that's what his pediatrician called me yesterday to tell me luke has :( luke went in for allergy testing last week (we thought he may be allergic to cats as he always comes back with little red rashy spots on his face after an afternoon at his grandmas - she has 2 cats) and while they found him to be free and clear of all allergies... he tested low in iron!
my baby boy has an iron deficiency!! fail as a mother! of course it's all my fault, right? because i made the choice to EBF, because i make all his food, because i don't give him commercial iron-fortified cereal.. because instead of said iron-fortified cereal, his first solids were avocado and butternut squash. IT'S ALL MY FAULT! that's exactly how i felt at 10pm last night, crazily researching the causes and long-term effects of IDA while sobbing because IT'S ALL MY FAULT! between sobs telling dh not to tell his sister because she would say, "see, i told you you should've started him with cereal!" big.fAt.FAIL! that's how i feel.
i talked to his pedi today, he helped relieve some of the guilt; homemade cereal is perfectly healthy but i should increase his solids intake from 2 to 3 times per day and make sure to include lots of iron-rich food like chicken, beef, and green veggies. i'm also adding wheat germ to 2 of his meals, he seems to love his food just fine (thank God!!). oh, and the pedi prescribed an iron supplement, because luke just LOVES taking supplements (insert sarcasm)! so great, twice per day, now, i have to fight with him to take his vitamins and iron, ugh. the iron actually makes him gag and spit up, it's horrible. i've tried adding it to food, he just refuses the food. ugh, here's hoping and praying that a month of lots of iron-rich foods increases his hemoglobin level.
here are some of the pics taken at the park last night, trying to get out of the house after a pretty rough day for both mommy and baby. the plan was to take his monthly pics outdoors this month (sure - after i've got my handy dandy seamless setup all ready to go ;) but i completely forgot to bring his 8 month sticker!!!
oh well, there are worse things in life. maybe another photo op will present itself within the next couple of days.
oh, and check out this crazy hair!!! luke has, like, 4" bangs! we desperately need to cut them but wahhhh, i'm in denial!
he's on to us... he knows to turn away when he sees the dropper
and then he promptly spit it out.. nasty iron!!
ahhh! all better!
my attempt at b&w conversion... still learning and struggling!
I'm a wife to the most kind and loving husband ever, a mother to two of the most beautiful baby boys you'll ever meet (Lucas, DOB 8/29/09 and Logan, DOB 12/20/11), a children's social worker by day and a photographer by night (more like, weekend). I love to bake and only cook because we need to eat. If I relied on my dear hubby to cook for us, we'd be eating bean and cheese burritos or quesadillas for dinner every night! There are so many things that I love, but most importantly, I love being a wife and mother and this is the place where I can document our life, mostly in photographs, today.
Aww hon! DO NOT feel guilty! You are doing exactly what most people should be doing. I also make my own baby food. I have alittel trick that is great in iron. I miz some of his fruit in the morning with cream of wheat,he loves it and when I steam his veggies before I puree them I put in 2 handfuls of fresh spinach on top (carrots, squash,zucchini) at the last 2 minutes to wilt and BAM you have a lot of iron in your baby food! Keep up what your doing. I hate iron supplements because of the constipation they give and a little on with constipation is no fun at all. Good luck and update us! Remember don't feel guilty!
ReplyDeleteI'm so so sorry about poor little Luke! He will be fine though... it might take some time, but I'm sure his iron levels will get up to where they need to be in no time! And it is soooo not your fault. People EBF from the start of humankind because it's what is natural so don't take it out on yourself!!
ReplyDeletePleeeeaaaase don't blame yourself, you have made wonderful decisions for your little guy! I had IDA myself last year and it took a few months to build back up but everything was fine -- I imagine it's the same for a baby(?).
ReplyDeleteAre his vitamins flavored? Luke loves his flavored drops, but I can definitely see how some babies would hate them, they smell awful.
thanks for your uplifting words ladies! i'm feeling a lot better, not blaming myself (so much) and am just going to do all i can to help my little guy out in the iron dept.
ReplyDeletegenevieve - tell me more about these flavored drops, they sound divine!!!