Breast milk alone doesn't provide babies with an adequate amount of vitamin D. Soon after birth, most babies will need an additional source of vitamin D. Vitamin A is needed for healthy vision. Breast milk contains enough vitamin A for your child.
Colostrum, the breast milk that the body produces during the first few days of breastfeeding, contains twice as much vitamin A as mature or transitional breast milk. These higher levels of vitamin A, especially beta-carotene, are what give colostrum its yellow-orange color. Formula-fed babies may need extra vitamin A, but breastfed children don't. In most cases, it's okay to take mineral supplements like iron, calcium, and copper.
These factors are not known to affect breast milk levels. Water-soluble supplements, such as vitamin C, are known to increase breast milk levels. With any supplement, the most important thing is to talk to your doctor to make sure that your breast milk is optimal for your baby's development. You don't need to take additional vitamin C supplements or supplement your breastfed baby with vitamin C.
There is vitamin D in breast milk, but levels vary depending on how much vitamin D a nursing parent eats. If you follow a healthy diet, breast milk should contain most of the vitamins your baby needs. Smoking reduces the amount of vitamin C in breast milk, so if you smoke you will have lower levels and you may need to add more citrus fruits or a daily vitamin C supplement to your diet. After giving a dose of vitamin K at birth, healthy breast-fed babies don't need any additional vitamin K supplements.
In countries like the United States, it's rare for a healthy person to drink breast milk that doesn't contain these vitamins. In addition to making healthy food choices, you can continue to take prenatal vitamins and any other supplements your doctor recommends. Some moms take vitamin D to make sure their babies get enough of this essential nutrient for healthy bones. It's also important to remember to eat calcium-rich foods, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, and dark green leafy vegetables, while breastfeeding.
Infant formula is fortified with vitamin D, but if your child is breastfed, your child may not be getting enough of this important vitamin. More attention needs to be paid to supplementation to improve the vitamin D level of nursing mothers and babies when exposure to sunlight is restricted. As long as you follow a diet that meets your daily needs for vitamin B-12, calcium, and zinc, your baby will also get all the benefits of a healthy diet. Because of these factors, along with the protective measures that many people take against sun exposure, they may not have enough vitamin D in their breast milk.
In addition, when a healthy father breastfeeds a healthy baby to term, the levels of these vitamins in breast milk meet the recommended daily levels. However, if there are questions about your own vitamin K levels, your doctor will prescribe supplements to increase the levels of vitamin K in your breast milk.
