[organicpapayamama]

I didnt know where else to post this.... I am doing D&S vax with DS. His dr is going along with this just fine. However she is a pain to deal with and I am going to switch soon. Im not sure if I am going to go to one more visit or change before the next check up. at any rate at the last visit she said it was routine to do a blood test to check for iron deficiency. I honestly dont think I have to worry about this. DS is formula fed and there is iron added plus he eats very health and a good variety. I am afraid of declining it for several reason... More along the lines of I dont want to be punished for declining it but I honestly dont think my son needs it. I know its just a pin prick but I dont want to stick him with a needle unless necessary. Do I really need to do this? could something be wrong even though he looks/acts/feels/IS healthy? Any feedback or info would be much appreciated.

 

[denimtiger]

It is obviously your choice, and if you are not worried about it, then you do not have to do it.

However, formula-fed babies are MORE likely to be anemic, not less. There is lots of iron in formula because babies have a lot of trouble using and absorbing that kind of added iron, and that iron (which is, in reality, actual iron shavings -- run a strong magnet through your formula and see what comes out -- we do this in my classroom unit on magnets -- formula and cereals) can cause microscopic bleeds in a baby's intestines, increasing the risk for anemia, as well as increasing the amount of iron needed in the formula.

It just depends on whether checking or not checking will give you more peace of mind.

 

[aniT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by denimtiger It is obviously your choice, and if you are not worried about it, then you do not have to do it. However, formula-fed babies are MORE likely to be anemic, not less. There is lots of iron in formula because babies have a lot of trouble using and absorbing that kind of added iron, and that iron (which is, in reality, actual iron shavings -- run a strong magnet through your formula and see what comes out -- we do this in my classroom unit on magnets -- formula and cereals) can cause microscopic bleeds in a baby's intestines, increasing the risk for anemia, as well as increasing the amount of iron needed in the formula. It just depends on whether checking or not checking will give you more peace of mind.

DD2 was VERY VERY anemic and she was formula feed. Now that I think back.. there were signs when she was a young toddler but I didn't recognize them. Her ped didn't do the pin prick to check for iron either.

Also another thing you need to understand is that calcium inhibits the absorption of iron. You should not take the two together but in multi vitamins and formula you both together and it doesn't do a bit of good.

While the doc wanted to put my daughter on mega doses of iron.. after doing a bit of research I cut her milk back to 6oz a day and her anemia went away. So honestly.. I would go ahead with the test. It's just a tiny pin prick.

 

[organicpapayamama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aniT DD2 was VERY VERY anemic and she was formula feed. Now that I think back.. there were signs when she was a young toddler but I didn't recognize them. Her ped didn't do the pin prick to check for iron either. Also another thing you need to understand is that calcium inhibits the absorption of iron. You should not take the two together but in multi vitamins and formula you both together and it doesn't do a bit of good. While the doc wanted to put my daughter on mega doses of iron.. after doing a bit of research I cut her milk back to 6oz a day and her anemia went away. So honestly.. I would go ahead with the test. It's just a tiny pin prick.

Im interested in knowing what where the signs you missed? I know what the obvious signs are and DS shows none of that, were there smaller details I should be looking out for?

 

[Mom2Mason]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aniT DD2 was VERY VERY anemic and she was formula feed. Now that I think back.. there were signs when she was a young toddler but I didn't recognize them. Her ped didn't do the pin prick to check for iron either. Also another thing you need to understand is that calcium inhibits the absorption of iron. You should not take the two together but in multi vitamins and formula you both together and it doesn't do a bit of good. While the doc wanted to put my daughter on mega doses of iron.. after doing a bit of research I cut her milk back to 6oz a day and her anemia went away. So honestly.. I would go ahead with the test. It's just a tiny pin prick.

Do you mind telling me what the signs were? I am concerned that DD might be low on iron and her doctor has not done a blood test. When I expressed my concern (I'm concerned because she's a very picky eater and will not eat meat), the doctor kind of blew it off. Anyway, I'm just wondering what you saw in your dd.

 

[aniT]

Mostly she ate dirt a lot. My oldest DD ate sand so I thought it was a toddler thing, but DD2 ate dirt everywhere. There are other symptoms.. pale skin in the eye lids is one...

 

[tanyalynn]

Risk factors to weigh in are premature birth and low birth weight (as two separate risk factors).

 

[aniT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez Risk factors to weigh in are premature birth and low birth weight (as two separate risk factors).

Neither of those were risk factors for us. I really truly believe it was because she drank too much milk. She drank it like water.. cause I thought it was good for you. She was also on formula until 15 months when I ran out of the WIC supplied formula. If th child is strictly formula feed that means they are getting their iron with their calcium and it isn't being absorbed properly. I would ask my doctor for the pin prick or if you go to wic they will do it for you.

 

[Amylcd]

Quote:

Do you mind telling me what the signs were?

Craving non-food items like dirt, paint, and ice. The inner eyelid and gums will be very light pink instead of the normal red. Rapid heart rate. Also sleeping issues, and difficulty concentrating. And of course, a pale complexion.

They could have all of these symptoms, or none, depending on the severity of the anemia.

