Coincidentally, I have just come across this report about iron fortification in infants.  Maybe this will help the mother clarify her thoughts on replacing breast milk with formula for reasons of 'iron-fortification'.  It seems a complex area, with results dependent on the infants’ actual iron status before supplementation.  I presume the babies’ iron status is being regularly re-assessed?

In the current situation, the fact that a substantial part of the breast milk would be replaced with an immunologically inert fluid that *may* be detrimental in other ways (the potential for increasing allergies and reducing the term of breastfeeding etc), gives me great concern. However I don’t know if supplement drops would be a preferable vehicle, sorry.

Jacquie Nutt IBCLC

“Can babies have too much iron?

“A new study about iron-fortification  from Chile  found that  infants with high iron levels at 6 months, who were fed iron-fortified formulas, had IQ levels 10 points lower at the age of 10 years than infants who had low-iron levels.

“Iron-Fortified vs Low-Iron Infant Formula Developmental Outcome at 10 Years  Betsy Lozoff, MD; Marcela Castillo, PhD; Katy M. Clark, MA; Julia B. Smith, EdD   Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Published online November 7, 2011. 
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/archpediatrics.2011.197 

“CLICK  HERE  for a Reuters report:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/12/us-iron-babies-idUSTRE7AB02820111112 “


             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome