Nursing or breastfeeding mothers need to take care of many things, including checking their vitamin D3 levels from time to time. But what makes vitamin D3 so crucial for nursing mothers? If you have this question on your mind, you’ve come to the right place. This blog will talk about the importance of vitamin D among breastfeeding women and their children. Also, in the end, we’ll mention an amazing source of vitamin D3 that will help maintain optimum levels of the essential nutrient among nursing mothers. So, read along.
What is Vitamin D3?
Vitamin D3 or D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps with cell differentiation and also improves the absorption of calcium & phosphorus in the body.
What are the Common Benefits of Vitamin D3?
The common benefits of Vitamin D3 are as follows.
Helps Enhance Immunity
Vitamin D3 may help you bolster your immunity and thus the ability to fight off bacterial and viral infections. Research says that adequate consumption can help you ward off the symptoms of acute respiratory issues and even pneumonia.
Helps Improve Mood
Although not clear, low levels of vitamin D3 often lead to depression. And consuming the required amounts of this vitamin might help reduce the symptoms of depression and indirectly improve mood.
Helps Strengthen Muscles
Research says that people with adequate amounts of vitamin D usually have better muscle function muscle mass and are leaner in their body structure. So, if you wish to build strong muscles, go for vitamin D3.
Helps Improve Bone Strength
If you don’t have enough vitamin D in your body, you won’t be able to absorb calcium from food, which will eventually lead to weaker bones and problems. However, with vitamin D3, you can enhance calcium absorption and thus improve your bone health.
Why do Nursing Women Need to Check Their Vitamin D3 Levels from Time to Time?
As stated earlier, vitamin D3 helps with calcium absorption, which further helps with improving bone mass among developing babies. However, its deficiency in babies (mostly 3-18 months old) that can lead to the development of muscle weakness, pains, fractures, and rickets.
Fortunately, this issue can be dealt with if the babies are supplied with a diet rich in vitamin D. Now, while the kids are too young, breastfeeding is the only natural source of nutrition for them, which comes from the mother. However, in a few cases it has been observed that the mother’s milk has been deficient in this vital nutrient, which eventually impacted the baby negatively. That’s why nursing mothers need to check their vitamin d3 levels from time to time.
A nursing mother can go for both vitamin D3 food sources or supplements (recommended by the doctor) to ensure there’s always enough vitamin D -both for her child and herself. Now that you know why optimum vitamin d3 levels among nursing mothers is important, let's learn how you can ensure the same.
What are the Normal Vitamin D3 Levels for Nursing Mothers and How Can You Check That?
While normal men and women need 1,000 – 4,000 IU each day, nursing mothers need a bit more. For a nursing mother, the daily requirement of vitamin D3 ranges from 5,000 to 6,000 IU. This way, not only the nursing mother but even her kid(s) can meet their D3 requirements.
To check the vitamin D3 levels, you can go for at-home testing kids, wherein you need to prick your finger to check the levels. Another (recommended) way of checking the D3 levels is by visiting a diagnostic lab for more accurate results.
How Can You Meet the Daily Requirement for Vitamin D3?
You can obviously go for vitamin D3-rich food items such as cow’s milk, salmon, egg yolk, cod liver oil, and the like. However, a nursing mother might not be able to follow a set diet or consume the same type of food each day. So, what’s the solution? Well, she can go in for supplements like Post Natal from Wellbeing Nutrition, which will help her bridge the gap.
Post Natal Slow is a time-conscious supplement in Fenugreek oil that is meant specifically for breastfeeding or lactating mothers.
This supplement comes with an ample amount of vitamin D3 to ensure healthy bone development in the child and to prevent vitamin D3 deficiency. It contains fenugreek to enhance milk supply, B vitamins for the development of the baby’s nervous system and brain, Vitamin C and E to protect the newborn from free radicals and also ensure better immunity.
What’s more is that Slow PostNatal also comes with traces of selenium that helps with fetal development and also prevents preterm birth, along with providing sufficient zinc for better nutrition in mothers. A nursing mother can enjoy all these benefits by consuming 1 capsule each day post any meal of their choice.
Additionally, as Post Natal comes from the house of Wellbeing Nutrition (WBN), it’s free from side effects, is tasty, and completely safe for consumption. Having said that, it’s always a great idea to consult a doctor before administering any supplement products, especially to a pregnant woman or a nursing mother.
Wrapping Up
Maintaining adequate vitamin D3 levels among nursing mothers is quite essential. You can simply include some vitamin D3 rich food items and also throw in one of the most reliable supplements for breastfeeding and lactating women: Post Natal. This way, you’ll be able to protect your kid and yourself from any complications related to vitamin D3 deficiency.
References
Nair, R., & Maseeh, A. (2012). Vitamin D: The "sunshine" vitamin. Journal of pharmacology & pharmacotherapeutics, 3(2), 118–126. https://doi.org/10.4103/0976-500X.95506
Pettifor, J. M., & Prentice, A. (2011). The role of vitamin D in paediatric bone health. Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism, 25(4), 573–584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beem.2011.06.010
Holick M. F. (2006). Resurrection of vitamin D deficiency and rickets. The Journal of clinical investigation, 116(8), 2062–2072. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI29449
Balasubramanian S. (2011). Vitamin D deficiency in breastfed infants & the need for routine vitamin D supplementation. The Indian journal of medical research, 133(3), 250–252. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3103147/
Wagner, C. L., Taylor, S. N., Johnson, D. D., & Hollis, B. W. (2012). The role of vitamin D in pregnancy and lactation: emerging concepts. Women's health (London, England), 8(3), 323–340. https://doi.org/10.2217/whe.12.17
Varsi, K., Bolann, B., Torsvik, I., Rosvold Eik, T. C., Høl, P. J., & Bjørke-Monsen, A. L. (2017). Impact of Maternal Selenium Status on Infant Outcome during the First 6 Months of Life. Nutrients, 9(5), 486. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9050486
