retrospective musing on bf

[megcleary]

pardon my ignorance but i've been wondering i bf my dd for 12 weeks didn't go very well long story.

problems with my mood pmt etc for a while after eventually had blood test at gp and ferritin level was 4 normal is 23

does bf cause mum to lose ferritin?

boing....

iron?
must have been low anyway.

I don't know of any research that shows it does. I don't know of any studies that specifically show it doesn't, either, but there have been a lot of studies that have looked at the influence of various factors including breastfeeding status and maternal ferritin levels on babies, so if there were a correlation between breastfeeding and low maternal ferritin someone would almost certainly have noticed.

I've never been ferrous deficient while breastfeeding but oddly have been when pregnant and when competitive sportsperson.

For it to be that low. Within 12 wks of birth. I suspect you were deficient during pregnancy and esp after birth with blood loss.
have you been checked lately? What probs did you have feeding your dd if you don't mind saying?
are you feeling ok now?

thanks for the replies i don't think i had any problems during pregnancy was wondering if the bf dropped it if that was why she never seemed happy bf as my breastmilk was not giving her what she needed

god 4 is bloody low, you must have felt shocking. i thought they did transfusions at 6. I also think a normal level is over 12

don't think it's connected with bf though, more likely low iron during pg and blood loss

mpdlp that 12 number is heamaglobin but felt shit with low ferritin

birth was emergency section and feeding problems was that she fed all day every day sat on couch or bed with dd attached to nipples midwife said latch was good but having found this site only recently i wonder would i have tried more support or eaten more myself etc lost baby weight and loads more in weeks after birth hindsight is perfect though.....

baby will always deplete your stores to nourish their own. Which I why I say yours must have been low. 4 is v low. Did they recommend any treatment?
I'm bloody sure being a former anaemivlc myself that bf alone does not cause ferritin deficiency.
Are there any clues in your diet? Were you very run down post natally?
have the docs given you thorough checks since that test result?

went to gp feeling crap when dd was 4mo they told me i was depressed and i needed antidepressants i disagreed different gp 2 weeks later did bloods andd found the ferritin low put me on iron and said come back in 4 months i often wonder what would have happened if i took the antidepressants

Do get your bloods checked again. I had a post partum hemmorage and had blood transfusions and iron tablets. I blood test 8 weeks after birth showed I was back in normal ranges. Then 4 months later my excema flared up and eventually got referred to a dermatologist who did blood tests and I was surprised to find mine had dropped to 6. Now on 3 months of iron tablets...and 3 weeks in feeling much less exhausted.

i will go back as always its finding time to take care of self not baby!!!

My understanding is that bf does not have any effect on maternal iron levels - in fact, the opposite, as without bf, the periods return, and this depletes iron.

Low iron can have an effect on breastmilk supply - not quality, but quantity, and it can mean it is harder to build up a supply. It would not be surprising, then, that a baby would then need to feed a lot, to maximise production.