Hello Everybody,
I am a LLL Leader who usually just lurks here.  I am looking for
references about iron levels in breastmilk and whether a mother can
affect the level of iron that is in her breastmilk.  The mother's 20
month old has been diagnosed with anemia.  Her hemoglobin is 9.3 and
her ferretin level is 6.  The little girl weighs 21 1/2 pounds and
seems to have a lot of food sensitivities, if not allergies.  She
reacts to a lot of foods that her mother eats and she is not really
eating any solids although she is offered all kinds of foods.  The
mother is trying to get iron into her toddler but is wondering if she
can increase the amount of iron in her breastmilk too. The toddler is
obviously nursing a lot and she seems to be energetic and healthy
although she is not walking yet, but there is a family history of
late walking.  However, her growth and weight gain have dropped off and
she is now at 5 % in weight and height and has only gained a couple
of pounds in the last year.  The mother had requested that a blood test be done to
check iron levels because her daughter wasn't eating any solids.
I was also wondering what happens if a mother of a young infant was diagnosed as
being anemic herself.  This mother is wondering if she is perhaps anemic
too and if this may have contributed to the problem.
The Breastfeeding Answer Book sites one 1980 study that says a mother
cannot affect the amount of iron in her breastmilk.  I am going to
search the Lactnet archives but I was just wondering if anybody had
any references at hand.  Thank you.
Susanna Eve (in Halifax, NS, Canada)