A question I run into a lot when speaking with soon-to-be parents is, “Do I need to supplement vitamin D to my newborn?” There is not one good answer for this question, as every person’s body and needs are different. There are several different factors to take into consideration when deciding whether you should supplement vitamin D to your baby. A few things covered in today’s post will be: discussing what those factors are, the risks of having low vitamin D, a few natural ways to supplement, and so much more!
What is vitamin D used for?
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for overall health of the body. It’s probably best known for is its association with bone health. This is because vitamin D is essential for calcium to be properly absorbed by the body. And calcium is essential to our bone health.
Newborns (and babies in general) have different needs than the rest of us, therefore their vitamin D needs also differ.
Why does my newborn need vitamin D?
Vitamin D deficiency is usually associated with jaundice in newborns. What a baby is born, sometimes their liver isn’t mature enough to flush out the bilirubin (toxins or bodily waste) from the blood. This could result in yellowing of the eyes, lots of extra sleepiness, and (in some extreme cases) brain damage. That sound super scary, but your babies in ability to flush out jaundice doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with your baby. Their liver just isn’t mature enough to flush things properly, and they may need a little extra help. This is where vitamin D comes into play.
Different ways to supplement vitamin D to a newborn
Aside from asking your doctor about light therapy, there are several different ways to support your infants body if they’re experiencing high levels of bilirubin.
Spend a lot of time in the sun:
The human body is an amazing machine. We are able to absorb sunlight through our skin and convert it into vitamin D. Nowadays, some people are afraid of unprotected exposure to the sun. While there is validity to that fear, 20 minutes of unprotected sunexposure is not going to result in issues such as skin cancer. The fear of sunburn shouldn’t outweigh the benefits of using natural sunlight to help flush the body of toxins such as bilirubin. That being said, never leave your baby in the sun for more than the safe amount of time approved by your doctor. Babies have very sensitive skin and they can easily burn if left in direct sunlight for too long.
For lighter skinned people, 15 to 20 minutes of direct sun to skin exposure results in 10,000 to 20,000 IUs of vitamin D. That is a lot of vitamin D! And it can be so beneficial to the body. Darker skinned people require nearly 4 times the length of sun exposure because of the increased pigmentation in their skin. Therefore, 45 to 60 minutes of sun exposure would be needed to get the same 10,000 to 20,000 IUs of vitamin D. Because of that time difference, it may be wise to break that time up into shorter increments.
Try 15 minutes in the early morning, 15 minutes in the afternoon, and 15 minutes in the evening. Breaking up the amount of time you are sitting in the sun will help protect you from sunburn and allow your body to break down the sunlight and convert it into the vitamin D your system needs. Either way, always consult your healthcare provider before putting your baby in direct sunlight.
If you breastfeed, take a vitamin D supplement:
Breastmilk is a liquid, therefore it can dilute the amount of vitamin D getting to your baby. Because of this, you may need to specifically supplement a higher dose to make sure you are consuming the amount that you need to supplement to your baby. This means that you will need a higher dose than you would if you were just taking a supplement for yourself.
Seeing as you have just completed pregnancy (where your vitamin D stores have probably been broken down and used to grow your baby) you probably need a higher amount than most people would. Maternal supplementation can certainly ensure adequate amount of vitamin D for both mother and baby. Even if you’re still taking a prenatal vitamin, you may need further supplementation to make a difference for your baby. If you are unsure as to your own supplemental needs, ask your doctor for a blood test to show you how much vitamin D you may need. You may need close to 10,000 IUs in one day to cover both you and your baby. You never know unless you check with your doctor or midwife first.
Infant supplementation
If your doctor or midwife recommends that you directly supplement your baby, there are several reasons why they might give that recommendation.
Such as:
- Your baby was born in the winter and you’re probably not spending a ton of time out in the sun.
- Your baby is born in the summer and sunscreen is constantly used, so they are not benefiting from the sunlight.
- If you’re not supplementing vitamin D or have chosen not to breastfeed.
In these cases, your infant could possibly benefit quite a bit from being personally supplemented. You can ask your pediatrician, doctor, or midwife to recommend you a good infant supplement. I really like this one!
Ideas for infant supplementation
If you’re wondering, “How old earth do I get my newborn to take a vitamin??” Don’t worry, it’s not that hard!
A couple different things you can try are:
- Using a dropper and placing it halfway inside the side of the cheek, not at the back of the throat.
- You can try placing the dose directly in the mouth when baby is relaxed.
- Put the supplement drops directly on your nipples before breastfeeding
- Try mixing the supplement drops directly into a bottle or dropper full of breast milk (or formula)
- Place the supplement drops on the nipple of your babies pacifier before placing it in their mouth
- Or just cut out the middle man and just try this pacifier medicine dropper.
“I formula feed. Isn’t there enough vitamin D in the baby’s formula?”
Vitamin D in formula is almost always a synthetic version of the real thing. This means that it might benefit your child, but it ultimately isn’t going to have the same effect that the pure form would have. There is no shame in formula feeding, I have used formula with my own children. Many times, people assume that naturally-minded doulas think that formula isn’t sufficient in any way. That is simply untrue, many babies can only survive on formula and it’s amazing that we have the option to formula feed.
Just because your formula can says that it contains the amount of vitamin D your baby will need, doesn’t mean that it truly does. In theory, it does contain the amount needed, but if your baby’s body can’t break it down because it’s synthetic and not pure, your baby may still need further supplementation. Be sure to mention this to your medial provider when you ask about vitamin D supplementation. It truly never hurts to ask!
In Conclusion,
No matter how you choose to supplement vitamin D, make sure you always ask your pediatrician, doctor, or midwife before attempting to give your baby any kind of medicine. If your baby displays jaundice-like symptoms, don’t hesitate to ask the doctor about vitamin D supplementation. Almost everyone nowadays is deficient in vitamins and minerals, so it certainly can’t hurt to ask about supplementing extra vitamin D.
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