Our belief was that breast milk was deficient in vitamin D due solely to lack of solar exposure and dietary recommendations for vitamin D put forth in recent decades.“ (Pediatrics, 2015)īreastmilk is SUPPOSED to have enough vitamin D in it for you and baby, but if you are not taking in enough vitamin D, there’s simply not enough to transfer into breastmilk. Would nature allow so little vitamin D in breast milk that the nursing infant would develop rickets from ingesting it? We did not believe so. “From the standpoint of nature, low vitamin D content in breast milk is an odd circumstance. Why would breastmilk be a poor source of vitamin D?īecause most women don’t get enough themselves!Īs vitamin D researcher, Dr. This has led some to believe that vitamin D doesn’t transfer to breastmilk in sufficient quantities, but that’s an uneducated conclusion. Although reducing sun exposure is important for preventing cancer, it also decreases the amount of vitamin D that a person can make from sunlight.Studies on the vitamin D content of breastmilk show that most women’s milk is low in vitamin D. The risk for vitamin D deficiency is increased when there is limited exposure to sunlight or when an infant is not consuming an adequate amount of vitamin D. Why are infants at risk for vitamin D deficiency? Once a child has started eating solid foods, parents can make sure their child is getting enough vitamin D from foods or supplements. Families who do not wish to provide a supplement directly to their infant should discuss with a healthcare provider the risks and benefits of maternal high dose supplementation options.

To avoid developing a vitamin D deficiency, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend breastfed and partially breastfed infants be supplemented with 400 IU per day of vitamin D beginning in the first few days of life. Shortly after birth, most infants will need an additional source of vitamin D.

Do infants get enough vitamin D from breast milk?īreast milk alone does not provide infants with an adequate amount of vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency rickets among breastfed infants is rare, but it can occur if an infant does not receive additional vitamin D from foods, a vitamin D supplement, or adequate exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is needed to support healthy bone development and to prevent rickets, a condition that causes weak or deformed bones.

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