Vitamins while Breastfeeding?

QUESTION: I have been taking prenatal vitamins while nursing.  My prescription ran out, and my baby's pediatrician said that I don't need to worry about taking them anymore.  For the past month I haven't been taking them, or any other vitamin supplement.  My son has recently gotten a cold (his first) and I can't help but wonder if it would help his immune system if I started taking a prenatal vitamin again, or another supplement.  How much of an effect on the breastmilk do my vitamins make?  Otherwise, I eat fairly healthy, and feed him healthy, vegetarian, homemade foods.

Your vitamin intake probably has very little effect on your son's immune system.  Prenatal vitamins and other vitamin supplements are primarily used to build up the mother's reserves after pregnancy.  Your son is at an age (10 months) when it is not unusual for him to get a cold.  At this age, he is probably being exposed to viruses to which he has never been exposed before.  Now that he is nursing less and eating more solid foods, the passive immunity he got from your breastmilk may no longer be sufficient to protect him from many of these outside organisms.  His body is now in the process of developing its own immunities.  This does not reflect in any way on the quality of your breastmilk or on his nutritional status.  To the contrary, by breastfeeding your son and feeding him healthy foods, you have prepared his body systems, as best you can, to fight infections effectively.

Dr. Judith Roepke, R.D., Ph.D., has answered many of your questions about nutrition and dieting. Dr. Roepke is a perinatal nutritionist, researcher and member of the Breastfeeding.com medical advisory board. Look for more Q&A forums with Dr. Roepke in the future.

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