Mengapa Vitamin D untuk Ibu Menyusui Penting?

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It is no secret that nutritional needs for mothers during the breastfeeding phase increase. In addition to meeting daily bodily nutritional needs, you also need extra nutrients to produce quality breast milk. This time, let's examine the role of one nutrient, namely vitamin D, for breastfeeding mothers.

Vitamin D has an important position in maintaining your body's health, as well as the growth and development of your little one. This vitamin will help the body absorb nutrients such as calcium and phosphorus from food, as well as support the growth of your little one's bones which will subsequently determine their posture.

An article on alomedika.com written by Dr. Audiza Luthffia states that vitamin D deficiency in infants and children can cause long-term health problems, such as nutritional rickets, osteomalacia, and growth and development disorders.

This is why it is important to ensure adequate vitamin D intake, along with other nutrients during the breastfeeding phase.

3 Benefits of Vitamin D for Mothers in the Breastfeeding Phase

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For your own body, vitamin D generally has three main benefits. First related to bone and dental health, then related to the immune system, and third related to mental health.

1. Bone and Dental Health

Adequate intake of this vitamin received by the body will help absorb calcium from food. Thus, bone and dental health will be maintained, and you will avoid toothaches or bone pain. Don't forget, your little one will also continue to grow, and strong bones are needed to carry them later on.

2. Immune System

Adequate vitamin D intake will also help optimize the immune system by supporting the performance of white blood cells in your body in fighting pathogens that can have a negative impact. Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, so it can improve the work of the immune, nervous, and muscular systems.

3. Mental Health

Research presented in an article on the Siloam Hospitals website states that vitamin D helps manage depression. Depression sufferers who consume vitamin D experienced improvements in their symptoms. Of course, this can also help you maintain your mental state during the breastfeeding period, which often experiences significant dynamics.

3 Benefits of Vitamin D for Little Ones

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While the coverage of vitamin D benefits for mothers is on the three things above, your little one will also need vitamin D for many aspects of their growth and development. Simply put, there are three main benefits of this nutrient for little ones. The three are as follows.

1. Optimal Bone and Dental Development

It is common knowledge that the development of your little one's bones and teeth in the early phase of their life requires many nutrients, such as calcium and protein. Vitamin D, in this case, also plays a major role, because without sufficient vitamin D intake, the absorption of important nutrients for bone and tooth growth can be hindered.

In addition, vitamin D intake obtained from breast milk will also help your little one avoid rickets, which is a condition that causes bones to become weak or deformed.

2. Building a Strong Immune System

Adequate vitamin D intake can also help support the immune system, so your little one is able to defend against various risks of viral infections that may occur during the early phase of their life.

By keeping your little one in good condition, they will also grow optimally in this early phase, which is one of the most important phases in their life.

3. Brain and Nervous System Development

Vitamin D is also known to help the brain work better, as it supports the development of a brain sheath called myelin which is home to important nerves. The task of myelin itself is to transmit various kinds of information received by the body to millions of cells in the brain.

When your little one gets enough vitamin D intake, this myelin sheath will be able to carry out its role well so that your little one's brain will grow and develop optimally, allowing them to think quickly and easily absorb various new information.

Recognize the Best Sources of Vitamin D, Get it Optimally

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To get the vitamin D that the body needs, you can obtain it from various sources. Starting from natural sources such as sunlight exposure, foods rich in vitamin D, to vitamin D supplements recommended by a doctor, these three can provide support in meeting your daily vitamin D needs.

Sunlight exposure is one of the most accessible sources of vitamin D intake, because you can naturally obtain it every day. But keep in mind, it is not the sunlight that contains vitamin D, but the body that will produce this vitamin when exposed to ultraviolet rays because it triggers vitamin D synthesis. The kidneys and liver will convert it into active vitamin D, which can be used by the body to increase calcium absorption and bone health.

Regarding the duration, it is stated on breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk that the required sunlight exposure is 2 hours per day if only the face is exposed and 20 to 30 minutes per day if the face, arms, and neck are exposed without sunscreen. Of course, you can consult a doctor regarding this matter for certainty.

