Breastfeeding, hypothyroidism and low vitamin D

by Stacy
(Texas)

I stumbled across your site while researching the safety of Vitamin D and Breastfeeding. I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism which is now controlled with synthroid and was also told my vitamin d levels were low at 31 and they should be between 60-80.

They told me to start 10,000 IU of Vitamin d per day. I already take a prenatal that has 400 and calcium that has 400. That's at minimun 10,800 per day. My daughter only has 1 kidney and I have concerns about getting too much vitamin d in my milk and it affecting her kidney.

Maybe I am overthinking things. I have yet to find a doctor for myself that is worth anything. I was told that vitamin D is natural and you cannot overdose. From research I know that is simply not true.

I would appreciate whatever advise you could give.

Thank you in advance!! :-)

Breastfeeding Mom and Vitamin D

I am a breastfeeding mom of a 3 1/2 month old. I am just now learning about low vitamin D levels in breastfed babies. When I asked my doctor she said that I should be taking 5,000 IU's a day and that should be all my baby needs.

However according to the research that's still not enough. Can I keep taking the 5,000 IU's and also give my baby the 400 IU supplement without overdosing him on it?
Thanks for you help!!
Sara

Breastfeeding while taking 50000 IU of Vitamin D/ week

by Cheryl
(Buffalo, NY)

Is it safe to take 50,000 IU of Vitamin D2 / week while breastfeeding? My pediatrician says it is okay. He also said to keep giving her the 400IU drops/day. This seems like a lot. I am worried about her getting too much. Not sure what to do. Please help.

______________________________________________-


Hi Cheryl,

Not only is it safe, even if you were NOT deficient you should be taking that same dose of Vitamin D because your baby is simply not getting any vitamin d AT ALL without taking 6400 IU's of vitamin d per day.

Please read my page on Breastfeeding and Vitamin D to see the chart that I made on the vitamin d content of breast milk in different studies.

And YES YES you should keep giving her the 400 IU's per day as well, because it's going to take you almost 6 months to build up your breast milk vitamin d enough for her to be getting all the vitamin d that she needs from YOU. And remember, she is going to be extremely deficient too- so the small amount of vitamin d that she might be getting in your breast milk are going to be helpful for her to 'Catch up' on her levels too!!

Also, you should ask your doctor why she didn't check you for vitamin d deficiency while you were pregnant. Inn 2009, the American Academy of Pediatrics made a recommendation that all pregnant mothers have their vitamin d levels tested because of the health implications that low vitamin d has for developing babies.

And another study on Vitamin D recommends Pregnant Women Take 4000 IU's of Vitamin D Per Day. And that study is on the American Academy of Pediatrics website, so she can't be ignorant of this!! Yet another study showed that a random sampling of pregnant women showed that a full 75% of Pregnant Women Were Vitamin D Deficient.

Also, please see my blog post on Vitamin D During Pregnancy and ask your doctor why she put your baby at risk for health problems for her entire life by not following the 'Standard of Care' that was implemented by the AAP!!

Yes, vitamin d REALLY is that important!!


So, not ONLY is it 'Safe' for you to take that much and for your baby to get extra supplementation, it's absolutely imperative that you do!!




Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System

 

PS: If you found this website helpful, please consider using the
Easy Immune Health Product Store the next time you purchase your supplements online. Thank you for visiting my site!

Breastfeeding Mom with Eczema and Vitamin D

by Brooke

When my daughter was born I got eczema horribly. I exclusively breastfed for 6 months and then continued until she was a year. Less than two months after stopping breastfeeding, I got pregnant again and my eczema got worse and worse. I want to take vitamin D as i don't get in the sun very much. Can low cases of Vitamin D cause eczema?

Is breastfeeding the cause of my Vitamin D deficiency?

by Breastfeeding momma
(Kentucky)

Since the birth of my daughter 8 months ago I have had bad hip bone/joint pain, spinal pain, and rib pain and I have had no answers until now. I got my Vitamin D checked (resulting from a visit for increased blood pressure which is also new to me) and it is a whopping 5.7. (all other bloodwork came back normal.)

I was prescribed 50,000 units of D2 once a week for 8 weeks and then retest. I'm thinking that's too low of a dose. If I were to buy D3 supplements should I just take one a day (at 5,000 units each)?? I'm going for a second opinion in a week and hope this doctor will approve of the D3 instead of the prescribed D2. Also, I am wondering what in the world has caused my D to drop to such a low level?

I have a hard time believing it is just a lack of sunlight. Could nursing have depleted my stores? And finally, can I reverse any damage that has been done by restoring and maintaining appropriate levels of Vitamin D?

I'm now terrified of any long-term effects (cancer, MS, all of those other scary diseases they say a lack of vitamin D is linked to) from this.

I now have my nursing daughter on a multi-vitamin. Her pediatrician said it wasn't necessary to test her Vitamin D levels.

Can I Take Vitamin D Supplements While Breastfeeding

by Stacy Wilson
(Lindsborg,KS )

I am a breastfeeding mom and was recently found to have a Vitamin D level of 23. I was checked after a lot of bone pain and feeling unwell.
My doctor wants me to take 50,000 of vitamin d supplements every day, but that scares me so I am taking it every other day.

I need to know if it is safe to nurse my baby once every 24 hours, the rest of the time formula.

Breastfeeding a Toddler by Ko