Help Mamas! My 3 year old DD's doctor just called to let me know she has anemia. He asked that I give her 1ml of infant iron drops every day for the next 4-5 months and said they would then follow up with another test. He also said I need to keep her to 2 cups of milk per day and make sure she is eating lots of foods with iron like red meat, leafy vegetables, lentils, etc.
My DD has a very balanced diet and we eat red meat, chicken and fish every week, although I am sure I could add more red meat. She also has lentils at least once a week. I can't get her to eat much spinach but I am sure she is not the only one. She does eat all her veggies most of the time and she gets veggies with two meals. Dessert and treats are raspberries, strawberries and we give her a prune or a date every day as her special treat. She usually only drinks one cup of milk in the morning and then has a yogurt later in the day. She does not really like milk so she is not getting too much.
I am a little freaked out about how she has developed anemia. She was tested for lead (I work restoring house museums so I have her tested just as a precaution) and that was negative. Nothing else turned up in her bloodwork. After I explained her diet to the Dr he decided I should bring her in for testing again at the end of summer rather than 5-6 months from now. I am planning on calling him again tomorrow for more information. But I am concerned - anyone in a similar situation? Did everything work out OK?
I struggle with anemia which will soon be a thing of the past after I have my hysterectomy. My husband is a dietitian, and told me that if you take iron with Vitamin C or a food souce of it like orange juice, the body takes up twice what it would without the vitamin C. So I always take the iron pills with ctrus or tomatoes, or a vitamin C pill. I hope they will find out what will work for her.
Natalie makes a great point. Also, many Dr.'s are lacking in their knowledge of nutrition.
Liquid chlorophyll is one of the easiest ways to get iron into the body. You can find it at any health food store.
The other issue is absorption. Many people including children are working with an absorption issue not a lack of iron issue. Germanium is an essential amino acid that regulates iron absorption.
If you would like a referral to a good nutritionist near Leesburg or have any other specific questions about this topic feel free to contact me.
No experience here, I just wanted to say kudos on her excellent diet! I am so jealous!!! God gave me a super finicky eater since DH and I were hard in that dept. for our mamas.
Do you trust this Dr.?
Would a 2nd opinion make you feel better? Don't hesitate to seek one if you feel it necessary!
:)
start cooking everything you can in a cast iron skillet or cast iron cookware, my iron was too low (11.2) to give blood a few months ago, my other half started cooking everything in cast iron,( did i happen to mention that in addition to killing spiders on request, he COOKS)my iron level went from 11.2 to 12.8 in just a few weeks.
K. h.
It can be difficult to get all of our nutrition from our food supply, unfortunately. Did your doctor recommend a multivitamin? She may need an overall nutrition boost to help with absorption. Great info on vitamins: www.melaleuca.com/oligo. Let me know if I can help further. Good luck!