Next are some foods rich in vitamin D. These foods are quite easy to find, types include healthy fatty fish, egg yolks, mushrooms, soy milk, to oatmeal. You can include them in your daily menu quite easily, provided you do not have allergies to the food ingredients mentioned above.

Finally, through vitamin D supplements. For supplements, it is highly recommended that you consult your trusted doctor to get the best recommendation. Supplements are needed as an addition, not as the main intake. As long as this principle is upheld, you don't need to worry.

Signs You and Your Little One Lack Vitamin D

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Efforts to meet vitamin D needs for breastfeeding mothers clearly need to be done wholeheartedly so that daily nutritional needs are maintained. However, in certain conditions when there is a lack of vitamin D intake, you must also recognize the signs quickly so that they can be addressed immediately.

For mothers, the most easily recognizable characteristics include:

• Constant fatigue
• Pain in the bones and muscles
• Mood swings

And so on. These signs are sometimes considered normal during breastfeeding, but they are actually symptoms of a lack of vitamin D intake.

For your little one, some characteristics that often appear include:

• Delayed growth
• Muscle weakness
• Rickets

And so on. This is why it is always important for Bunda to pay attention to the growth and development milestones of your little one in every aspect. By observing them closely, Bunda can identify any growth delays early on, allowing for appropriate steps to be taken.

One of the things also recommended regarding vitamin D for breastfeeding mothers is to undergo check-ups and consult with a doctor. This examination can be done through a blood test to determine the levels of vitamin D in Bunda's and your little one's bodies, ensuring they remain at an ideal level at all times.

 

Meeting vitamin D needs for breastfeeding mothers is crucial to ensure that both Bunda and your little one stay healthy. Moreover, balanced nutritional intake will also help your little one grow optimally in terms of both physical and brain development, so that they will later have an ideal physique and sharp thinking skills. Consulting with your trusted doctor is definitely the most recommended step, as this allows Bunda to monitor the results of your efforts directly. To support your breastfeeding journey, various solid products from Hegen are ready to be a reliable partner for Bunda. Ranging from breast pumps, storage in various sizes, to teats in various types, all are ready for Bunda to use to accompany your little one's growth. Quality, a perfect ecosystem, and reliability make Hegen a superior option compared to other products!

 

 

References:

• theAsianparent. Seberapa penting asupan vitamin D untuk ibu menyusui?. https://id.theasianparent.com/vitamin-d-untuk-ibu-menyusui.
• Alomedika. Pentingnya Suplementasi Vitamin D Pada Bayi ASI Eksklusif. https://www.alomedika.com/pentingnya-suplementasi-vitamin-d-pada-bayi-asi-eksklusif.
• theBreastdeedingNetwork. Vitamin D and Breastfeeding. https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/factsheet/vitamind/.
• HaiBunda. Manfaat Vitamin D untuk Busui, Bisa Cegah Bayi Alami Kelainan Bentuk Tulang. https://www.haibunda.com/menyusui/20211009110120-54-245308/manfaat-vitamin-d-untuk-busui-bisa-cegah-bayi-alami-kelainan-bentuk-tulang/2.
• Generasi Maju. 5 Manfaat Vitamin D untuk Anak dan Sumber Terbaiknya. https://www.generasimaju.co.id/artikel/1-tahun/nutrisi-makanan/manfaat-dan-sumber-terbaik-vitamin-d-untuk-anak?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=sgm-sem_generic_dsa-susu-aon_cosideration_traffic_Sep-2024&utm_term=dsa&utm_content=susu&&&&&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlvW2BhDyARIsADnIe-ITjbnnlJy-W9iFw-FsqLgvpgqLDqhCzXJayL0mIrmAt3yiCTdA_DoaAt-TEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds.
• Detik Health. Benarkah Sinar Matahari Mengandung Vitamin D?. https://health.detik.com/berita-detikhealth/d-4433153/benarkah-sinar-matahari-mengandung-vitamin-d.
• Dinkes Salatika. 5 Sumber Vitamin D. https://dinkes.salatiga.go.id/5-sumber-vitamin-d/#:~:text=Vitamin%20D%20bisa%20didapatkan%20dari,didapat%20dari%20suplemen%20vitamin%20D..