Calcium needs for breastfeeding?
 

Help!

I broke my wrist in Feb... and everything is going fine. Physical
Therapy for 2 weeks helped me get mobility back, and strength is
coming along fine. However, the doctor yelled at me for not getting
enough calcium. I haven't bothered with prenatal tabs for the last
year or so. I do drink calcium-enriched soy milk (same amount of
calcium as cows milk) and OJ.

It had already occured to me that maybe the reason my wrist broke was
due to extended breastfeeding (2 1/3 years old today!) without
adequate calcium, and he concurred.

He told me I needed 2300 MG of calcium per day as a breastfeeding
mother. But when I went to the healthfood store, the clerk told me
you shoulnd't take more than 500 mg at a time, because it won't be
absorbed in amounts greater than that, and that I needed to spread out
the tabs throughout the day. She also looked it up for me, and people
with Osteoporsis and breastfeeding mothers were only recommended
1000-1500 mg per day (not 2300 as the doc had said). He was wrong on
the prenatal tabs...he said they only contained 680 MG of calcium...
mine only had 200, so I figured he was making numbers up. I'd be
taking something like 5 tabs of the larger pills per day at his doses.

Anyone know more about this? Advice?

Cathy Weeks

Calcium needs for breastfeeding?
 

Cathy Weeks wrote:

Anyone know more about this? Advice?

I'm taking 1000 units of calcium daily...one in the morning, one at
night, and calcium enriched foods as well (soy and OJ). The calcium
pills are cal-magnesium, which supposedly helps absorbtion.

I haven't had any problems (yet). I'm interested to see what the others
say.

Hey, I'm now 2 1/3 years bfing too!! Whoo hoo to us!!
--
It's Tis Herself!

Calcium needs for breastfeeding?
 

"Cathy Weeks" wrote in message
om...
He told me I needed 2300 MG of calcium per day as a breastfeeding
mother. But when I went to the healthfood store, the clerk told me
you shoulnd't take more than 500 mg at a time, because it won't be
absorbed in amounts greater than that, and that I needed to spread out
the tabs throughout the day. She also looked it up for me, and people
with Osteoporsis and breastfeeding mothers were only recommended
1000-1500 mg per day (not 2300 as the doc had said). He was wrong on
the prenatal tabs...he said they only contained 680 MG of calcium...
mine only had 200, so I figured he was making numbers up. I'd be
taking something like 5 tabs of the larger pills per day at his doses.

Anyone know more about this? Advice?

i'm not a nurse yet, but here's my opinion...any vitamin supplement you take
is going to absorb over time, and not all of it will absorb...i do know that
the 10-1500mg dose suggested (and quoted by the clerk) is that for a healthy
adult, not a lactating female...this link might help you some...:)
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~iishp/Nelson.html or this one
http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/handout...nanlactat.html :)

i can understand where you and the doctor think that your wrist may have
been a consequence of leached calcium, and i do know that some practitioners
recommend raising calcium intake while healing from a broken bone; so your
practitioner may be factoring in what he believes you need to heal your
wrist, restore and maintain your calcium stores so you don't set yourself up
for osteoporosis later...i think someone mentioned a magnesium supplement
earlier-magnesium does help in vitamin absorption, but they're not entirely
certain how useful it is for calcium....i know vitamin d is linked with
calcium absorption somehow, but i can't remember how that works this late at
night...

my advice (and remember, i'm not a nurse yet, so you can take it for what
it's worth :) would be to count how much calcium you're getting in your diet
already, and supplement up to the number your doc recommended...:)

Jess

Calcium needs for breastfeeding?
 

I can't comment on how much you need for your particular situation, but
I can tell you there is a wide variation in how much you consume verses
how much actually gets into your blood and bones. The best source for
assimilation is dark green, leafy vegetables, but you'd probably need a
lot of them. Also, avoid supplements that contain Calcium Carbonate
(the cheapest type) and look for Calcium Citrate or other form.

marvin

Marvin L. Zinn
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Calcium needs for breastfeeding?
 

"Marvin L. Zinn" wrote in message
...
I can't comment on how much you need for your particular situation, but
I can tell you there is a wide variation in how much you consume verses
how much actually gets into your blood and bones. The best source for
assimilation is dark green, leafy vegetables, but you'd probably need a
lot of them. Also, avoid supplements that contain Calcium Carbonate
(the cheapest type) and look for Calcium Citrate or other form.

as long as the supplement doesn't contain lead, i don't think it matters
much-the calcium is going to be absorbed regardless...:)

Jess

Calcium needs for breastfeeding?
 

i'm not a nurse yet, but here's my opinion...any vitamin supplement you take
is going to absorb over time, and not all of it will absorb...i do know that
the 10-1500mg dose suggested (and quoted by the clerk) is that for a healthy
adult, not a lactating female...this link might help you some...:)
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~iishp/Nelson.html or this one
http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/handout...nanlactat.html :)

Thanks for the URLs. They were useful. My only gripe is that the
second one mentioned increasted osteoporosis if inadequate calcium is
consumed during lactation. I believe that new studies show that
osteoporosis risk is pretty low- that yes, bones are decalcified
during lactation, but that the bones remineralize very quickly after
lactation is ended.

i can understand where you and the doctor think that your wrist may have
been a consequence of leached calcium, and i do know that some practitioners
recommend raising calcium intake while healing from a broken bone; so your
practitioner may be factoring in what he believes you need to heal your
wrist, restore and maintain your calcium stores so you don't set yourself up
for osteoporosis later...i think someone mentioned a magnesium supplement
earlier-magnesium does help in vitamin absorption, but they're not entirely
certain how useful it is for calcium....i know vitamin d is linked with
calcium absorption somehow, but i can't remember how that works this late at
night...

Well, I'm now taking 1500 mg of supplement daily... one huge pill when
I get up, one at lunchtime, and one before bed. Huge amount, plus
normal dietary sources. I think that'll have to do!

Cathy Weeks
Mommy to Kivi Alexis 12/01

Calcium needs for breastfeeding?
 

"Cathy Weeks" wrote in message
om...
Thanks for the URLs. They were useful. My only gripe is that the
second one mentioned increasted osteoporosis if inadequate calcium is
consumed during lactation. I believe that new studies show that
osteoporosis risk is pretty low- that yes, bones are decalcified
during lactation, but that the bones remineralize very quickly after
lactation is ended.

i found the same thing, too (waffling studies)...my personal opinion is that
it can't hurt and might help...:)

Well, I'm now taking 1500 mg of supplement daily... one huge pill when
I get up, one at lunchtime, and one before bed. Huge amount, plus
normal dietary sources. I think that'll have to do!

that should do it...:)

Jess