# Does your doctor check your baby's iron level?



## Rebecca_2009 (Jan 20, 2009)

a lot of doctors check this in babies at 9 months, but i dont know if they all do. if your baby's iron was check, how were your exclusively breastfed baby's iron levels at 9 months?


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## shannonnc78 (May 15, 2008)

I refused the iron check at 9 months and 12. Paolo still breastfeeds a great deal and I didn't want them sticking him b/c I didn't feel it was necessary. I may get it done at the 15 month checkup, but I'm not sure.


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Moving to the general breastfeeding forum.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Ours doesn't do it till 1. My last 2 have always been naturally lower.


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

No they don't check iron levels here unless there is a reason.


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## Claire and Boys (Mar 27, 2007)

I have never had either of our sons tested by anyone.


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## sunnygir1 (Oct 8, 2007)

Dd's iron was low. I can't remember exactly when they checked, but I'm pretty sure it was before a year, 8 or 9 months?

She was premature, jaundiced, and exclusively breastfed. I don't know whether I'd do it again or not. Maybe it's better not to know and it would have self-corrected, or maybe it was important that I knew and took steps to increase the iron in her diet.

We used Floradix (sugar and yeast-free) and I offered iron-rich foods at every meal, almost exclusively, in fact.


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## Mandynee22 (Nov 20, 2006)

DS's was checked... I don't remember if it was 9 months or a year. His was low. I bought a cast iron pan and it was fixed... Mine went way up too according to the iron checker lady at the red cross 
He was not exclusively breastfed at that time


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## sunnygir1 (Oct 8, 2007)

Oh, dd was not exclusively breastfed at the time. We had introduced solids, but she wasn't eating much yet. I think her hemoglobin was 9-ish?


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## cherrytree (Jan 19, 2009)

our ped offered the test, but wasn't pushy about it since he knows we don't do vax or any type of blood tests. he offered it around 9 months...DS isn't there yet. definitely not going to do it. and we don't supplement at all...and he is exclusively breastfed. BF babies need less iron than FF babies because the iron in BM is in a much more easily absorbed form than it is in formula.


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## michelle123 (Oct 13, 2008)

DD1 was checked at 1 year, but that was part of regular bloodwork. DD2 has been checked several times, but not due to BF, it's because she was anemic in the womb and they want to make sure her iron levels are all right now.


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## tbone_kneegrabber (Oct 16, 2007)

We did it at a year when we had ds' lead levels checked. His iron was fine, but his lead was high


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## ellymay (Aug 4, 2005)

all of my kids have had it checked bf'd or not and my ds2 is the only one who ever has had a prob with it and his was VERY low I just gave him more iron filled foods and I took vit I did for a brief time give him liquid vit in juice but not much


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## ChetMC (Aug 27, 2005)

With our first two kids we were living in Canada. Iron tests were never offered to us.

Here in the US, when the pediatrician started pushing iron drops for DS, I suggested an iron test before we started talking about iron drops. He said no to the test for some reason. I can't remember why though... and I said no iron drops too.


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## jenjenl18 (Jul 6, 2007)

DS had hemoglobin/hematocrit, CBC with diff check ~12mos (no Iron level drawn)...He was almost EBF at the time and his levels were fine. I know if his was low I was planning on looking into Floradix. I've heard of other moms using it. HTH


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## takasmom (Mar 16, 2007)

we had ours tested at 6months as part of other labwork. ds was low (~8) despite EBFing, full term, etc. we had not started solids then. i looked into floradix but even the honey/gluten free one has various fruits/citrus that we were not comfortable starting that early. i opted to supplement with regular iron drops (nasty taste and all). i don't think its a popular route here among most MDC mamas, but i do believe iron is important and wanted my ds to be getting more of it.


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## jecombs (Mar 6, 2008)

DD had her iron checked at a year old. I don't remember what her level was, but the nurse said it was "fabulous".


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## poetesss (Mar 2, 2006)

We did the test and 9 months and then a repeat later on (don't remember exactly when) ... glad I did it, because the results were abnormal and we learned that ds has the trait for thalassemia--no biggie, as it is just the trait, but it did prompt me to get myself checked because if both dh and I had the trait we'd have a chance of passing the disease on to our future kids.

It also helped explain why ds's iron levels naturally show up low, it is because of his trait and so as long as his hemoglobin hovers around 10, we don't supplement w/iron.


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