I just finished reading  my January/February 1997 issue of the Journal of
Perinatology.  They reported on  *Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant and
Breast-feeding Women and their Infants.*  They studied five infants brought
in for hospitalization in Vancouver, Canada,  and found to have low serum
levels of total calcium and symptomatic vitamin D deficiency. "Four infants
were totally breast fed and the fifth at age 15 months received most of his
nutrition from breast milk. Four of the infants were light skinned and all
had poor sunlight exposure. "  All of the mothers had diets deficient in
vitamin D and Ca, and either low or absent of dairy intake.They summarized
that "regardless of race, lactating mothers with poor sunlight exposure who
avoid dairy products may have vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D in breast milk
correlates with maternal levels of vitamin D. Mothers who are deficient in
Vitamin D would be expected to have low levels of vitamin D in their milk,
perhaps placing their infants at increasted risk for vitamin D deficiency.
.....(and) indicates that all mothers of infants with vitamin D deficiency
should themselves be studied for vitamin D deficiency. ..Lactating mothers
with poor sunshine exposure who avoid dairy products should receive vitamin D
supplimentation, as should their infants....."

I thought this was an interesting article. They nowhere said to stop
breastfeeding to cure the vitamin D or Ca  deficiency. However, if you have
any problems with these findings, remember, I am just the messenger here,
folks, so if you have any discussion or questions about this article, I would
be happy to e-mail you the journal's address.

Debbie Rabin, OTR, CLC
Los Angeles, CA