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Date: | Tue, 2 Feb 1999 19:39:53 -0500 |
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> Mom is tandem nursing a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old - Dr told her that she
> needed to wean them so that they would have "normal" hemaglobin tests.
Jay,
My first response is not printable. Therefore I will not print it.
It is nice that this doc is concerned for her children's health. If these
children were nursing to the exclusion of other foods, there might be a
concern that the diet was not balanced.
We do occasionally see this in kids who drink cows milk - kids can get a
very low hemaglobin/hematocrit if 80% of their intake is milk.
The reason the doc wants a blood draw vs. finger stick could be termed
"accuracy of testing, or less politely -hedging one's bet" A central h&h
will be a lower number than the finger stick variety.
Now - first, if the doc has a concern from physical exam for example a
murmur or pale conjunctiva and feels that too much of the diet is milk,
then an adjustment in amount of nursing time may be advisable.
Repeat - an ADJUSTMENT in nursing time NOT WEANING
I think that it would be good to be honest with your Ped or find a Ped you
can be honest with. Having been in the finger stick vs blood draw position
as a mom [because of insurance] knowing what I do now - I would gladly pay
for a finger stick out of pocket. The hemoglobin is the issue... you
don't need a CBC [complete blood count] unless you have a good reason from
history or physical exam... and breastfeeding is NOT one of those good
reasons.
Enough said. I don't think my blood pressure has been quite this high in a
long time.
Gail
Gail Hertz, MD, IBCLC
Pediatric Resident
author of the little green breastfeeding book - disclaimer: owner of Pocket
Publications
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