Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Dec
21
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“…All Babies Need Iron Before They Can Go Home.”
“Breast milk doesn’t have much iron, so all babies need iron before they can go home.” – NICU Nurse to mother who asked why her baby was being supplemented with iron.
There are 32 comments to this post.
If they’d stop cutting the cord prematurely and let those babies get the blood that belongs to them, those babies wouldn’t BE iron deficient!
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Veronica Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 1:04 pm (Quote)
Hmm,seems to be a good idea to me!
I was told at the hospital that you have to cut the cord immediately, or else the mother transfers too much blood into the baby and could need a transfusion. Apparently the blood keeps pouring into baby endlessly!
and people wonder why my second was born at home!
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jaed Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 2:49 pm (Quote)
Oh lord. They actually tried to tell you the placental and cord blood is the mother’s? They didn’t understand that that’s the baby’s blood?
Tell me at least this wasn’t an MD that said this? (Please? 
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Veronica Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:48 pm (Quote)
Yup, OB/GYN. I think she just thought I was too out of it to realize what she said (right after birth, while she was telling hubby to cut).
Was kind of backed up by the nurse in post-pardum saying that it would be the baby in danger and not me.
The least they could do is get their lies straight!
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Christina Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:33 pm (Quote)
That’s a new one. I’ve also heard that if the cord isn’t clamped immediately:
-The babies blood will become “too thick” and they’ll have to drain some out and replace it with saline.
-All the blood will keep flowing into the placenta and the baby will need a blood transfusion.
-Blood will just keep pumping into the baby and it will end up with too much blood.
It really makes me wonder how these myths have become so prevalant. Do the people who believe and say these things never to stop to think how the human species managed to survive so long before modern obstretics? I’m pretty sure early humans weren’t walking around with clamps and surgical scissors. In fact, I’m thinking there was a whole lotta lotus birthing going on back then.
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Jenny Islander had this to say,
Dec 21, 2011 @ 12:15 pm (Quote)
So every single baby ever before the invention of iron supplements had anemia? Are there citations for this?
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Babies obtain their iron stores in the last trimester and preemies also have a harder time manufacturing erythropoietin. Not sure how early this baby was born but iron is commonly given in the NICU to prevent anemia and support growth.
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Debra Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:42 pm (Quote)
This. Hospitals sometimes have stupid policies but this one isn’t quite that crazy. Yes, breast milk in a healthy woman has iron but preemies often need more.
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jaed Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:40 pm (Quote)
I quote: “All babies need iron before they can go home.”
This was not explained as a policy that applied only to early preemies, but to every child born in that hospital. I don’t think the special needs of an early preemie can be used as an explanation for this nurse’s silly comment.
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Debra Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:47 pm (Quote)
It’s possible the hospital does have that policy for “all” babies and that would be crazy. It’s also possible the nurse meant only NICU babies. There’s enough bad stuff happening in medical system where women are treated horribly. But we don’t always have to assume the worst for every one of these posts.
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jaed Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 8:23 pm (Quote)
Well, that’s true. But on the other hand, I tend to assume the OP’s account is accurate unless there’s good reason to suspect otherwise. (Also, the rationale given about how breastmilk doesn’t have enough iron for babies makes me suspicious.)
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I don’t know if I can post a link on this page, but I’m going to try to post one regarding the growing evidence that immediate cord clamping does damage on many levels, including iatrogenic (doctor caused) anemia in babies.http://www.economist.com/node/21540226
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You know, comments like this aggravate me so much.
- Disclaimer: I know not everyone believes in God. I do, and that’s where this point of view is coming from.-
God designed a woman’s body to give birth. He designed breasts to nurse. He designed breastmilk to be just perfect for baby’s tiny tummy. Yes, I realize that sometimes things go wrong. But that is the 1%, not the 99%! To say that “all babies” or “all mothers” is to claim that the Lord didn’t know what He was doing and that’s just crazy to me!
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Rachel T Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 2:12 pm (Quote)
I come from a different perspective but I totally agree with you. I believe that humans evolved an amazing, miraculous, elegant process by which we procreate and that includes being “made” to produce the nutrition that our young require.
If my child tests as iron deficient that is one thing but to say that all newborns automatically are is reductive and foolish.
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Tee Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 2:34 pm (Quote)
Exactly, Rachel! Even if you (generalized you) don’t believe in God, the fact is that the human body is miraculous and amazing! To think that a mother’s body is inept at birthing or feeding her child ALL THE TIME is insane!
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jaed Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 2:52 pm (Quote)
BUT… women’s bodies are broken and they need saving by wise, knowledgeable medical professionals. In all cases, not exceptional ones but ALL mothers and babies.
It keeps coming back to that basic idea, doesn’t it?
