It's generally true that for the first 6 months, term babies have iron
stores that they were born with and will use up gradually over that period
of  time. That's if their umbilical cords were not clamped too soon at birth
and they got the full complement of the blood that belongs to them! And the
amount of iron in breast milk is in perfect proportion to complement the
baby's stored iron. Any other iron taken into the baby's stomach will
interfere with the functioning of the lactoferrin. But the iron "storage" is
all used up by 6 mos. Newborns  with no "stores" from hasty cord clamping
can be iron deficient into their first year.but are there any studies on how
and when to do iron supplementing  in an exclusively bf babe? 

 

The newborn gut is permeable for about 6 mos as well,  so that bm is the
only food that a baby's stomach can healthily digest. That's why we wait til
about 6 mos to start food, when the baby's gut becomes mature enough to
begin to be able to digest food, and that's when the iron stores run out, so
foods begin to provide iron at this point to complement the  iron in bm.  Up
until then, breast milk has just the right amount of iron.  But after 6 mos
there's no more "storage", and no need for it.the baby can now eat foods
that have iron, and continue to get iron in the correct amounts from breast
milk.

 

If a ebf  baby gets iron from an outside source before 6 mos.like iron in
supplemental formula, it's true that the lactoferrin in bm is bound and no
longer functions as a protective element. But "storage" is one question  and
supplementing  is another, no?  I hope I've addressed the right question
here.

 

Best,

Jackie Levine

 


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