Breastfed 9 Month Old Borderline Low Iron

He probably didn't mention it because it's borderline, not bad enough to cause delays.

I always fed my new eaters 12 grain crackers from trader joes, btw. They are iron bombs, and my kids still love them.

Good luck! But I wouldn't worry if the doctor wasn't worried.

He didn't mention it because he didn't want to alarm you for no reason. Doctors don't make a habit of telling new mothers every single thing that could possibly ever go wrong with their babies. Just give your son the drops and relax, he's fine.

Borderline means it's on the border between enough iron and not enough iron. Your doctor told you to give him drops so that his level would go up and not be too low. If your doctor told you to give him drops, it means your doctor IS doing something about this. He is telling you that giving your son drops should fix the problem.

It's just like if your GYN told you that you needed more calcium and that you needed to do this, this and that to raise your calcium levels. Well, if you do those things your levels WILL be higher. So there shouldn't be reason for alarm. Unless your doctor doesn't think you will follow through.

I think the reason our doctors (meaning, the doctors of adult patients) tells us why we need to make changes is because we don't always care for ourselves. Pediatricians don't always need the fear factor because we tend to place a higher importance on the health of our children.

Cause it's borderline.
And it's being treated.
Try to calm down.

because he's a professional, and apparently there's nothing in your son's case to be 'absolutely terrified' about.
stop googling and calm down.
khairete
S.

The drops are always recommended for breastfed babies. Formula fed babies get the supplement (and a bunch of other stuff) in their milk. Breast fed babies don't get this supplement unless you... supplement.

Your doctor probably was low key about it because he wasn't worried about YOUR son's iron levels... his levels aren't low, they were "borderline" which means they are on the low end of the normal range. he was telling you to start the supplement because he's breastfed.

Seriously, it's fine. Do the drops and relax.

T.

" borderline low iron" is not a crisis.
It was found, you're been informed and you're taking measures to correct it.
GOOD JOB!
Now try to relax a little.
I think postpartum depression is still possible 9 months after giving birth.
It's great you're taking care of everyone (and very well, by the way).
You need to take care of you too!

If it makes you feel any better - when our son was 1 1/2 yrs old I got so wound up trying to be 'Super Mom' I ended up needing to take Zoloft for 6 months.
It happens!
And it's more common than you think.

First, calm down. Blood work is a snapshot of a single moment in time. Does your baby have any symptoms of anemia, like lethargy or pale lips? My older son was "slightly low" on iron at his one year. I increased my own iron with a liquid supplement and started mixing a single egg yolk into his food a few times a week. No problems, no more low levels. I suspect that the scale they use reflects a large number of formula fed babies and babies who are given the iron drops. With my second, I was told to add iron drops just as a matter of course, no low levels detected. I didn't add them, but that's just my personal parenting choice.

Ultimately, I think there is no reason at all for you to panic :)

If he's borderline and you're taking steps to correct it, he'll be fine. You're learning that, for parents, Dr. Google is not always your friend. For you son to have mental and physical delays, the deficiency would have to be extreme, pronounced and over longer duration. The doctor didn't mention it because it's not a factor, and because he probably knew you would be terrified without sufficient medical indication that this is even a remote possibility.

Every one of us who is a parent has had something come up in a kid's appointment that indicated something else should be done. So you do it. That's all.

My baby only gained an ounce or two from 3 to 4 months, and my pediatrician had been away and I was getting poor quality advice from the substitute. And while she was pissed off, she noted that my baby's head was growing fine, and she said the body compensates and directs the available nutrition to the parts that need it the most. So my baby's brain was being nourished even if the rest of him wasn't gaining weight. It worked out fine - we made a simple plan, and he made immediate strides. He's fine and healthy and athletic and smart and strong.

It's really going to be okay for you too.

Frankly, we did the iron supplements and then stopped when she just spit them out. DD was fine. I would not be terrified. Please don't diagnose him on the internet and then get worried. Please talk to your doctor. Also, when he's eating solids, make sure that he gets things like beans and meat and leafy greens as sources of iron.

