There are some studies that show that postpartum vitamin A supplementation is very important and essential. It can result in short-term increases in breast milk vitamin A levels, higher infant liver stores and improved maternal and child vitamin A status.
It is known that all infants are born with low body stores of vitamin A. Therefore, they depend upon vitamin A-rich colostrum and breast milk to meet their need of vitamin A and other nutrients for proper growth and development.
Babies will depend on mainly on breast milk after being born. That’s why it is very important for postpartum mothers to provide as many nutrients as they can so that their babies will meet all the required nutrients for their growth and development. Let’s see how vitamin A is beneficial for postpartum mothers.
As being told before, all infants are born with low body stores of vitamin A. They depend upon vitamin A-rich colostrum and breast milk to meet their need.
They need vitamin A and other nutrients to support their growth and development. Lactating women need 1,300 Qg per day in their dietary reference intake. This intake is 85% higher compared to non-pregnant or non-lactating women.
The consumption of vitamin A by postpartum mothers will benefit the breast milk. The babies are able to get adequate vitamin A levels of breast milk as it is the single-most important source of vitamin A for breastfed infants.
Breast milk is very essential for postpartum mothers, so they need to focus on this. All the nutrients the infants need will be transported through the breast milk. Don’t you know that breast milk is also beneficial for adults? Read these health benefits of breast milk for adults.
There’s a study which showed that there’s an increase of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) concentration in colostrum within 24 hours after administering a high-dose vitamin A capsule.
The study found out that there’s the high concentration of SIgA in colostrum is able to provide the infant with immune protection against infections after birth.
Infants tend to have immature immune system when they are born, so vitamin A intake by postpartum mothers will surely give stronger protection to the babies.
Vitamin A deficiency is known to increase the risk of blindness and death among children. Night blindness is one of the common signs of deficiency in vitamin A.
By having moderate amount of vitamin A during the postpartum period, mothers will also be able to prevent their babies from getting the risk of blindness.
Besides calcium and vitamin D, vitamin A is also needed for maintaining healthy bones. People have lower blood levels of vitamin A are at a higher risk of bone fractures that people with healthy levels. So, make sure you also consume vitamin A after delivering your babies to maintain your bone health.
Bone health in infants is also very important to be managed and maintained. You may be familiar with calcium, one of the most important nutrients for good bone. Read more about it in benefits of calcium. It is not only good for your bones, but also for your pregnancy and health.
It’s really important for mothers to consume vitamin A according to the health benefits mentioned above. The next question is what will happen if they don’t get enough vitamin A? There might be some effects that will be experienced by postpartum mothers if they lack vitamin A.
There are some studies which shows that vitamin A deficiency or VAD will affect both the mothers and the babies or infants. Vitamin A deficiency is strongly associated with depressed immune function, higher morbidity and mortality. Mothers are more prone to some infectious diseases, such as diarrhea, measles and respiratory infections.
Not only the mothers, the infants will be affected too. As we know, vitamin A is very important and essential for immunity as well as helping the infant to stay healthy. When the mother experiences VAD, then the infants will do too. The infants will not get enough or sufficient vitamin A through the breast milk.
Vitamin A can be obtained from some types of food, such as tomatoes, beef liver, fish oils, milk, eggs and leafy green vegetables. You can also read the health benefits of Japanese persimmon, which is also a great source of vitamin A.
Postpartum is the crucial stage for mothers. If you need some tips, you can consider reading these benefits of seaweed soup for postpartum. You can also read these benefits of intant massage for mothers with postnatal depression. It’s not only physical health that is important, mental health is also important to be maintained.