Have a healthy start with vitamin supplements
Vitamin D deficiency is on the increase in Birmingham and NHS Birmingham East and North is keen to reduce this by improving access to the Healthy Start vitamin supplements for pregnant women and children under four.
We are working with Health Visiting teams, Pharmacists and Children’s Centres to provide the free Healthy Start vitamin supplements locally.
Vitamin D regulates the amount of calcium in the body, which helps to keep bones and teeth healthy. Small children and babies who don’t get enough vitamin D can get softened bones which can lead to rickets. It’s important that pregnant women get enough vitamin D to keep their bones healthy and to provide the baby with enough vitamin D to support them in the first few months. Babies born to mothers who have low levels of vitamin D are more likely to be vitamin D deficient. More recent research shows vitamin D deficiency maybe linked to poorer health in adults.
Our main source of vitamin D is summer sunlight. The amount of sun you need varies for each person but it is less than the amount that causes tanning or burning. You can also get vitamin D in foods such as oily fish. Eggs, fortified, margarine and breakfast cereals. However, you may not get enough just from food alone.
The best way to be sure of getting enough Vitamin D is to take a supplement. The Healthy Start Vitamin tables for women contain vitamins C, D and Folic Acid. The children’s drops contain vitamins A, C and D.
All pregnant and breastfeeding women, especially teenagers and young women and also young children, are at risk of vitamin D deficiency. People of Asian, African-Caribbean or Middle Eastern origin and those who spend a lot of time indoors or who cover up for cultural reasons are also at high risk.
Your local Health Visitors, Pharmacist and Children Centre are now supplying these supplements free of charge. Look at the list below to find you’re nearest issuing site. Remember, if you receive the Healthy Start vitamin coupons, take these along with you. You are entitled to these free vitamin supplements if you are registered with a Birmingham GP or Children Centre, if you are pregnant or have a child under one year, or for all children under four years of age.
Healthy Start vitamin issuing centres
Individual center details
This data is extracted from the spreadsheets above.
