Nutrition When breastfeeding: Vitamin b12 Deficiency

Moms who are vegetarian are more prone to a Vitamin B12 deficiency since most of the food sources of Vitamin B12 is of animal origin. This would result in decreased amounts of Vitamin B12 in the breast milk of vegetarian mothers – affecting the levels in the breastfeeding child. B12 is essential for the brain development and red cell production of an infant. Vegetarian moms could supplement with oral pills or look at product labels to see if the food (like cereal or milk products has been supplemented with B12 or cyanocobalamin) to ensure their baby’s healthy development.