My thirty something daughter has a 9 month old. This is her first child. She intends to breast feed until he weans himself. I visited a week ago (I only get to see him about ever 3 months) I suspected that he might be borderline anemic.
I did not express my suspicions to her. Now I have an email from here saying that he is "just slightly anemic" She added a disclaimer though that the "nurse said the test might show that because she was not able to get enought blood on that draw." I can handle explaining that part to her. The test only takes a drop from the tube the amount for a glucose monitor and they are looking at the quality not quantity, the color or the hemoglobin.
I have enough lab background to let her know this.
However, it is his diet that I am concerned about. His primary source of nutrition is still breast milk. I told her, much to her surprise that back when she was a baby Laleche promoted starting the baby on meat around 6 months. She said that meat is not recomended today until much later. (was it a year she said?)
She does not feed consistently nor regular meals. Some days all he has is a few cheerios. The only foods she gives him are. carrots, brochli, peaches, white grape juice (rarely), squash, I think he may have had green beans, has not had peas yet. rice cereal, barley cereal.
She told me her peditrician said she can introduce new foods more frequently than ever 4 days (actually she said that he told her that you do not have to waite four days after introducing a new food. I did not ask for an explaination on what she meant by "waiting")
She said that she is waiting anyway because Daddy has so many food allergies and she does not want to introduce an allergy. OK I can accept her concern.
She is totally opposed to supplementing with formula. Or giving suplemental vitimines.
She admits to her emoational reluctance to let him get nourishment from anything other than her milk. Daddy was initially the one to start feeding him as she just could not beare to.
Since the newest thing according to her is not to feed meat yet how can I help her find ways to get some iron into this little guy. As I said there are days he only gets cheerios or bits and I do mean bits of bread. Yes as grandma I know bread is a choaking hazard.
Remember I am grandma and so I am limited because I can easily seem interfering and critical.
What is the rational for not giving meat yet? What can I suggest she give to increase his iron that will go along with current guidelines (what ever they are) ?
She is intelligent. a bit militant about her baby's breast nutrition. And I think she pretty much calls the shots with the doctor. Though she does like her doctor as he is supportive and lets her lead from what I am told.
