Nursing Your Kids

In the comments of Bryan’s post that described zinc deficiencies as something that the “breast is best” people are trying to hide, Sarah wrote:

Zinc isn’t the only thing; I saw on GMA that Vitamin D is also not included in breastmilk and supplementing is encouraged. That’s also why, if a child has jaundice at home, they recommend supplementing with formula and then returning to the breast.

This isn’t entirely accurate. From Kellymom:

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Paediatric Society recommend vitamin D supplementation for all infants and children to ensure that the small percentage of infants/children who need additional vitamin D do not become deficient.

World Health Organization information [Butte 2002, p. 29 states,
"...although there is abundant evidence suggesting that breastfed infants often receive less vitamin D than is required, most studies fail to find rickets in breastfed infants less than 6 months of age... infants who are exclusively or predominantly breastfed for 6 months or longer can be at an increased risk of rickets if their mothers are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, and the infants receive limited sun exposure and no vitamin D supplements."

In addition, gastrointestinal supplements are not the most easily absorbed form of Vitamin D. Per "Infant feeding: the physiological basis" [WHO, 1991] by James Akre,
“…it is now understood that the optimal route for vitamin D ingestion in humans is not the gastrointestinal tract, which may permit toxic amounts to be absorbed. Rather, the skin is the human organ designed, in the presence of sunlight, both to manufacture vitamin D in potentially vast quantities and to prevent the absorption of more than the body can safely use and store.”

As for jaundice, it’s a condition that occurs in more than half of all newborns. It’s caused by elevated bilirubin levels and in most cases it’s nothing to worry about.

From the AAP:
Q: Does breastfeeding affect jaundice?
A: Jaundice is more common in babies who are breastfed than babies who are formula-fed, but this occurs mainly in infants who are not nursing well. If you are breastfeeding, you should nurse your baby at least 8 to 12 times a day for the first few days. This will help you produce enough milk and will help to keep the baby’s bilirubin level down. If you are having trouble breastfeeding, ask your baby’s doctor or nurse or a lactation specialist for help. Breast milk is the ideal food for your baby.

And from Kellymom: I won’t quote the whole thing since you can go to the site and read it yourself, but I will quote the parts that stress that breastfeeding does not usually need to be discontinued because of jaundice and that formula feeding is far from being the first approach if baby isn’t feeding well.

Breastmilk jaundice is normal. Rarely, if ever, does breastfeeding need to be discontinued even for a short time. Only very occasionally is any treatment, such as phototherapy, necessary. There is not one bit of evidence that this jaundice causes any problem at all for the baby. Breastfeeding should not be discontinued “in order to make a diagnosis”. If the baby is truly doing well on breast only, there is no reason, none, to stop breastfeeding or supplement with a lactation aid, for that matter.

…the first approach to not-enough-breastmilk jaundice is not to take the baby off the breast or to give bottles . If the baby is nursing well, more frequent feedings may be enough to bring the bilirubin down more quickly, though, in fact, nothing needs be done. If the baby is nursing poorly, helping the baby latch on better may allow him to nurse more effectively and thus receive more milk.

Again, there are cases when jaundice is a problem and can be serious. But these cases are out of the ordinary and most breastfeeding mothers just need to nurse often and regularly to treat it.

Breastfeeding is not harmful. I think it’s dangerous to suggest that breastfeeding somehow deprives babies of essential vitamins and minerals. It doesn’t. Breastmilk is the perfect food. Formula is a substitute that is chemically engineered to mimic breastmilk. Formula companies add things to their formulas so it will be more like breast milk. Don’t let headlines and partial information dissuade you from feeding your baby the best food possible.