Florid rickets associated with prolonged breast feeding without vitamin D supplementation

Lesson of the week: Florid rickets associated with prolonged breast feeding without vitamin D supplementation -- Mughal et al. 318 (7175): 39 -- BMJ

I saw a friend last week, she is white, her husband is from Ghana. I was shocked to find out that her 16 month old daughter had florid rickets!

The mother's vitamin D level was normal and the child was being breastfed. I find it so hard to believe that rickets is still around in 2008 and think it's a public health problem being ignored. There is little national guidance as to prevention and treatment for health professionals, resulting in little or no explanation to patients, except a mention by the health visitor which often goes ignored.

I routinely start all babies at risk on Abidec or Dalivit, and tell the mother to supplement her diet too, especially if she is breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of infant death in USA
Potentially delaying or saving about 270 deaths in the US per year.

'Myths' stop women breastfeeding

I was amazed when I went to my post-natal class, three months after our babies had been born: out of about 20 mothers, only I seemed to have carried on breast-feeding. However looking beyond this, some mothers for some reason or other, cannot breastfeed. My friend for example, had to stop, because she needed to take steroids for a conditon she had. Others had to start formula milk because the baby was losing too much weight. You do get some well meaning friends and relatives that can really create doubts to a new mother about her chosen way of feeding. Its really easy for someone to come along and make comments, but they aren't the ones going through it, and its not easy! What's really annoying is hearing someone who's not even a mother saying "Oh my gosh, you're not breastfeeding?" or older aunties expressing their disgust that you are breastfeeding. SubhanAllah, just shows you cannot please everyone.

"Myths" stop women breastfeeding