few years - our parents didn't suffer brain damage or lack of intellect without it. Go figure? I think you are ok and you should ask another opinion. If your daughter hates them then esp. why give them? Good luck and maybe talk to a lactation consultant before the doctor. Just a thought. And...WAY TO GO FOR BREASTFEEDING YOUR BABY!!!

Hi K.

Was your daughter born very prematurely? If not, you may want to ask your Dr. what his/her specific concerns are that are requiring your daughter to take supplemental vitamins, as most research and even the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest this is not necessary for full-term, exclusively breastfed babies. Here are some links with more information:

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamins.html

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T023400.asp

If you have specific concerns regarding vitamins for your daughter, you should know that research has shown that giving the breastfeeding mom extra vitamins and/or improvng her diet is more effective than giving the baby vitamins. The mom's body is able to turn those vitamins into a more user-friendly version for baby in the breastmilk.

I have two babes who have been exclusively breastfed and did not require vitamins. Both are now exceptionally healthy. Your milk is a complete and perfect food source for your daughter.

I'm sorry I didn't respond to your specific concerns regarding administering the vitamins, but I thought I would share the information regarding the necessity of supplementing. Hope this was helpful.

Best of luck,

A.