Bornbrite Health

Vitamin D (More Than A Little Sunshine)

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Bornbrite Health

Pregnancy is a natural yet delicate process that needs specific habits to be adopted (or sometimes excluded ) specially on nutrition ground. A good nutrition is the foundation of a healthy body; so while your pregnant and lactating you should really reconsider the choices of food you make to not only care for you but for your baby’s development as well.

There are many, many, things to have in mind at this stage; the most important ones includes a daily dose of vitamin D to maintain appropriate levels of calcium and phosphorus in your baby’s body and on your own. Why is vitamin D important? Because a lack or deficiency of this steroid vitamin leads to abnormal bone growth and even fractures on your baby.

Where can you obtain vitamin D?

Basically from vitamin supplements, food… and sunshine of course.

Natural vitamin D can be found in fish oils (salmon, sardines, mackerel) and eggs. Besides these, there are plenty of fortified products that contain the vitamin as well; check the labels of juice, dairy products and even cereals!

Even though eating healthy food is always the first step, know that the consumption of the vitamin coming only from foods will not be enough. Also consider that most prenatal vitamins only contain 400 IU of vitamin D, so further vitamin supplementation should be taken daily (seriously).

We’re sure that on the sunshine matter you know the preventive steps to take before going out to the sun just like that (please wear sunscreen !). But you really need to know that your baby will not absorb vitamin D from the sun as easily as you. Her skin is extra-sensitive and experts advice not to take your newborn out to the sun at least in the first 6 months to prevent scary situations.

So, how much vitamin D should you take?

The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies established that an intake of 600 international units (IU) per day was adequate to keep average levels of vitamin D in the pregnant woman’s body. The truth is this dosage isn’t really enough (it’s just the average recommended intake) and the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition recommends pregnant women to at least take 1,000 – 2,000 IU per day.

Since the experts on this subject can’t seem to agree on an universal intake of the vitamin (some even recommend higher doses like 4,000 IU), please always, ALWAYS, be in direct contact with your obstetrician or midwife to get the answer to any question you have about your gestation.

At Bornbrite® we strive to share trustworthy and trending information to our followers on all pregnancy and parenthood matters, but what we want the most is for you to verify this information with your doctors and always follow their guidance since every pregnancy is different from each other. Remember, your doctor’s opinion should always be your first support.

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