Improving Vitamin D Administration to Breastfeeding Newborns Using a Quality Improvement Model

Introduction: In November 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doubled the recommended daily intake of vitamin D for infants and children, from 200 IU/day (2003 recommendation) to 400 IU/day. Vitamin D should also be offered to any mother giving less than 500 mL of breast milk per day. Although breast milk is the best source of food for infants, it only contains 25 to 50 IU/L of vitamin D and, thus, is insufficient by itself. Vitamin D deficiency can cause nutritional rickets in severe cases but can also cause impaired growth, developmental delays, lethargy, and …