Breast feeding at six months?

Question

I have been breast feeding my son for nearly six months. At six months, will my milk produce the correct amount of iron that he will need or should I switch to follow on milk? ( I have been weaning him since he was 20 weeks and he eats a lot of iron rich food.)Thanks for your answers!

Answer 1

As long as you are feeding him foods with iron you dont need to switch at all! breastmilk is still best!!!

Answer 2

Your milk will carry on coming as long as you continue to keep breastfeeding. If you can see he is full up by it you don't need a follow on milk but if he is continuing to always want milk it may be best to do half breastfeeding and half bottle.

Answer 3

breastmilk is still the most complete nutrition.  some babies might need extra iron after 6 months, but you can get that from solids or even a vitamin supplement.  formula might have more iron in it, but it's also got more corn syrup, no antibodies, and plenty of contaminants.

Answer 4

Breastmilk contains enough iron for MOST babies for a full year.  (There isn't much iron, but what's there is very well absorbed.)

If you start solids, the solid foods can block the iron absorbtion in the milk, so it's a good idea to offer iron-rich solids (if baby is GETTING solids)  after 7-9 months or so. Since you are already doing that, you're fine.

There is aboslutely NO benefit to weaning from breastmilk (a perfect food for babies of any age) to formula.

Answer 5

Breastmilk is the perfect milk for humans. How do you think babies survived before follow on milk was invented!! lol

Your baby will get everything he needs from milk alone up to 1 years of age, so dont worry!  

Answer 6

After breast-feeding both my babies all I've really got to say is BREAST IS BEST!!! Just keep doing what you are doing, you are doing a great job and you should be so proud of yourself!!!!!

Answer 7

your breast milk adapts according to how long you have been feeding! Mother nature is a wonderful thing!

Answer 8

oh you don't need to switch him.. if you're still wanting to breastfeed, you can continue breastfeeding, just make sure to give him solids that are rich in iron.

Answer 9

you´re doing a wonderful job so don´t worry keep on going until you and your baby feel it is right to stop. I had to wean early because of the same problems and all 4 of them had no problems. trust your instincts, they have served you right so far in choosing breast in the first place.

Answer 10

If you wish to you can carry on - its really up to you.  Most people breastfeed up to around 1 year.  I chose to move my son to formula for 6 months and up when he was six months but it really it your choice.  

Answer 11

Of course your milk has the right amount of iron.  The only way they can say breastmilk doesn't have enough iron is when they compare it to formula -which is truly turning logic on its head.  They have to add a tonne more iron to formula because its not well used by the baby, virtually all the iron in breastmilk is used.

That being said babies that are at an increased risk of anemia include:

-Babies born weighing less than 6lbs 8oz, those weighing less than 5lbs 8oz are at even higher risks

-Babies born prematurely

-Babies born of truly anemic mothers

-Babies of diabetic mothers

-Babies who start non-breastmilk foods before 7-8 months, those that start before 4 months are at an even higher risk

-Babies given cow's milk

-Babies given weaning diets high in grains.

Is Iron-Supplementation Necessary?

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitami...

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids...

Delaying solids helps to protect baby from iron-deficiency anemia.

The introduction of iron supplements and iron-fortified foods, particularly during the first six months, reduces the efficiency of baby's iron absorption. Healthy, full-term infants who are breastfed exclusively for periods of 6-9 months have been shown to maintain normal hemoglobin values and normal iron stores. In one study (Pisacane, 1995), the researchers concluded that babies who were exclusively breastfed for 7 months (and were not give iron supplements or iron-fortified cereals) had significantly higher hemoglobin levels at one year than breastfed babies who received solid foods earlier than seven months. The researchers found no cases of anemia within the first year in babies breastfed exclusively for seven months and concluded that breastfeeding exclusively for seven months reduces the risk of anemia. See Is Iron-Supplementation Necessary? for more information.

http://www.babyreference.com/BeyondBreas...

The duration of exclusive breastfeeding

was significantly longer among

nonanemic infants (6.5 vs 5.5 months).

None of the infants who were

exclusively breast fed for 7 months or

more and

𐁺43% of those who were breast fed for a

shorter time were anemic.

𐁺Infants who were exclusively breast fed

for a prolonged period had a good iron

status (later) at 12 and 24 months.

Needless iron supplementation: Excess

iron in the blood is thought to cause freeradical

damage to arteries

𐁺Iron supplements can cause slowed

growth, reduced mental development,

constipation and reduced absorption of

selenium and other important minerals

So, breastmilk is not deficient in iron and

efforts to raise iron levels in the absence

of proven anemia are not beneficial.

