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When you're pregnant or breastfeeding, it's important to ensure you get enough vitamin D for you and your baby.
Vitamin D is often called the 'sunshine vitamin' as 80 per cent is manufactured in the skin by the activity of the sun. It's actually a vitamin and hormone rolled into one and can be found in eggs and oily fish, but that is only a small contribution.
"Vitamin D has many important roles during pregnancy", says Helen Heap, Nutritional Therapist at the Marilyn Glenville clinic. "From calcium absorption to reducing the risk of gestational diabetes, a lack of calcium during pregnancy can cause the baby to develop weak teeth and bones.
"In the early stages of pregnancy, having good levels of vitamin D helps the body maintain a pregnancy too."
Because we are dependent on sunshine, we are more at risk of deficiency in the winter months, so if you're pregnant during this time, it's always advisable to measure the level in the blood and then use a vitamin D supplement if required.
"It's always important to test for deficiency before taking a supplement because vitamin D is what is known as a fat soluble vitamin so we don't have the ability to excrete it if we don't need it," says Helen. "So, in order to make sure we are getting our intake we need at least 20 minutes of sunshine a day and/or a supplement providing at least 400iu of vitamin D."
Breast milk can be quite naturally low in vitamin D, especially if the mother's levels are low. Similar to during pregnancy, the baby needs vitamin D in order to develop healthy bones (without sufficient vitamin D, calcium can't be absorbed) and a strong immune system.
Supplementing your baby's diet is recommended if needed. If you're worried about levels of vitamin D, ask your doctor for a simple blood prick test.
To see a guide to vitamins during pregnancy click here
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