Nurse told me to stop breastfeeding at night

[jesussaves777]

@thomasw59 I personally would not feed my baby fortified cereal due to ferrous sulfate’s negative effects on the gut, and because only 2-13% of non-heme iron is absorbed, and that percent is reduced even further when it’s given in processed cereals, and when you take into account how little babies actually consume at 6 months when they need to be getting more iron than an adult male.

There’s so many better options, that honestly I wish I was told about earlier, but had to study infant nutrition myself to learn about.

 

[meganh]

@jesussaves777 Link?

 

[jesussaves777]

@meganh For what; Ferrous sulfates effect on the gut? Heme iron absorption rates? How much iron infants need? Better sources of iron than baby cereal?

I’ve mentioned a lot of things that I’ve learnt over a few years from studying haha, so I don’t know what you want to get from just saying ‘link?’

 

[meganh]

@jesussaves777 Absorption rates and where are you seeing that babies need more iron than an adult male? That’s an insane statement so I was hoping you’d have something to back that up lol

 

[jesussaves777]

@meganh https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron-healthprofessional/#en5, sourced from Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc : a Report of the Panel on Micronutrientsexternal link disclaimer. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2001.

See table. RDA Iron 6/7-12months = 11mg. RDA Iron males 19-50 years = 8mg.

As for absorption rates, that’s just what I learnt during my nursing degree and nutrition course, but a quick google shows anywhere from 2-15% absorption for non heme iron.

Hope that wasn’t too ‘insane’ for you, lol.

 

[lonnie159]

@thomasw59 My daughter barely eats but a few bites of solids at 9 months, is breastfed, and is in 100th percentile for height and 99th for weight. Crawling, saying words, and content all of the time. If mothers are taking nutrition seriously while breastfeeding they don’t need to worry about solids before one.

 

[marian01]

@lonnie159 They still need to get some micronutrients that they can’t get enough through breastmilk like iron and in most cases vitamin D.

 

[atapia94]

@marian01 There are vitamin d drops available for breastfed babies. Pediatrician never bothered to tell me my son would benefit/needed these if he was ebf

 

[marian01]

@atapia94 Most of us need some sort of vitamin D supplementation, I was mostly referring to misinformation that breastmilk fulfills “all nutritional requirements”.

AAP recommends vitamin D supplementation for breastfed babies, and emphasize either adding iron supplements or providing iron rich food starting at 4 months.

https://www.healthychildren.org/Eng...nutrition/Pages/Vitamin-Iron-Supplements.aspx

I’m sorry your pediatrician didn’t provide you with this information. However, we need to remember that these recommendations are also based on populations rather than individuals, so while most EBF babies don’t see any negative side effects from no vitamin D supplementation it increases the risks of vitamin D deficiencies in population as a whole.

 

[thomasw59]

@lonnie159 That’s great that she’s growing well but all infants need extra iron at that age for proper brain development. Iron deficiency is very serious in children.

CDC guidelines

Canadian Pediatric Society guidelines

Backgrounder written by a dietitian

 

[meganh]

@thomasw59 Thanks for the links

 

[thomasw59]

@meganh You’re welcome!

 

[lonnie159]

@thomasw59 https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/iron-dangers.shtml

I highly suggest this read on the dangers of iron by Dr. Ray Peat, biologist and a world-leading thyroid expert who for 40 years has researched the interactions between health & nutrition

 

[jyj]

@lonnie159 My oldest was iron deficient at that age because he was EBF and we didn’t know to focus on iron rich solids. Iron is not sufficiently available in breast milk. Respectfully, you’re wrong.

 

[lonnie159]

@jyj I suggest you read this article on the dangers of excess and even supplemental iron by Dr. Ray Peat, an American biologist and researcher on interactions between health and nutrition for over 40 years.

https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/iron-dangers.shtml

 

[jyj]

@lonnie159 Thank you for sharing, I prefer peer-reviewed sources though.

 

[lonnie159]

@jyj Dr. Ray Peat has decades of research behind him and he backs every single thing he says with tens if not hundreds of studies. He was famously asked to give a speech on some of his views and backed up what he said with hundreds of pieces of peer reviewed research clearly showing how they all proved what he was saying.
It seems as though many are comfortable following nutritional guidelines from the food and pharmaceutical industry funded CDC despite the decline in trust and credibility they’ve received the last 3 years!!

 

[lonnie159]

@thomasw59 I highly suggest you read this article on the dangers of excess and even supplemental iron by Dr. Ray Peat, an American biologist and researcher on interactions between health and nutrition for over 40 years.

https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/iron-dangers.shtml

 

[annajane]

@amandak695 Do not wean. See a lactation consultant and maybe if you truly feel like he’s not taking to solids a pediatric referral to a speech pathologist that focus on starting solids

 

[kinger9]

@amandak695 I think you are rocking it. 2 to 3 times for a breastfed baby at 9 months seems pretty normal to me.