Can I Take Citracal Prenatal + DHA While Breastfeeding?
Citracal
® Prenatal +
DHA and Citracal Prenatal 90 + DHA are
prenatal vitamins that are considered to be safe and beneficial for use during breastfeeding. In fact, it is frequently recommended that women take a prenatal vitamin while breastfeeding, as this is a time of increased nutritional need.
Citracal Prenatal + DHA products have been discontinued by the manufacturer. They have been replaced by the Citranatal line of products. The Citranatal products are very similar to Citracal Prenatal + DHA products but have slight differences. There are now more formulations to choose from, and the formulations no longer include
vitamin A and vitamin B
12.
(Click Citranatal for more information on the current formulation of these products.)
Citracal Prenatal + DHA and Breastfeeding: What Does the Research Say?
Studies have shown that many of the vitamins and minerals in Citracal Prenatal + DHA pass through breast milk.
However, this is typically a very good thing. For an infant that is exclusively breastfed, breast milk is the only dietary source of important vitamins and minerals. Keep in mind that it is not a good idea to take too much of any particular vitamin and mineral, so you should not take any additional vitamins and minerals (unless you have your healthcare provider's approval).
There is one exception to this suggestion -- prenatal vitamins (including Citracal Prenatal + DHA products) usually do not contain enough
calcium for most women. Calcium is a bulky mineral, and it is difficult (usually impossible) to fit enough calcium into a single tablet along with all the other ingredients in prenatal vitamins.
