I want to live like that
with the sun in front
and happy singing
beatamente…
I want to live and enjoy
the air of the mountain
why this enchantment
it's free
Claudio Villa had a really nice singing about the beauty of the sun and nature, the joy that a spring day, jumping from flower to flower, caused him, and beyond the "impertinent" refrain these words hide simple truths: the sun it not only gives you joy, but also well-being and vitamin D, one of the typical vitamins for newborns.
That's right, our body is not able to produce this vitamin on its own and our current lifestyle, very different from that of our ancestors who spent almost all of the day outdoors, needs some supplements. particular conditions and from the first months of life. Let's see how and when to give vitamins to babies.
Experts, in this regard, recommend administering vitamin D to the newborn within its first 30 days to facilitate the closure of the fontanel, the absorption of calcium, ossification and for a good future teething. Vitamin D is in fact little influenced by food and, in particular for those born between autumn and winter in regions that are not exactly sunny, a supplement is not only useful, but is highly recommended at least until the first year of age ( Vitamin D is usually given in drops every day). If the pediatrician deems it necessary, and only in special cases, the intake could be continued until the child's second year.
Attention, however, also to those born in the summer months: sun creams that protect the baby's skin by preventing sunburn also block UVB rays which, on the other hand, serve to stimulate the production of vitamin D; in these cases it is important to provide the child with the correct integration of the deficient vitamin.
However, it is advisable not to exceed the quantities recommended by pediatricians: excessive administration causes the so-called vitamin D intoxication (a condition that can also affect adults), the cause of hypervitaminosis D, the main symptoms of which are, at least at the beginning, weakness , nausea, vomiting. It is therefore essential to administer vitamins to newborns in the right doses.
There is another vital vitamin for the proper development of infants - vitamin K - necessary for blood clotting and to prevent two serious conditions: "Vitamin K deficiency early bleeding" and "late bleeding disease". In the first case it is a situation that could occur immediately after birth, the second could appear between the second and third month.
During pregnancy, the newborn receives a small amount of vitamin K from the mother, but after delivery the risk of a condition of vitamin K deficiency exists and, in order to avoid difficult situations, it is administered to all newborns through a injection (and one is enough) or through a vitamin supplement in drops to be given every day or once a week, depending on the drug.
But why do babies suffer from vitamin K deficiency? As we have seen, this deficiency depends both on the low quantity that passes through the placenta, and because the synthesis of this vitamin begins together with the appearance of the bacterial flora; a newborn baby, however, has a completely sterile intestine, unable to synthesize this vitamin.
In general, therefore, it is good to provide a vitamin K supplement to all newborns to prevent premature bleeding disease. However, there is no unambiguous opinion on subsequent administrations. The orientation of doctors in this regard is split precisely because late haemorrhagic disease occurs very rarely.
Of course, the aforementioned prophylaxis is only recommended for breastfed babies since formula milk already contains specific amounts of vitamin K. However, as with vitamin D, excessive consumption of vitamin K supplements only occurs if they are not followed. correctly the instructions of the pediatrician. Its excess causes symptoms similar to those of jaundice, namely yellow skin and bleeding. However, just follow your pediatrician and vitamins for newborns will only be a health ally.
