Dd has had her second blood tests results back and she is being referred to a blood specialist!!!

[Helenemjay]

She is only 6 months old and her results apparently show she has very low iron and and very high zinc levels, i dont know much about the effects of zinc levels but obviously low iron is anaemia - how come she can have that at 6 months old? apparently she is being reffered so they can discuss her diet!! she has been breastfed exclusively (appart from a very brief period) and so i thought that would protect her from things like this to some extent! - i feel guilty that i have gone wrong somewhere and not given her what she needs! can anyone give me any clues as to how i can help her iron levels? i already try to make sure she has a good and varied diet as far as i can at her age - where am i going wrong??

Were you badly anemic yourself in pregnancy? I really don't see how you could have done anything differently. No point in wasting energy blaming yourself.
Can you put some iron drops (HV would be able to advise what) in something she will drink from?

I have always been really really anaemic xxxviii! so i guess it might be something genetic, i was even more anaemic than ever when i was pregnant! i just dont want the Dr to feel like im not feeding her properly, i will ask hv about iron drops too - thanks i didnt know you could get things like that when they are that age! i have to see the gp and hv about it all on tuesday morning so i will see if i can get some more info then.

hi helen i just googled high zinc levels and it says that it causes aneamia. it also says dont let your child eat dirt!apparently the earth is full of zinc. its very interesting anyway, i dont know how to do links so couldnt do that for you.

Hello Helen.

Have been missing you from the September thread - hope dd is ok - take care (aka Redhelen) I understand that giving iron supplement to babies and children is dangerous so don't try to remedy this yourself. best wishes xx

hi helen, i don't know a huge amount about this, but a baby's natural iron reserves do start to run out at about 6 months... hence the need to wean, and formula manufacturers introduction of follow on milks from 6 months (they don;'t really work, but that's a whole other thread!)

anyway, I guess I just wanted to say that you shouldn't blame yourself. Breastmilk afaik isn't a fab source of iron, but this is a natural stage that she is going through. If you've started weaning then you can make sure she gets plenty of iron rich foods. I am sure the doctors are erring on the side of caution

as far as helping her iron levels goes, then leafy green veg, apricots, lentils and chick peas are all high in iron.
also, make sure she doesn't have it along with dairy products and they inhibit the absorption of iron

Bmilk's not got lots of iron in, but what is there is totally bioavailable - the iron levels in formula are much higher because so much is excreted - it's not in an easily digested format, hence the constipation it causes in some babies.

It sounds like it could be a genetic thing, HE - keep bfeeding, and offering iron rich veggies (dark green leafy things). IIRC, orange juice good for iron absorption, so you could give her a drop of that at mealtimes?

If you cook in cast-iron pans (particularly slightly acidic things) then that boosts the iron content of the food.

Oh thankyou everyone i have had a day or two to sleep on things now and im hoping it is just because she is 6 months and her levels have dropped 'just because'! and i will try giving her some fresh orange with her meals too - great idea, thanks! To be honest she seems perfectly ok, i only got a little concerned in the first place because she looked 'yellow' she was almost glow in the dark! but the GP said that anything to do with the liver or serious problems in the blood are all fine, (which is obviously a HUGE relief) she is obvioulsy naturally olive skinned, but then they discovered all this! And hello simplyred!! i will have to come and have a look at the september thread, i havent been in ages! and dont worry i wont give dd anything until i have seen gp and hv