baby is breastfeed shes 7 months old and she has low iron. started iron drops how long do they take to work?

Answer 1

What was her iron level, and how was it determined?

IS the baby EXCLUSIVELY breastfed or has she been given formula or other foods. IF so when did that start?

What was the baby's birth weight?

Does the mom have diabetes?

Answer 2

First, the drops will work within a day.

Second, and more importantly, what did they do to determine she has low iron? Did they do a hemoglobin test? Often doctors assume that a breastfed baby has low iron, when they DON'T, they were designed that way by nature.

" Healthy, full-term infants who are breastfed exclusively for periods of 6-9 months have been shown to maintain normal hemoglobin values and normal iron stores. In one of these studies, done by Pisacane in 1995, the researchers concluded that babies who were exclusively breastfed for 7 months (and were not give iron supplements or iron-fortified cereals) had significantly higher hemoglobin levels at one year than breastfed babies who received solid foods earlier than seven months. The researchers found no cases of anemia within the first year in babies breastfed exclusively for seven months and concluded that breastfeeding exclusively for seven months reduces the risk of anemia.

The original recommendations for iron-fortified foods were based on a formula-fed baby's need for them and the fact that breastmilk contains less iron than formula (doctors didn't know then that the iron in breastmilk is absorbed much better). Also, a few babies do have lower iron stores and will need extra iron at some point in addition to what they are getting from solids (though this can often be remedied by making sure that solids are high in iron and vitamin C - see below).

If mom or doctor is concerned about a baby's iron levels, have the doctor to do a blood test for hemoglobin."

Answer 3

Dont give iron unless prescribed by a doctor, can cause overdose