Low iron is common and usually corrects itself. Honestly, I wouldn't do a darn thing other than maybe increase your own iron levels through diet. The drops are nasty and cause a lot of constipation, which can lead to other issues with your baby.

Find out what the exact number was from your baby's test and from there research what normal and low ranges actually are. If your baby is just on the low end of normal, or the high end of low, you may very well be able to correct this with diet.

The kinds of things you read about are for babies with critically low iron over an extended period of time.

Kellymom.com is a great resource for info about this. Supplementing with iron or iron-fortified foods can interfere with your baby's normal absorption of the lacto-ferrin that's in your breastmilk. A baby's digestive tract has receptors that fit uniquely with the iron in breastmilk, which has a different shape than the synthetic iron in supplements and iron-fortified cereals and formulas. Synthetic iron doesn't fit into those receptors, so much more iron is needed in foods that have synthetic iron than is present in breastmilk, because the iron in milk is absorbed to much better. If you introduce synthetic iron, you can clog up those receptors and the easy bond between the iron in your milk and your baby's digestive tract is compromised. It's not the end of the world, and something that happens eventually as you move your baby to table food and away from breastmilk, but it's something that is worth putting off if you can. I didn't know about this with my oldest son, supplemented him with iron-fortified formula and cereal and we had trouble maintaining his iron levels after that even though I was breastfeeding and my iron levels were fine at the time. I avoided synthetic iron with my younger kids and their iron levels stayed optimal just on breastmilk.

Anyway...don't freak out about this. Add some iron-rich foods to his diet and yours and have him re-tested at his next visit and see if he's moving in the right direction.

FWIW, truly low iron (anemia) is very common and reversible. I've had bouts of low iron throughout my life and it's always been something I've been able to correct with diet.

Really...it's not a big deal and your baby will be fine. This just means that right now, dietary iron is something to pay attention to.

Well since you are still breastfeeding, I would find some iron enriched foods and eat them to bring up my iron level.

I wouldn't get all upset about a low level as it can be corrected. Have him tested at his next appointment to make sure his iron level has increased.

Get a good check up for yourself and make sure all is going well with you. As a mom we forget that we need medical treatment as well so that the family will stay well.

As others have said this will work out and not cause any long term effects on your child.

When I delivered my daughter, I recall my doctor giving me a prescription for a iron formula which was a liquid which I took for about six months.

the other Suzane

Thea is exactly right. What I wonder is why your ped didn't have you giving the baby drops from infancy on.

That's what I'd be upset about.

my son was borderline low iron @ 9 months, then had slightly eleveted lead levels at 1 yr. both can cause delays... my son is ahead of the game and when given testing for school i was told he did better than most kids his age (nearly 5 yrs)
so don't worry about it, suppliment the iron and keep teaching your child thru play and experiences!

I think what concerns me too is this.. IF the baby has borderline low iron and is breastfeeding... are you also low on iron and hence, the baby is not getting enough. I don't mention this to blame, but rather to say, IF I were you, why not have your levels checked as well..
IF you are low.. I, myself take a liquid iron (not the pills, those are rock iron) and the worst... I take liquid iron because I have been anemic "officially" since February.. What a difference the iron makes...
definitely have yourself checked as well.. I would..

good luck

Add iron rich foods to your diet. Isn't that where he gets his iron? Most formula has added iron so it's usually not a problem for formula fed babies.

At 9 months I suppose you are adding table foods to your child's diet, don't use baby food, it's basically flavored goo with minimal nutrition in it.

Make your own baby foods and use a blender to puree them or add things off the infant isle at Walmart that are for babies that are starting to eat. Like Cheerios. Those are good table foods to introduce to the baby when the can chew and swallow. Then adding foods YOU make yourself for the baby will help keep the higher nutrients in them.

My son was diagnosed with low iron at his one year checkup. We did the iron drops, too. He was/is perfectly fine and never had any delays of any sort. I think giving the supplement is more than sufficient and you have nothing to worry about. Don't be terrified - you have taken the necessary steps to prevent delays and your son isn't going to have problems because of this.
The doctor probably didn't mention it because he gave you the tools to correct the problem before it becamse an issue.