if you breastfeed your baby will be brain damaged wtf

[bronny-jane]

my sister is pg with her 3rd child, she has low vitamin b levels, any way she was told by a midwife that if she breastfeeds a child with low vitamin b levels the baby will have a developed mental delay.. because..get this, she saw a mother who had low vitamin b levels and the baby had a developed mental delay, so it must have been from bf:rolleyes:

so my sister being only 22 weeks was devastated.. i told her to research it, sounds like cr@p to me, and anyway, theres plenty of time to get her levels up by altering her diet..

thanks to the midwife she feels like she has failed in breastfeeding already, she really wants to succeed this time and saw this as a major blow..

any info and thoughts would be appreciated...

[bronny-jane]

so i googled it


Exclusively breastfed infants of mothers who adhere to a strict vegetarian or vegan diet that excludes all animal proteins might also experience serious effects related to vitamin B12 deficiency.50,53,54,56 Clinical manifestations among infants and young children are widely varied, encompassing hematologic, neurologic, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Some potential effects include the following:

* Failure to thrive
* Hypotonia
* Ataxia
* Developmental delays
* Macrocytosis or anemia
* General weakness


so now to find out how to fix her levels

[Nomsie]

So... the midwife has a theory that if a mother has low vit b levels, then bubs will not get enough through the bm and therefore it will affect the brain development?? :detective:

ETA: You beat me! So I would be consulting a dr for advice on how to up the Vit B during pregnancy... that would be the first point of call, I think :)

[Bexta]

I think it's wrong of the midwife to say something like that with no other information to give... & no solution to offer. Even pointing her in the direction of a dietition would be a help... not just send her away without even a pamphlet :rolleyes:.

A friend of mine was told by a midwife not to breastfeed as she was so stressed her milk would be toxic :confused::rolleyes:.

Have you contacted the ABA?

Sorry I'm no help. :)

Good-luck... I hope you get some answers. :)

[Ana Gram]

There is no reason she can't get her levels up by eating foods rich in vitamin B, and if it is really bad, supplements.

Now, your quote, is she a vegetarian or vegan? If not, B12 is not an issue. If she is, there are PLENTY of foods that she can eat for this not to be a problem. Vegetarians and vegans with a bad diet may have a problem with B12 but those who eat correctly don't.

[bronny-jane]

she isnt a vegetarian or vegan...
im trying to see why she has issues

[bronny-jane]

found this http://www.parentingscience.com/iron-absorption.html

maybe just upping her vitamin c intake would help

[Ana Gram]

Did they say which vitamin B she was low in?

It could be a diet thing, which could be fixed quiet easily.

[bronny-jane]

b 12....

[justmum]

BJ I have low B12, always have. At this point it is "unexplained"

I treat it by having B12 injections every 6 weeks :) Monthly when pregnant. I think it's called Neocytamin (sp?) and each box contains 3 ampules. It's available over the counter from most pharmacies and costs about $15 for 3 ampules. You go to the doc to have the injections.

There are no know side effects of too much B12, so better too high than too low. Though of course your sister should discuss this with her care provider.

After she's had her baby and finished BF she should investigate why she is B12 deficient. It may be pernicious anaemia or a problem with her gut, such as coeliacs disease.

HTH

[bronny-jane]

justmum she is getting a shot next week.. and was before pg, so you can get these and still breastfeed then?

[MamaKoala]

Just taking an iron suppliment or mega B should help with the problem. Low B 12 levels are quite common in pregnancy which is why it is tested. She still has plenty of time to increase her levels and the midwife should have informed her that one of the reasons she could be low is because her baby gets all the nutrients first and then mum so once baby is out her levels wont fall so low.
I would definitely talk to a Dr about it and contact ABA for more info. Sometimes health carers are so unhelpful. Tell her no to give up before she's started because there is no reason she should not be able to increase her B12 with diet and supplements. Tell her to be pro-active and find out info to help.

[MsMummy]

My b12 plunged during pregnancy (particularly during morning sickness).

I took loads of supplements and ate better and it improved. I get a blood test regularly to check it.

My doctor said it was important to ensure my b12 (and my baby's b12) was in the healthy range, as he had seen a patient recently where there were some developmental delays due to low b12...

..but it was never suggested not to breastfeed. Rather, just to fix my b12.

[Hollywood]

justmum she is getting a shot next week.. and was before pg, so you can get these and still breastfeed then?

I can't imagine why not

[justmum]

Yep BJ she sure can :) I am BF my 9mo and did so sxclusively for 6mo. She should discuss it with her doctor/midwife and make sure her levels are closely monitored.

If she was B12 deficient before her prenancy (did I read that right?) then it's likely to be a gut or auto immune related deficiency. In that case (as with me too) no amount of eating meat or taking vitamins will correct the low levels.

Time will tell with that though - she should be very careful to keep an eye on her levels throughout the rest of her pregenancy and whilst she is BF.

As a side issue she should get her vit D levels checked too. Mine are low as well and there is often a link however vit D levels are not always checked in pregnancy (although I believe it is becoming more common to do so these days)

I hope your sister can sort out her issues. I hate having the needles but I hate the low B12 levels much more. When I feel like I have a terrible hangover I know my levels are low :laughing:

[justmum]

PS my B12 was low in my first pregnancy as pregnancy depletes my levels really fast (hence why I have the needles more often when pregnant than not). I had to go and see a specialist about it - he specialised in foetal risks caused by low / high vitamin levels and drug / alcohol and other exposures.

Was not very nice.

But my boy turned out fine. Well sort of, he's crazy, but I don't think the 2 issues are related :laughing:

Apparently developmental delay due to low B12 levels peaked in the 60's and 70's in San Fransisco in the hippy era when pregnant women were not eating enough meat - there was a cluster of low B12 in pregnancy / developmental delay babies at that time in that area apparently. (According to my OB).

[bronny-jane]

thanks ladies, thanks just mum, yeah she was having the shots before she was pg, not sure why they didnt continue.. she started to go into prem labour the other week at 21 weeks:eek:..it stopped, but they think it may be due to low levels again.. she says she hates the needle too;)... but she will be relieved to know that the needle is ok, and there is some one else out there who has bf, still is bf.. thanks:thumbsup:

[reAllytee]

And people wonder why our b/f rates are going down the toilet :(

So many mistruths told to women even BEFORE they are doing the job *sigh*

Hope your sister gets things sorted BJ !!!