Vitamins for Pregnant & Breastfeeding Mums

Taking a vitamin D supplement throughout pregnancy will ensure you have enough vitamin D for your baby. If you haven’t taken a vitamin D supplement during pregnancy and you're breastfeeding, your baby will particularly benefit from starting vitamin drops at one month and continuing until the age of five.

A healthy balanced diet is important for everyone but pregnant and new mothers and small children may need extra vitamin supplements.

Vitamin D
Summer sunshine, not food, is the main source of vitamin D in the UK. Vitamin D is made in our exposed skin when we are outside in summer sunlight.

Only oily fish such as sardines, kippers, salmon, eel, pilchards and trout are good sources of vitamin D. Meat and eggs contain a little vitamin D. Other foods contain negligible amounts, except margarine and some breakfast cereals which are fortified with it.

In the UK it is only during the summer months of April to September that the UV light is strong enough for the skin to make vitamin D. You need to make enough vitamin D during these months to build up a store to last through winter.

You do not need to sunbathe to make enough vitamin D. For example, it could be enough to spend about 15-30 minutes outside a few days each week in the summer between 10am and 3pm with some skin exposed, such as your hands and face.

People with dark or pigmented skin are more vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency than those with white skin. They need to spend longer outside to make similar amounts of vitamin D. Those who wear concealing clothing are at high risk of deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in children.

Talk to your midwife or health visitor for further information and how to get Healthy Start vitamins locally.

• click here for leaflet 'Vitamin supplements and you'

• click here for NHS information on vitamins

When should babies and children have Healthy Start vitamin drops?

• click here for Healthy Start vitamins decision tree

Where to get Healthy Start Vitamins in Greenwich FROM APRIL 2013

• Where to get Healthy Start vitamins with vouchers in Greenwich.docx