Supplements
How important is Vitamin D?
Recommendations for Vitamin D supplementation have changed in recent years. Please talk to your caregiver about requirements for you and your baby.
Do I need to give my breastfed baby fluoride? Does the fluoride in the water that I am drinking go to my baby?
Breast milk has extremely low levels of fluoride. Mothers who drink water with high levels of fluoride still make milk with the same level as mothers who drink water with low levels. This suggests that the human body is protecting the infant from the effects of too much fluoride. The ADA (American Academy of Dentistry) recommends that breastfed babies not be supplemented until starting solid foods at 6 months. Then, if they have no fluoride in their drinking water, a fluoride supplement should be given. If the baby gets any water at all (baby-sitter, etc) or receives any infant formula, no supplement should be given because the baby gets sufficient fluoride in that tiny amount of water or formula. Breast milk contains immunologic factors which protect against dental diseases. Risk of fluorosis is another reason why formula is hazardous to infant health.
Is it OK to supplement with formula?
Even if offered after breastfeeding, the formula will result in the baby’s demanding less breast milk throughout the day. Supplemental feedings in the early weeks of life will interfere with establishing a good milk supply. Parents should anticipate growth spurts and a sudden need for more frequent or longer feedings is not a need for formula or solids. Simply nursing your baby more frequently will cause you to produce milk to meet the demand.
|
