Pediatrician gave me a little bit of a hard time today...

We took the baby for her 6 month visit today (87th percentile for her wt and 90th for her ht!) and the doctor told me I needed to start Miriam on cereal because she needed iron. We haven't started any solids yet - I was just waiting until I thought she was really ready, and I guess life seems less complicated when all I have to worry about is nursing her right now (instead of trying to get solids in her too!)

Any opinions on the iron supplements for breastfed babies? I still take my prenatal vitamin - isnt she getting that iron to some degree?

I supplemented with formula for the twins, so the doctor never gave me a hard time with them, since formula has plenty of iron in it.

Just wondered what you all thought.

Thanks!

 

I don't have time to say much now, but I wanted to recommend http://www.drgreene.com/

 

They say that 6 months is a good time to start solids, but not all babies are ready. I didn't start solids with E (My last) until 7 months... not because he wasn't ready, it was because I was lazy. :blush: Why lie?! I started the twins at 6 months and one of them was not as ready as the other one. If you don't think they are ready, then by all means, hold off. Breastmilk is all the babies need until they are a year. Great question!

 

Here's what Kellymom has to say on iron and breastfeed babies

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html


The doctor in the link I posted earlier actually advocates against ever using white rice cereal and doing baby lead weaning (waiting until they are eating themselves, rather than spoon feeding them before they show interest).

 

I would not do it. Doctors tend to be over cautious and if your baby is healthy and you eat healthy, she will be fine. I am not one for vitamins or supplements. I don't give my kids any or take them excpet when pregnnat.

 

I would probably call for an iron test to see if they were low, first. If they weren't I'd retest at the next WBV. I wish I had not done rice cereal as there have been recent recalls. If they really need supplements I'd do the vitamins straight up.

 

My ped has never said anything and I have child lead weaned and will do so this time as well. I was told by a different ped 13 years ago that my DS needed vitamin supps because I was only breastfeeding. I was a new mom and nervous so I reluctantly bought them. I gave him one dose.... he threw it up. I concluded right then that he did not need it and never again gave it to him or any of my other babies!

 

5 kids in and I have never had a doc just randomly say my healthy, growing babies needed iron. Did he CHECK her iron level? With my latest, vitamin D was suggested, but not iron. And you're still taking your pre-natals? I think that may be overkill. I gave mine cereal because he seemed interested and ready, not because of iron issues.

 

I wouldn't bother with the rice cereal either.

you can get iron from many other sources and your milk will have what they need. I never did commercially made baby cereal with the twins and at 12 mo. their iron was fine. I did feed my kids other whole grains that I ground up and cooked myself, but nothing was "fortified" with extra iron. I waited until almost 8 mo. to start solids.. and when I did grains, it was millet, barley, etc. Barley is on the higher end of iron, and quinoa has a lot too as well as lentils. There are plenty of sources for it.

If you are really worried, I'd get the test done...

 

By your description, bub is doing just fine and as long as she(?)'s still getting plenty of bm will be fine until your ready to introduce solids.
The doctor is probably just being cautious as 6 months is suppossed to be when your baby's built in iron levels start to deplete.
Breast milk is a whole food so feed on!

 

Hello, I have six kids and I can tell you that when they are ready for solids, you will know. They will reach for everything you are eating, try to grab food off your plate. I think around 6 months is when mine really started reaching for food and opening their mouths to show they wanted it. I prefer potatoes and squash to cereal, because you hear about babies with gluten intollerance all the time now, and the potatoes are easy to digest (and I happen to grow a lot of potatoes & squash here.), but rice cereal does seem to be better on the tummy than some of the other grains.

 

Then again, I'm hearing people say they avoid potatoes, because they are a "nightshade" and could have traces of the enzyme solanaise... Well, everything in moderation, is how we do it here...