Bo and a Blood Draw

becasmeca · October 2012

EEEKKKKKK Surprise Yesterday was Bo's 1 year MD apt, and holy bad news. Our Pedi wants to do a blood draw....a for real one.. not the heel prick and check Bowen's iron levels since he was/is EBF. WHAT IN THE WORLD?

At his 6 month apt he suggested giving Bo poly vi sol with Iron

I had reservations about this from the beginning

https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/64587789.aspx

Fast forward to Bo's 9 month apt. I told my Pedi I was not so good about giving him the Poly Vi Sol he said if you could get a dropper in every 2 to 3 days that is better than nothing. So I did. Especially in the month of August I really tried tot get as much Iron in him as I could.

Fast forward to 12 month apt when Bo was actually 13 months...Based off of the fact he is EBF he wants to see where Bo's Iron levels are at. He said when babies start walking the heel prick is not a good option....so we need a full on blood draw. Can you tell I am freaked about iron and all of the new confounds?

My Pedi is awesome, but i know he was essentially telling me it was my fault...he did say it with couth "we were not successfull in supplementing the iron from 6 months to now...we have to catch any deficiencies because they could be devastating for Bo's health".

Does anyone have any experience with this?

I will ask the question I asked in my post from march..

If EBF are at a higher risk of being iron deficient then why is it not discussed more in the BF literature?

linzica · October 2012

honestly, i've been putting off Q's blood draw for a month and a half now. eek.

CiCi44 · October 2012

I specifically asked my doctor about giving vitamins to DS at his 1 year appt. and he said there is no need. (DS was exclusively BF until 12 months). But I've heard some doctors do recommend vitamins. It's so confusing! I also had reservations about giving DS vitamins... so I didn't.

DS had a blood draw at his 1 year appointment to check for iron levels. I think it's routine here, all of my mommy friends warned me about it. The lab tech pricked his finger and squeezed it until she got the amount she needed. He did not like it (and it wasn't easy for momma either)... but his iron levels came back just fine and it was good peace of mind.

T&HLove · October 2012

My pedi has never said BF is more likely to need iron supplement. Never checked for iron levels. Only thing she said BF babies need is vit d drops, which are added to formula already and not in BM.

Eta she should get checked at 1 yr, but hasn't had her appt yet

AmandaPaige6410 · October 2012

This is all new to me. LO was EBF for 12 months and the pedi never once mentioned iron, supplements, or a blood test. Not even a heel prick. Hmm.

becasmeca · October 2012

What does this blood draw entail?

kellyrs89 · October 2012

We had to do a full blood draw for A, no heel or finger but from her arm. It made my H cry while he watched, they also made him hold her arm. A cried the whole time, but calmed down pretty quick afterwards.

becasmeca · October 2012

kellyrs89:
We had to do a full blood draw for A, no heel or finger but from her arm. It made my H cry while he watched, they also made him hold her arm. A cried the whole time, but calmed down pretty quick afterwards.

This is what the MD said it would be.... How heart wrenching.. How long did it take?

becasmeca · October 2012

SweetPea927:
becasmeca:

kellyrs89:
We had to do a full blood draw for A, no heel or finger but from her arm. It made my H cry while he watched, they also made him hold her arm. A cried the whole time, but calmed down pretty quick afterwards.

This is what the MD said it would be.... How heart wrenching.. How long did it take?

We had a blood draw at 9 months. The process took just a few minutes, but it was awful to watch. My H held J on his lap and I held his little hand. J and I both cried. He got over it pretty quickly. Bo will be ok...I promise! But I highly recommend having someone go with you because it is difficult to have them stay still.

I had no idea!! You all are so brave!!

Our PEdi wanted to do it yesterday after out apt..and I requested to wait and have my H come with me....I am glad I did!

kellyrs89 · October 2012

It took about a minute, the tech we had was very good and quick. Right after we were done with it I breastfed her for a little bit and I think that helped calm her down some too. Just don't look at anything theyre doing.

SusieBW · October 2012

I have to take T for blood work, but it's because her dr said that they start lead screenings at 1 year old, not for iron. I'm dreading it, but her dr did say that it would be a good idea to take her to the lab at the children's hospital because they're awesome at drawing from babies. Also because DD is a big girl, and her chubby arms will make it tough for anyone to get a vein. Is that an option for you? A lab that specializes in kids? I've been putting it off for a month now. At first I said it was because I wanted to let her get over the shots she got at her 12 month appointment, but those have been healed for a while now . . .