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Rachel T Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:00 pm (Quote)
It really does.
I wonder how much is laziness/costs. If they took the time to develop and administer tests for perinatal complications and then actually acted based on those tests how much better would birth be for everyone?
Treating everyone exactly the same (not using the standards to judge what is required, just doing the same thing for everyone) smacks of laziness and a total lack of involvement with the patient.
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Veronica Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:53 pm (Quote)
As someone who absolutely does not believe in god, I still agree with your statement.
My body is made in a way that I can conceive, carry, birth and nourish another human.
If it is a preemie, by all means supplement away.
Or if there is a problem and it is NEEDED.
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Tee Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 7:36 pm (Quote)
Right! I know not everyone believes the way I do, which is why I put that little disclaimer. I’ve said something about God on this site before, only to have someone very nastily tell me that not everyone believes in Him and therefore I shouldn’t have left that comment. Um, sorry… I’m not going to stop speaking about my beliefs because you (generalized you!) don’t believe the way I do! As long as I am polite and respectful in my words, I don’t believe that I’m in the wrong here. I don’t get offended by a comment like yours stating that you don’t believe the way I do because you were very respectful!
Whew, off on a little tangent there. Sorry about that! The point of all that was to say that whether you believe it’s God or simply nature, the fact remains that a woman’s body is made to carry and nurture a baby. More often than not, things will go just fine if you leave well enough alone!
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ThoughtfulBirth had this to say,
Dec 21, 2011 @ 2:00 pm (Quote)
That’s right, nurse, all babies do need iron. That’s why immediate cord clamping is such a ridiculous practice. Oh, and breast milk doesn’t have “much” iron because babies don’t need much when it’s highly bio-avialable–and too much causes serious issues too.
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Jespren had this to say,
Dec 21, 2011 @ 5:03 pm (Quote)
My ped doc said the same thing “all breast fed babies need iron supplements” (because formula was already ‘fortified’ only breastfed babies had this problem according to her). I informed her she was free to prick his finger and do an iron test. If he was anemic, *then* I would agree to supplementation. She did, he wasn’t, I didn’t. Told the peds doc after my 2nd birth the same thing when *she* (different doc) said the same thing. She took my word, however, that since I had successfuly transfered enough iron to my 1st through my milk that my 2nd would be ok.
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Kit had this to say,
Dec 22, 2011 @ 12:24 pm (Quote)
Ok, this may be off-topic but maybe not. I have been doing research for this current pregnancy, and I just read a study that oral supplementation of vitamin K for the mother is more effective than a single vitamin K shot for the baby. The vitamin K is passed through the breastmilk and helps babe maintain a stable level in the blood, instead of a high level that drops rapidly after the shot. Now, if this works for vitamin K, shouldn’t it also work for iron (if needed)? I would rather take a supplement than give one to my newborn.
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A.Hairstylist had this to say,
Dec 23, 2011 @ 5:48 pm (Quote)
I was with my friend visiting her 1.5 week old son in the Infant Special Care Unit (he was moved there after a week in INCU)at a Seattle hospital when this took place. When the mom asked “What is the iron supplement for?” Nurse replied “Breastmilk doesn’t have much iron in it so ALL babies MUST have iron before they can go home.”
I (and the mother)completely understand because he was premature he does most likely need iron supplementation (although he did have a transfusion shortly after birth for reasons I don’t know. Perhaps cutting the cord to early?) The issue I have with this statement is that she said nothing about preemie’s or his specific needs instead just made a blanket statement about all babies and breastmilk. I am not sure if it is was a hospital policy to give iron to ALL the babies ( I hope not) or if the nurse just didn’t know any better since she worked in ISCU. Anyway sweet baby is happy healthy and home growing like crazy.
Don’t even get me started on the induction at 35 weeks because of waters broken less then 12 hours. Isolating him in the INCU from birth for a week for a possible case of chickenpox which he did not have(can a baby really be born with them?) NO skin on skin or nursing for a week! Then when they “let” her nurse would only allow her to “try” once a day. Needless to say he has nipple confusion and the nipple shield was introduced. At two months most of the time he wont take the breast without the shield.
I am so sad for this happening to my friend but also so happy her beautiful son is healthy and so proud of her. Lucky girl’s pitocin induction was only 3.5 hrs long and she did it without any pain meds!
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alittlebitograce had this to say,
Jan 27, 2012 @ 7:52 am (Quote)
I just read in Dr. Jack Newman’s guide to breastfeeding that the mother of a preemie produces milk higher in iron than a mother of a full-term infant. That completely negates the NICU nurse’s statement, unless the child in question was being given formula.
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At least the policy assumes most babies will be nursed, that’s a step up from some of the comments!
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