𐁺This does not mean that a breastfed child

cannot become anemic, though it’s less

common than in formula-fed or early solid

food fed.

http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVDec...

Meat provides additional protein, zinc, B-vitamins, and other nutrients which may be in short supply when the decrease in breast milk occurs. A recent study from Sweden suggests that when infants are given substantial amounts of cereal, it may lead to low concentrations of zinc and reduced calcium absorption (Persson 1998). Dr. Nancy Krebs has shared preliminary results from a large infant growth study suggesting that breastfed infants who received pureed or strained meat as a primary weaning food beginning at four to five months, grow at a slightly faster rate. Dr. Krebs' premise is that inadequate protein or zinc from complementary foods may limit the growth of some breastfed infants during the weaning period. Both protein and zinc levels were consistently higher in the diets of the infants who received meat (Krebs 1998). Thus the custom of providing large amounts of cereal products and excluding meat products before seven months of age may not meet the nutritional needs of all breastfed infants.

Meat has also been recommended as an excellent source of iron in infancy. Heme iron (the form of iron found in meat) is better absorbed than iron from plant sources. In addition, the protein in meat helps the baby more easily absorb the iron from other foods. Two recent studies (Makrides 1998; Engelmann 1998) have examined iron status in breastfed infants who received meat earlier in the weaning period. These studies indicate that while there is not a measurable change in breastfed babies' iron stores when they receive an increased amount of meat (or iron), the levels of hemoglobin circulating in the blood stream do increase when babies receive meat as one of their first foods.

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content...

The results indicate that in a group of healthy, well growing 12-month-old Swedish infants one-quarter is iron-depleted, although iron deficiency anaemia is rare, and one-third may be zinc-depleted. The high cereal intake of Swedish infants from 6 months of age may have limited the bioavailability of both iron and zinc from the diet.

http://www.jpgn.org/pt/re/jpgn/abstract....

Conclusions: These results confirm that meat as a complementary food for breast-fed infants can provide a rich source of dietary zinc that is well absorbed. The significant positive correlation between zinc intake and exchangeable zinc pool size suggests that increasing zinc intake positively affects metabolically available zinc.

http://www.babyreference.com/BeyondBreas...

Formula-fed babies may need

solids sooner because in formula:

𐁺It’s difficult to absorb many nutrients

𐁺Iron is very high but difficult to absorb

𐁺The high iron blocks

absorption of other

important minerals

𐁺Formula is very lean

on antioxidants and

has virtually no fiber

Answer 12

I'm wondering why you were trying to wean him so early?  Any problems?  You don't need to switch at all, in fact it's healthier if you keep nursing until he's atleast 1.  Now that he's six months he's old enough to start introducing food.  But definitly keep nursing!

Answer 13

"will my milk produce the correct amount of iron that he will need or should I switch to follow on milk?"

No artificial milk offers even half the health benefits that a mothers breast milk does at ANY age, you would be doing your child a huge disservice by weaning him off the breast.

"Breastmilk contains just enough iron for the baby's needs... Formulas contain too much iron... The iron in formula is poorly absorbed, and most of it, the baby poops out."

http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_about/a...

So long as he has your breast milk, and is eating healthy foods (like you said, rich in iron) -- he is just fine with that.

Answer 14

He should get what he needs from the solids he is eating.  If you are still worried go to the health food store and ask what would be a good vitamin for a 6 month old and then before you give it to him, ask the doctor too.  

Answer 15

Do NOT switch to formula!!  Breastmilk may have less iron than formula but the iron it has is very easily absorbed...so it's way better!!  SO much iron has to be added to formula that it's constipating.

Breastmilk is always the best.  :)

If you want to continue to supplement his solids with iron rich foods, try apricots and beans for a start.  I'm sure he's fine mommy!

Answer 16

at 4 months I was pumping & giving my baby a bottle, the doc had me put vitamins in it. so your doc may want you to give him vitamins, but you can put it in his food. your doc will let you know if he needs it.

Answer 17

u may breast feed him as long as he is a year and a half or so.u may give him green leafy vegetables trying one at a time for abt some ten days daily in small quantities and hwe will get othernutrients and iron

Answer 18

I believe babies should stay on breast milk for a whole year or formula. They can develop allergies to foods or milk if given to them before a year per my doctor said when I had my daughter.

Answer 19

your milk will be fine for your baby . I'm son is 12months old and is still breastfed and he's never add, any follow on milk . now he's 1 he has cows milk as well as breast milk . i don't think you should have started weaning your baby at 20 week  weather he was wake every two hours or not I'm son still wake 2-3 time for feeds and he's now 1 , but its not for me to say . he's your baby and you know best for you and your little one .