728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
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

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

Safe or Not?
How is it determined which supplements are safe to take while breastfeeding and which are not? According to Bucci, it all depends upon how much "class" the supplement has. "In general, herbs have been classified by the American Herbal Products Association, or the AHPA, into four categories of safety," Bucci says. "These range from class one – herbs that can be safely consumed even during pregnancy and nursing, to class three – herbs that are recommended to be used only under the supervision of any expert qualified in the appropriate use of the substance. In class four, the data available is insufficient for the herb to be properly classified."

Bucci states that there are good herbals and supplements to take during breastfeeding. These supplements, such as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), have been shown to have a positive effect when passed on to the baby through Mom's breastmilk. "There is a lot of good evidence that DHA improves brain development in infants," Bucci says. "Infants get DHA only from mother's milk. When the mother eats a daily serving of fish with colored flesh, such as salmon, tuna, sardines or herring, to get enough DHA, or when she takes fish oil supplements, the benefits available to baby are optimized."

Another example of a beneficial supplement to take while breastfeeding is soy. "Eating soy foods or taking soy isoflavone supplements will mirror Asian dietary practices," Bucci says. "New research shows it is the childhood exposure to soy isoflavones that protects best against cancer later in life. This means soy for the mother is good for the long-term health of the baby. After all, soy-based formula is the choice for babies with milk allergies, and they do just fine on soy formulas."


Pages:  1  2  3  4  

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.