BF beyond six months

[Ieattoomuchcake]

Can anybody point me to info re BF being best beyond six months?
My DD is 27 weeks (9 weeks prem so 18 weeks adjusted) and I've just had the weaning chat w the health visitor. DD already gets multivitamins because of her prematurity and the hv said that term babies who are breastfed need vitamin drops beyond six months so if I'm still BF we'll need to chat to dr re whether to increase her dose.

There was also a hand out about iron which said formula was a good source of iron and seemed to imply that BF inhibits the absorption of iron from food (or vice versa, can't remember and am typing this in bed).

I've been so chuffed with our breast feeding and wanted to continue at least till DD is twelve months adjusted. But this is putting questions in my head. Common sense tells me my milk is best for her. But maybe I'm wrong, maybe due to her prematurity a move to formula would be a good idea??

I'm guessing I'm not the first to have wondered this. Any thoughts, experiences out there?

Thanks

Your first instincts are correct - breastmilk is always best for babies, and you could say even more so for those who were born early.

You're right to feel chuffed, and don't let anyone take that away from you!

Would disagree about the vitamin drops, personally, and would be interested to know what leaflet the "info" about iron was in and if it was sponsored by Nestle. I shall have a look for some info, but am sure there will be better people along soon.

Keep up the good work :)

Sorry, am no expert and don't have any links but I cannot see how formula is in any way nutritionally superior to breastmilk.

You know that really, don't you?

My ds was 10 weeks early and i have always been encouraged to carry on breastfeeding - they need drops as unlike full term babies they are born without stores of vitamins and minerals.

So keep going unless YOU want to stop

Oh and look on WHO website www.who.int/child_adolescent_health/topics/prevention_care/child/nutrition/breastfeeding/en/index.html

Congrats on doing so well! Keep up the good work, why would you change now?

I think iron levels in breastmilk drop a little after 6moths, but this coincides with weaning, where there are plenty of foods that contain iron that you can introduce. Milk is not the sole source of iron!

Your hv sounds a little outdated.

there is benefit to a childs IQ upto 9 months.

also, with allergies it helps if you BF whilst introducing new foods.
have a google and you will find :)

Formula has more iron in it, but BM has iron that is more easily absorbed, so even though there is less iron in the BM the baby still gets enough.

I have been told that term babies rarely need vitamin drops even if they are EBF as they get some vit/min from their food to top up the reserves they built up in the womb (even if they don't eat that much), and certainly I have never been given anything for my DS. BUT prem babies often don't get enough time to build up reserves and that is why they need the vitamin drops/might need to be weaned early. The BF counsellor who was talking ab0ut this still seemed certain that BF was better though :)

Personally I don't trust hvs with their out of date or non existant training always like a second opinion, so perhaps you could ask for a referral to a paed if you would like some reassurance?

BM contains a substance called lactoferrin (literally milk iron) that acts as both dietary iron AND it's anti-microbial, it is highly bio-available which means even though mature bm contains around 1g per litre it is very easily absorbed. According to this study lactoferrin is antibacterial, antifungal, antivirus and antiparasitic. It is not in formula - though it's has been experimented with bovine lactoferrin being added to no effect.

Feeding a baby lots of iron supplemented foods interfere with the lactoferrin in the baby's gut. So it's not the bm stoping iron being absorbed it's heavily iron supplemented foods that actually impinge on iron absorption from bm (and can have the effect of feeding bacteria in the gut as non-animal iron is not easily taken up leaving it in the gut to be used by bacteria).

Your gut instinct (ha ha) was correct bm is not deficient and is an eminently suitable food for your baby.

Some of my non-BF friends were v shocked that I was continuing to BF post-6m and said I had to give extra vitamins, which I was a bit doubtful of.

Checked with HV who said unless DD and I only ate 'pie and chips' every day then absolutely no need.

Stopped BF DD at 15m and she is (touch wood) v healthy and happy so glad I trusted my instincts and HV advice.

Ieattoomuchcake- Was in a similar position to you.

DD2 was 8wks prem. BF till about 4 weeks ago when she self weaned :(... very sad time for me!!

Anyway, once we started weaning, which i left till she was 9mo (only 7mo corrected age) as she wasn't ready for foods at all before then... We were giving vitamin drops from birth, but i stopped once she got to weaning- was supposed to be continued till 12mo, and was given iron to give till 6mo which i again gave till weaning. After weaning i felt she was getting the right vitamins from both myself and the food she was eating. She's always been behind on the development stages, and always been very petite, but thats just her, she was like that before i stopped the vitamins and her growth and development hasn't changed at all.

She's now 20m and is walking and talking now, she says about 15-20 recognisable words and is generally a very happy little girl!! She's also very clever for how 'behind' other babies of the same age... so I'm happy with my decisions as a mother.

It was a little easier for me to listen to my gut instincts with her as she was my 3rd DC, but in all honestly if you want to continue to breastfeed there's nothing your baby will get from formula that your breastmilk wont give her!! And even down to vitamins- if you eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and veg, and a mixed diet of fish and meats then i again dont see the need for the extra vitamins once she's getting her own intake from foods too.

I found that her feeds were much smaller after meals, but she started to feed from me for fluids rather than food and would have a very good feed morning and night, occasionally during the night if she was up teething etc... and she'd feed before and after naps and whenever she liked really- i suppose i always just fed on demand... which would be different each day dependant on her mood etc...

Sorry if i've rambled but i thought i needed to post as you sound in the same place i was in after speaking to the HV, what seems like a long time ago now!! :)

Good info from Kellymom

Thank you everybody for taking the time to reply. You're right Tryharder, I think deep down I do 'know' breast milk is best for DD but it's nice to have that confirmed!
I was particularly interested cantmummyhaveabreak about the fact that you held off weaning till seven months adjusted age. My HV was saying that I really should start weaning in the next month as DD will need extra nutrients. To be fair to her she does admit that she doesn't know much about prems!
I don't know whether DD is 'ready' for food but I certainly don't think she needs it yet. I think we have been through the four month sleep regression (fingers crossed)!! And sleep is getting better and she is even starting to space her feeds out. (she now pretty much goes three hours between feeds!)

Anyway I am probably rambling.

Bottom line is that I will stick with the BF because myself and DD both enjoy it and I am reassured that its still best for her.

Ieattoomuchcake- I purely held off weaning because at 6mo she was only just bigger than my DS had been at birth!! She was tiny, and development-wise was also not much more advanced than he had been at birth. She fed regularly and had her vitamins and iron so i didn't feel she'd be 'lacking' in any nutrients that she NEEDED.... my dd1 was born full term and wouldn't swallow any food till she was 10mo, until then she purely had just breastmilk, no vitamins or anything extra and she was very healthy- and my HV with her was pretty fine to let her get to 12mo before she'd be worried about weaning... so i gathered a little later for my teeny tiny dd2 wouldn't do her any harm at all!!

And now at 20m she can eat more than my other 2 at 4yo & 5yo and she's still only a little dot!! :) go with your instincts and they shouldn't fail you :)