Objective:

To describe the serum levels of vitamin D (VD) in mothers and their newborns.

Material and methods:

60 mothers and 62 newborns (two twins), who were selected from a medical unit in the city of Puebla, between April and May 2015, were included. After informed consent, data from the mother and newborn were recorded, including sun exposure time and VD intake during pregnancy. Serum levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) were determined to classify each participant into sufficiency, insufficiency, and deficiency parameters.

Results:

It was found that 85% of the mothers had low levels of VD; 43.3% with insufficiency and 41.7% with deficiency. These percentages were very similar in newborns, since only 6.5% showed normal levels. No relationship was found between VD levels and time of sun exposure or VD consumption during pregnancy.

Conclusion:

The high frequency of low levels of VD warns about the need to provide supplementation to all newborns, particularly those who are exclusively breastfed.