Breastfeeding and B-12 Deficiency

Concerns about proper nutrition often begin even before your pregnancy and continue as you breastfeed your baby. Vitamin B-12 deficiency in nursing mothers leads to low B-12 levels in the breast milk, which may contribute to health and development issues for your baby. If you worry about your B-12 level, you can check it prior to starting nursing and ensure your diet supports healthy breast milk.

Vitamin B-12 and Breastfeeding

Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble vitamin, found mainly in animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs, with beef having the highest B-12 content available. Vitamin B-12 is not commonly found in vegan or vegetarian sources, except in fortified foods. Such foods include non-dairy milks and meat replacements, along with nutritional and brewers' yeast. Breastfeeding women need 2.8 g of vitamin B-12 per day during lactation.

Supplementation Potential

If you consume animal products, you typically do not need added vitamin B-12 in your diet. If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, however, ask your doctor about supplements and B-12 enriched foods to ensure you take in adequate amounts of vitamin B-12. Vegan sources of vitamin B-12 include nutritional yeast, fortified non-dairy milks and meat replacements. If you have a vitamin B-12 deficiency or have undergone gastric bypass surgery, you should also talk with your doctor about whether you require supplementation.

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency in Mothers and Babies

If you consume plenty of B-12 during pregnancy, you can expect your baby to have sufficient stores of the vitamin during the first six to eight months of life. In nursing mothers who aren't deficient, breast milk alone is enough to provide the infant proper amounts of B-12. Signs of deficiency in infants typically show up between six and 12 months, and include anemia, lethargy, developmental delays and poor muscle tone. Have your baby's pediatrician assess any signs of vitamin B-12 deficiency in your infant to rule out further problems.

Detecting Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Consult your doctor if you are concerned about being deficient in B-12. A blood test to check for a deficiency assesses your vitamin B-12 serum levels. The test is fairly quick and determines if you need to supplement while nursing. If you are B-12 deficient, a daily supplement along with foods high in B-12 bring levels back to normal and increases the B-12 content in your breast milk.