Dear colleagues:
I'm currently no-mail from Lactnet, but I noticed the conversation on vitamin D when I stopped in for a visit today. One of my concerns about a universal recommendation for vitamin D supplementation of breastfed infants centers around the lack of information on its overall impact. Here's an excerpt from my article, "Sunlight Deficiency: A Review of the Literature."
"In addition, the effects of universal recommendation of vitamin D supplementation on breastfeeding beliefs and behaviors (e.g., use of other supplements, premature introduction of other foods, weaning) have not been studied. No one knows how vitamin D supplementation affects the likelihood of other types of supplementation. Some breastfeeding mothers may see no difference between the feeding of a vitamin D supplement and the feeding of a small amount of another liquid or food. Some breastfeeding mothers may see universal supplementation as evidence that breastfeeding is inadequate. The importance of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life, however, is well supported.103 If mothers-or other caregivers-see no difference between vitamin drops and other supplementation or believe that human milk is inadequate because supplements are recommended for all breastfed infants, then recommendations of universal vitamin D supplementation could indirectly serve to increase the
risk of illness and disease for many infants, including those not at risk for vitamin D deficiency."
Vitamin D supplementation of the breastfed infant is a complex, global, and controversial issue. So complex that it took me a few years to thoroughly review the literature and write the articles that I wrote on vitamin D. If anyone has questions about how to talk about sunlight deficiency with breastfeeding mothers, they might want to take a look at these publications. They are all available on-line via my website.
Good Mojab, C. Sunlight deficiency: Helping breastfeeding mothers find the facts. Leaven 2003;39(4):75-79.
Good Mojab, C. Sunlight deficiency and breastfeeding. Breastfeeding Abstracts 2002; 22(1):3-4.
Good Mojab, C. Sunlight deficienc: A review of the literature. Mothering 2003; 177:52-55; 57-63.
I also have a "Frequently Asked Questions" section on the vitamin D page of my website.
Since I'm no-mail, if you want to reply, don't forget to carbon copy me if you want to be sure I see your response.
Cynthia
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Cynthia Good Mojab, MS clinical psychology, IBCLC, RLC, CATSM
LifeCircle Counseling and Consulting, LLC
Website: www.lifecirclecc.com
Phone: 503-615-0845
Email: [log in to unmask]
Ammawell
Website: http://home.comcast.net/~ammawell
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