yes ds is breastfed full time and I thought he'd be getting everything from my milk especially if I was taking vitamins myself. But the pead said he recommended supplements regardless of breastfeeding or formula feeding. I kinda like the idea as I'm big on taking my vitamins so it only makes sense that he would have one too when he starts solids or is not having breast milk anymore even if we are feeding him what we eat. I will need to give him iron anyway as we are vegetarian and I want to make sure he's getting enough so I may as well give a multivitamin at the same time. At first I thought he may of only been suggesting this because we are vego but he is very supportive of a vegetarian diet even during pregnancy and he said he suggests this for every baby especially prem babies.
DD1 was formula feed and started solids at 4months and the pead never said anything about her needing any vitamin supplements what so ever! so she has never had them! and i actually asked the chemist the other day, just because i was looking for me and happened to see kids stuff and the chemist said that unless she was showing signs of malnurishment etc than there was no need for her to be on any vitamins?!
Breastmilk has everything they need for now, including iron. There's only a very small amount of iron in breastmilk, but it's in a form that's very easily digested, so better than any supplement (or iron-fortified food) anyway. Most of their iron for the first 12 months comes from their iron stores, I think...
the idea of giving supplements sounds very old fashioned.
Marcellus I think it's more modern to have supplements lol I find it more of an old fashioned view that there is no need to take vitamins, and I say that as a very broad statement and am thinking more in terms of adults then babies. As I said I am big on vitamins for myself and dh as I believe our food really doesn't have it all in it and I feel and see the difference taking vitamins has on my body. An old fashioned view to me is the thought that we don't need any. Babies on the other hand I really thought would get everything from breast milk. When DS isn't getting any I will be giving him some form of multivitamin, extra iron and omega 3.
hj I can't imagine it's something that every pead has the same view on, there are bound to be a dozen different view points just as there are on adults and children needing supplements kwim.
It just struck me that way because, for eg, when I was a baby my mum was told to give me OJ, ribena or something like that from birth to supplement vitamin c. I found that quite funny, in contrast to what we're told now about feeding.
So yeah, I would have thought breastfed babies would be ok too.
I think every doc has a different idea about pretty much everything
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks