Does Breast milk contain....

[secondtimearound2]

Iron??

I don't think it does...can someone please enlighten me with the correct answer...pwease!!

Thanks :)

[Shakey]

i'm not 100% sure, but I did hear that breast milk has enough iron in it till bubs is 6mths old, then they need added food to up their iron intake, I could be wong on that though

[secondtimearound2]

That is exactly what I was told TrulyBlessed. I've read a few post lately about people waiting till thier little bubs are 9-10 months old before giving them solids :confused:

[Freya]

Breastmilk does contain Iron and it is a myth that once babies are 6 months they need more. Breastmilk is all a regular baby needs till 12 months.:)

[secondtimearound2]

Thanks for replying OneBlessing. How do you know tho...Have you read it somewhere??

[Freya]

Heres some info from the Kellymom website.



Healthy, full-term infants who are breastfed exclusively for periods of 6-9 months have been shown to maintain normal hemoglobin values and normal iron stores. In one of these studies, done by Pisacane in 1995, the researchers concluded that babies who were exclusively breastfed for 7 months (and were not give iron supplements or iron-fortified cereals) had significantly higher hemoglobin levels at one year than breastfed babies who received solid foods earlier than seven months. The researchers found no cases of anemia within the first year in babies breastfed exclusively for seven months and concluded that breastfeeding exclusively for seven months reduces the risk of anemia.

[BlueGin]

my doctor told me that not only does it contain iron, but it is of a very readily absorbed variety!

Also, relevant or not, he said that cow's milk in a baby's diet hinders their iron absorption.

[Freya]

Also, relevant or not, he said that cow's milk in a baby's diet hinders their iron absorption.

:yes: That is true, babies who are fed cows milk are more likely to have low iron then breastfed babies.

[secondtimearound2]

Heres some info from the Kellymom website.

Thanks so much for clearing that up. You have done well :hugs:


my doctor told me that not only does it contain iron, but it is of a very readily absorbed variety!

Also, relevant or not, he said that cow's milk in a baby's diet hinders their iron absorption.

I guess that makes heaps of sense cause is it vitamin c helps the body to absorb iron?? and breast milk is full of all the goodies!!

How amazing is the human body...actually the female body LOL

[Shakey]

:yes: That is true, babies who are fed cows milk are more likely to have low iron then breastfed babies.

oooh you learn new things every day, I didn't know that

[Freya]

How amazing is the human body...actually the female body LOL

It is absolutely AMAZING!

That kellymom website is so great too, Every time I am confused about something I jump on there. I use it as a guide for alot of my parenting decisions.:thumbsup:

[cmd'smum]

Oh yeaaahhhhhh BM has iron baby........ mine smells like nothing but iron!:barf: but it's all good! :thumbsup::D

[Benji]

I read somewhere that breastmilk contains less iron than formula but is more easily absorbed.

I think it has something to do with your intestines and the bacteria in them. Apparantly the iron in formula sticks to the bacteria or something :laughing: Sorry it's been a long while since I read about it.

My poor friend has a bub similar age to mine and she is formula fed and any time the poor thing eats anything with vit C or iron she gets horrible nappy rash to the point where it bleeds and peels because of the iron in the poop :(

[Oscar's mum]

I've read a few post lately about people waiting till thier little bubs are 9-10 months old before giving them solids :confused:

I would be one of those ppl;) I have 100% faith in my body and milk that it was good enough to provide enough nutrients to my baby - and it was:D

[secondtimearound2]

I would be one of those ppl;) I have 100% faith in my body and milk that it was good enough to provide enough nutrients to my baby - and it was:D


:yelclap: well Done. BTW I wasn't having a dig...I was just concerned. Not anymore tho :D

[Refresh]

my doctor told me that not only does it contain iron, but it is of a very readily absorbed variety!

wow,you have a great doctor!!:yelclap: Lots are not informed at all about breastfeeding:(

[Oscar's mum]

:yelclap: well Done. BTW I wasn't having a dig...I was just concerned. Not anymore tho :D

Don't worry I didn't take it as a dig;)

[zenifa]

Just wanted to say that reading this thread reminded me that breastmilk is an amazing wonderful thing and reaffirms my decision to bf my DDs, it truly is a complete food for bubs esp 0-12mths, and yes I agree that there is no hurry to introduce solids, esp if bubs is happy and healthy!! (sorry that was a very long sentence, note to self, start using more full stops and not so many commas, oops I did it again :doh:)

[Sheer Bliss]

Another thing i remember reading (can't remember where though sorry) was that as bubs feeds for longer, your body can adapt what is in the bm to meet the babies needs. Like on hot days bubs will feed more often, more watery foremilk will be there. There is also limited research (as extended breastfeeding is not as common as i think it should be) that suggests that after 6months, there is more iron in breastmilk as the body has some in built magic (for want of a more technical term - lol)that knows babies needs.

[BlueGin]

wow,you have a great doctor!!:yelclap: Lots are not informed at all about breastfeeding:(

He's pretty great, nice and sensible man.

I was interested to see on a recent hot day that my milk was totally clear at the start! DS looked so refreshed and happy when he had that :cloud9:

[elissas]

Absolutely bm has everything bubs needs. DS refused solids till 13mths and he was in peak of health. His iron levels were fine :)

Makes you wonder - chicken or egg. Perhaps babies "apparently" need more iron because of traditional early weaning, so the breastmilk adapts accordingly at the time when solids are introduced. Makes you wonder whether, if you continue to exclusively breastfeed, the body just recognises that and adapts iron levels according to that as well ;)