Vitamin D and the Breastfed Infant

For infants and children, vitamin D deficiency causes a bone-deforming disease known as rickets. As breastfeeding rates have increased, so have the incidences of rickets. The current recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics, to supplement all breastfed infants with vitamin D, is controversial. The role of the nurse is to understand the vitamin D dilemma, promote breastfeeding, and prevent vitamin D deficiency rickets.