How would I know if dd is anemic?

546 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by momtoNatalee, Aug 13, 2006

momtoNatalee

Discussion Starter · Aug 12, 2006

We stopped WBV and she has a Chiro. But she is 11 months and hardly eats many solids at all. So I would say a least 90% of her nutrition comes from beastfeeding. We offer food 3 times a day when we have meals and she just eats what she wants and it usually isn't much. So how would I know if she was anemic?

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BelgianSheepDog

· #2 · Aug 12, 2006

What makes you think she is anemic? Or are you just worried about the possibility?

There's really no way to tell without a blood test unless it's very severe. Symptoms of severe anemia in adults include pale, white nailbeds and pale gums. But I am not sure if that is also the case for small children and babies.

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momtoNatalee

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 12, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by BelgianSheepDog
What makes you think she is anemic? Or are you just worried about the possibility?

There's really no way to tell without a blood test unless it's very severe. Symptoms of severe anemia in adults include pale, white nailbeds and pale gums. But I am not sure if that is also the case for small children and babies.

Thanks, no reason at all...just saw people talking about anemia in babies on the vax forum(I think) She is very healthy. I just got to thinking?

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Ellp

· #4 · Aug 13, 2006

Well, signs of anemia include:
Shortness of breath (huffing and puffing) doing stuff that shouldn't really make a person SOB
Pale complexion
Abnormally tired, sleeping lots

Really though you'd need a blood test to find out if a person was anemic or not. I've got chronic anemia (genetic blood disorder), but I don't show any signs of it. I just get tired easier than most folks.

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momtoNatalee

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 13, 2006

Well, I may need to retract my statement that

"she just eats what she wants and it usually isn't much"

She just ate a ton tonight. Lots of carrots, watermelon and chicken (yes, we are carnivores

: ) well, that could be a whole nother topic b/c I am considering becoming veg. ?? I have some research to do (if you knew me IRL you'd

)

So back on topic-she doesn't show any signs of anemia. Thanks for the info

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Shanana

· #6 · Aug 13, 2006

I think in most cases, healthy babes who are bf will not become anemic. That said, the holistic ped we see asked if we were going to do the test because she said the most common symptom of anemia is no symptom at all. FYI, the holistic ped is an MD, but also practices homeopathy, CST, acupuncture, etc. We LOVE her!

We had a lengthy discussion, going over what dd eats (pretty much everything we do), how much she nurses (~4 times/24 hours), how much red meat she eats and how often, and I told her we don't do fortified cereal. I was very reluctant to get the test, so she ended up "muscle testing" dd, and said based on that she felt her iron levels were okay. She said to keep doing what we're doing, and give her red meat whenever we eat it (about once/week). So, if you believe in muscle testing (aka applied kinesiology -- many chiros do this), then that's one way you could look into it. But like I said, I think for most babes it's not an issue. It's my understanding that iron levels are not checked in many other countries.

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momtoNatalee

Discussion Starter · #7 · Aug 13, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanana
I think in most cases, healthy babes who are bf will not become anemic. That said, the holistic ped we see asked if we were going to do the test because she said the most common symptom of anemia is no symptom at all. FYI, the holistic ped is an MD, but also practices homeopathy, CST, acupuncture, etc. We LOVE her!

We had a lengthy discussion, going over what dd eats (pretty much everything we do), how much she nurses (~4 times/24 hours), how much red meat she eats and how often, and I told her we don't do fortified cereal. I was very reluctant to get the test, so she ended up "muscle testing" dd, and said based on that she felt her iron levels were okay. She said to keep doing what we're doing, and give her red meat whenever we eat it (about once/week). So, if you believe in muscle testing (aka applied kinesiology -- many chiros do this), then that's one way you could look into it. But like I said, I think for most babes it's not an issue. It's my understanding that iron levels are not checked in many other countries.

Thanks for that info!! I think I'll mention that to her Chiro when we go this month and she what she says

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