It is safe to continue taking iron supplements for you and the baby while breastfeeding. In addition iron supplements can overwhelm the iron-binding abilities of the proteins in breastmilk thus making some of the iron from breastmilk which was previously available to baby only available to bacteria also.
Your Guide To Postnatal Vitamins In 2021 Healthline Parenthood
Iron normally is present in breast milk in small amounts.
Iron supplements while breastfeeding. According to the Cleveland Clinic the recommended daily amount of iron for pregnant women. The reason is because these babies have had decreased transfer of iron prenatally. Anemia can be caused by a lack of iron folate or vitamin 12 in your diet.
Iron supplements are perfectly safe to take when youre breastfeeding. One is that the iron in human milk is absorbed much more efficiently than the iron in formula 60 versus 4 Another is that the high lactose. The AAP clinical report Diagnosis and Prevention of Iron Deficiency and Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Infants and Young Children 0 Through 3 Years recommends giving breastfed infants 1 mgkgday of a liquid iron supplement until iron-containing solid foods.
In fact introducing iron supplements and iron-fortified foods especially during a babys first six months can actually decrease the effectiveness of the babys natural iron absorption according to lactation consultant Kelly Bonyata of the KellyMom websiteIron supplements are perfectly safe to take when youre breastfeeding. You have a good question you want to know if its okay to take an iron supplement while breastfeeding and if you were taking one while you were pregnant bec. Research shows that it is your age that will determine the amount of iron you will need when breastfeeding.
For women in the age group of 19 to 50 years around 9 mg a day is the required dosage. Baby tends to get a lower percentage of the available iron. Women are often advised to continue to take prenatal vitamins as long as they are breastfeeding and these vitamins often include a large dose of iron.
Are you taking a prenatal vitamin. When prescribed by a health care professional iron preparations are not known to cause problems during breast-feeding. Iron is added to formula at a higher concentration than breast milk to compensate for the fact that the iron supplements added to formula milk are much harder for a baby to absorb.
Breastfeeding mothers need the same amount of iron as they do during pregnancy. Babies can absorb 50 of the iron in breast milk compared with only 2-9 of the iron in artificial milk and 4 from fortified baby cereals 4. For breastfeeding women the recommended dietary allowance RDA for iron is 9 milligrams mg per day.
In fact if a baby was born premature your doctor will probably recommend extra iron supplements if you exclusively breastfeed. Human milk contains relatively small amounts of iron but it is very well absorbed so breastfed babies rarely need iron supplements says Dr. In fact introducing iron supplements and iron-fortified foods especially during a babys first six months can actually decrease the effectiveness of the babys natural iron absorption according to lactation consultant Kelly Bonyata of the KellyMom website.
We usually encourage breastfeeding women to continue taking a prenatal vitamin while breastfeeding and most of these vitamins include iron. Breastfeeding moms should continue to take prenatal vitamins. There are several reasons for this.
If you lost a lot of blood during birth from a postpartum hemorrhage you may. However nursing mothers are advised to check with their health care professional before taking iron supplements or. Although human milk contains very little iron breastfed babies rarely become anemic.
Currently the best evidence is that this is achieved by prolonged breastfeeding avoidance of unfortified formulas and cows milk and the introduction of iron-fortified and vitamin C-fortified weaning foods at approximately 6 months of age. Your body will absorb the iron most efficiently if you take. Its fine to take an iron supplement while breastfeeding if you are still anemic.
If a breastfeeding woman was advised by her doctor to take iron supplements to improve her own iron levels then it is fine for her to take the iron w. To be more specific it is recommended that you consume around 10 mg of iron a day if you are between 14 and 18 years of age. The iron levels in a mothers milk are not affected by the amount of iron in her diet or by iron supplements she may take.
How Are Babies Affected By Their Mothers Iron Supplements. If you had anemia during pregnancy check with your healthcare provider to see if you need to continue taking iron supplements when breastfeeding.
