Carol Huotari of the CBI has issued the following response:-
4/9/03
The AAP has come out with an updated report on the need for supplemental
Vitamin D for the exclusively breastfed baby. Their statement was published in the April 2003 issue of the medical journal, Pediatrics. There is sure to be some questions about this, as it is being covered in the media. Those who contact us should receive consistent information, and the items below can be part of what is shared:
1. Vitamin D is actually a hormone which our bodies metabolize from the sun. The real concern is for the decreased amount of sunlight to which babies are exposed. The concern is particularly directed at infants with darker skin, infants who are covered up, infants whose mothers are covered up as a part of their cultural beliefs or whose mothers have vitamin D deficits, and for infants who live in areas to the far north, where there is reduced sunlight.
2. The American Academy of Pediatrics is treating the issue of Vitamin D supplementation as a public health issue, with blanket recommendations for all populations. Parents may choose to educate themselves on this issue, keeping into consideration their child's own possible risk factors, and in consultation with their own health care provider, decide if their child requires Vitamin D supplementation or not.
3. Additional information on this subject can be obtained from The
Breastfeeding Answer Book, Breastfeeding Abstracts 2002-11 and the current Mothering Magazine, with articles on this subject by Katherine Barber and Mishawn Purnell-O'Neill of the African American Breastfeeding Alliance, and an accompanying article by LLL Leader Cynthia Good-Mojab.
4. If a mother chooses to use natural means to increase her baby's Vitamin D, the baby who is six months or older can be placed in indirect sunlight for a total of 30 minutes per week clothed in a diaper, or for a total of 2 hours per week fully clothed, without a hat. Darkly pigmented infants may require 3-6 times the sunlight exposure of lightly pigmented infants. Excessive sunlight exposure can cause skin cancer at a later time, so the baby should not be exposed unnecessarily.
Norma Ritter, RLC, IBCLC
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