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Home › Articles › Issues for Mom › Getting "Our" Daily Dose

Getting "Our" Daily Dose

Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements and Herbal Formulas While Breastfeeding

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

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Natural, herbal, non-dietary, dietary, remedies, supplements, vitamins, minerals: Walk into any local health food store or pharmacy and these are just a few of the terms you will hear or read. Trying to find what it is that your body needs while finding something your mind will understand can prove to be a challenge. But what if your body isn't the only one you have to worry about?

If you're breastfeeding, you may be wondering what you can take and what you should steer clear of. Lactating women have different needs and requirements than non-lactating women.

More Than One a Day
"For almost all essential vitamins and minerals, the simple 100 percent RDI one-a-day type of multiple vitamin/mineral products is not enough for lactating women," says Luke R. Bucci, vice president of research at Weider Nutrition International in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to Bucci, the basic recommendation for lactating women is 150 percent of the recommended daily intake, or RDI.

"For example, the calcium RDI for lactation is 1,200 mg per day instead of usual 1,000 mg. However, this intake is almost impossible without supplementation – taking a daily vitamin," Bucci says.

A few years ago, taking a daily vitamin would not seem so complicated. However, the choices of type, kind and brand of daily supplements are as varied as the supplements themselves. According to Pharmavite, the makers of Nature Made and Nature's Resource dietary supplements, public knowledge of "natural" or "herbal" products has increased approximately 175 percent in the past two years.

"More and more people are wanting to make the change from manufactured vitamins and supplements to more natural products, such as herbal remedies," says Lynn Moss, continuing education specialist for Pharmavite. "However, woman who are breastfeeding should not be taking an herbal medicine and they should still check with their doctor or health care professional before taking any medication, even over-the-counter ones."


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