 

[sbgrace]

My child had anemia and I had no clue. He did eat books though as a toddler and I think it was likely related..but what kid doesn't chew on stuff at times. The other thing I personally would want checked unless you live in a newer (post 1970's) home is lead. If a child is lead poisoned they are often anemic (and vice versa..who knows which was first as good iron inhibits lead). I do agree that formula combines minerals (calcium, iron, and zinc actually) and combined minerals mean none are absorbed well. That said, most older kids are getting their iron from cereals and breads and the like fortified foods and they still do ok. Still, iron deficiency has some life long impacts developmentally and I'd rather know for sure than assume.

 

[tanyalynn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aniT Neither of those were risk factors for us. I really truly believe it was because she drank too much milk. She drank it like water.. cause I thought it was good for you. She was also on formula until 15 months when I ran out of the WIC supplied formula. If th child is strictly formula feed that means they are getting their iron with their calcium and it isn't being absorbed properly. I would ask my doctor for the pin prick or if you go to wic they will do it for you.

I didn't mean to imply that only premature or low birth weight kids could become anemic, but I'd almost definitely screen for anemia if one of my kids fell into those categories, whereas I still may if my kids didn't, it would take more consideration. That's all I was trying to get at, something to throw into the mix.

 

[aniT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez I didn't mean to imply that only premature or low birth weight kids could become anemic, but I'd almost definitely screen for anemia if one of my kids fell into those categories, whereas I still may if my kids didn't, it would take more consideration. That's all I was trying to get at, something to throw into the mix.

About life long developmental problems. DD2 (the one that was very anemic and prescribed so much iron the pharmacist called the doctor to double check the script.) has ADD and sensory issues. Does one have to do with the other? I have no idea.

 

[tanyalynn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aniT About life long developmental problems. DD2 (the one that was very anemic and prescribed so much iron the pharmacist called the doctor to double check the script.) has ADD and sensory issues. Does one have to do with the other? I have no idea.

My son has some sensory things, and my kids have both been deficient in so many vitamins and minerals, my mind boggles, but iron hasn't been one of our issues as far as I can tell, so I think there's got to be more familial or environmental factors involved. My kids mouth things for zinc, and I'm still wondering a bit why it's taking so long to correct--I know our underlying issue is mercury and apparently that usually means it'll take a long time to correct the zinc deficiency, but I still have to wonder, am I on the right path? Gonna try zinc picolinate next.

 

[sbgrace]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aniT About life long developmental problems. DD2 (the one that was very anemic and prescribed so much iron the pharmacist called the doctor to double check the script.) has ADD and sensory issues. Does one have to do with the other? I have no idea.

My iron deficient kiddo has developmental delays (and ADD and sensory issues and autism). Honestly, there is nothing I can do if the iron was part of it at this point anyway. But IRL I think the sensory and ADD (and autism for us) has a strong genetic component. Developmental delay/cognition are more what they see with iron deficiency I think..I'd have to look it up again. And because there is such a link between iron and lead it's hard to tease out those two. Either way nothing we can do now. So I put the past where it belongs. But it is why I reply to threads like this. Things I wish I'd known sort of thing...

 

[aniT]

Or, could children with sensory issues and ADD just have low iron.?

 

[tanyalynn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aniT Or, could children with sensory issues and ADD just have low iron.?

I think it ultimately depends on how you view your situation. I agree some things can be just situational--lots of cow's milk can be related to anemia, and changing that clearly worked; it feels good to figure stuff out and fix it.

The things going on with my kids so far all seem health-related and have clearly been building for generations. And I am getting clues as to what DH needs from my daughter (she's his little clone) and what I need from DS (he's much more like me and my mom, and others in my family line), and it's all part of figuring out what we each need to be healthy. So it seems like for you, low iron was simply low iron, you corrected it and it doesn't have a lot of significance beyond that (except that satisfaction from figuring things out, which is very valuable). But in other cases, maybe it's related to something more.

 

[SaraLe6]

Just wanted to throw out that if you REALLY wanted to know if your child is low on iron or anemia, a finger prick test won't do it. Finger/heel sticks are not even remotely accurate for iron levels.. you can get back a "normal" result even if your LO is low on iron, or you can get a "low" result even if your LO is NOT low on iron. It's completely unreliable. The only way to determine for sure is to do a blood draw and test the hemoglobin AND ferritin levels. I know that doesn't sound like something you'd want to put your child through but if your child has any risk factors or signs of low iron, it's probably worth it. We are doing the blood draw for my LO in a couple weeks, he will be 13 weeks, I hate to do it but he was 8 weeks early and therefore at risk for low iron.

 

[littlecindy]

my son had a couple vials of blood drawn for the iron test. is that the "real" test?

he's borderline low, and i have been giving him a liquid vitamin which has a bit of iron. but i think i'm going no iron. i have tried to give him more iron rich foods.

 

[Yulia_R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by denimtiger It is obviously your choice, and if you are not worried about it, then you do not have to do it. However, formula-fed babies are MORE likely to be anemic, not less. There is lots of iron in formula because babies have a lot of trouble using and absorbing that kind of added iron, and that iron (which is, in reality, actual iron shavings -- run a strong magnet through your formula and see what comes out -- we do this in my classroom unit on magnets -- formula and cereals) can cause microscopic bleeds in a baby's intestines, increasing the risk for anemia, as well as increasing the amount of iron needed in the formula. It just depends on whether checking or not checking will give you more peace of mind.

Not saying that your ds needs the test, but I do agree with pp.