>.  Okay, I don't necessarily have a problem with that, but
> it never mentions that ABM fed babies need iron supps at a comparable
> time.
> Do they not?  I really don't know, but am curious.

Iron fortified formula is *so* iron saturated that the baby can still
get enough iron from it even as his needs change.  We had to use a
low iron formula with Emily as the iron content was so high in the
iron fortified kind that she was constantly constipated!  Also most
formula fed babies are on solids at the urging of doctors by 4
months.  (Despite that formula fed babies are not usually anymore
ready for solids than breastfed babies!)

As far as iron supplements, I never used them nor needed to.  Despite
being anemic myself, my milk is very rich in iron.  (I don't process
it well for my own use, but it tends to process ok into my milk.)
When Mary Elayne was a year old and my pedi found out that she a)
wasn't on solids yet and b) I wasn't giving her an iron or vitamin
supplement she asked to do an anemicy test.  I let her.  And she
left with the small amount of blood.  It had been about 3 hours since
she had nursed (we were nursing while they did the test though) and I
heard this great big WOW from out in the hall.  I don't know what
kind of scale she was using, but she said normal was 25 and Mary
Elayne's iron count was 36.  I changed her mind that day about
breastfed babies *needing* iron supplements just because they are
breastfed!  When I had to take her in for a check after her bout with
rota virus and the pedi discovered that at 17 months she was just
eating minimal solids she just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Eh,
she seems to be getting enough from you!"  :-)

Mother's breasts do know best!


Michelle Leifur Reid
LLL Leader
Pensacola, FL
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/4804