FWIW, I was also told to give DD those vitamins with iron when she was BF, but that I could stop once she was on formula. She was pretty good about swallowing them, so I gave them to her pretty much every day. I don't think she was ever tested for iron, though, other than the heel prick in the hospital when she was born.

alli&dan · October 2012

B was only EBF for a few months and the pedi still wanted a blood draw at her 9 month appointment. It was for her iron levels and also for lead. It wasn't fun, but it wasn't the worst either. I'd actually say it was less painful for her and me than her 1 year shots when she got 4 different vaccines. I think the worst part about it was having to bear hug her long enough for the tech to draw her blood. She didnt' like that at all.

ldcoffel · October 2012

AmandaPaige6410:
This is all new to me. LO was EBF for 12 months and the pedi never once mentioned iron, supplements, or a blood test. Not even a heel prick. Hmm.

my pedi has never once mentioned it until his 12 month. Said possibly will do blood work at 15 months, but she's not worried at all.

shelley1002 · October 2012

My pedi did the finger prick at his 1 yr appt. They tested for lead and checked his hemoglobin. I'm guessing the hemoglobin check included checking iron levels.

bluejetta · October 2012

Seems nuts that all these pedis have different opinions etc but I guess it is like the rest of medicine. I asked pedi at 9 month appt about vitamins bc I have a friend whose baby of same age was on vit D and iron. Our pedi said no need. Currently N eats lots of meat and beans and WCM so not worried. She had finger prick (similar to a PP) at 12 months to check lead levels -- she hated it but less for the pain then for the someone holding her finger for 3 mins.

hisaak · October 2012

Here they don't do a blood draw unless the child is showing signs of being sick. As long as babe is eating a good variety of iron rich foods at this point, being BFed isn't an issue at all.

starshine985 · October 2012

DS had to get a blood draw at his 12 month appt (testing for lead and vitamin d). He was a FF baby, so I never had to do any blood tests prior. They wrapped the little thing around his arm, stuck the needle in the front of the elbow and got the blood sample just like they would for you and me. I thought it would be harder to watch than it was (maybe seeing all the shots throughout the year has helped with that). The nurse had me hold him in a special way so that he couldn't jerk away from her... another nurse held out his arm... and the other stuck him with the needle. It was over very quickly.

alstumb@gmail.com · October 2012

At Carter's 12month appointment, they did a finger prick to check his iron. He was formula fed, but on WCM by a year, so they wanted to check his iron. I'll be honest, it was not fun! They pricked his finger and then I had to hold his arm and hand still while they collected the blood...which took too long, making him mad...so he moved and they got an air bubble and had to start over. We both left covered I blood, because he wouldn't hold still.

His iron came back a little low, so we had to go back in the next day for an actual blood draw, which is more accurate. This went much better! He watched a video of himself on my phone while they did it. He cried, but nothing like the day before! And it didn't take long at all.

becasmeca · October 2012

WOW! I am really shocked so many of us have had experiences with this blood draw nonsense.

Susie, great idea about the specialized lab for children; i will be looking into that.

bluejetta, I agree. how can some doctors vow iron levels and vit D need to be a t a certain level or it can cause further horrific problems down the road and some are lax about it?

Wish us luck!! Friday is the day!!

Yasiris1105 · October 2012

When Matt was 2 months old he had a little operation for a hernia in a testicule so he need some labs before the operation and the pedi found that his level of iron were quite low so after the operation she started him with some supplement. I gave him to him once in a while. Instead I started to give him food with iron. After loooooooooooong months we did his lab to check and he is fine. They drew the blood from his finger and yeah he cried but later he got distracted with his paci and juice

ETA: I was EBF by the time he had the operation until he was 6 months old.

tartertots9725 · October 2012

AmandaPaige6410:
This is all new to me. LO was EBF for 12 months and the pedi never once mentioned iron, supplements, or a blood test. Not even a heel prick. Hmm.

This.

But DS did have to have a blood draw due to his head size. He's in te 90 in head size and they just wanted to do some tests.
I'm not gonna lie DS and I both cried when he got drawn. DH was there and held him while they drew it from his arm. He honestly was way more upset about having to be held still then the needle stick. He was back to smiling with in a minute of it.

becasmeca · October 2012

tartertots9725:
AmandaPaige6410:
This is all new to me. LO was EBF for 12 months and the pedi never once mentioned iron, supplements, or a blood test. Not even a heel prick. Hmm.

This.

But DS did have to have a blood draw due to his head size. He's in te 90 in head size and they just wanted to do some tests.
I'm not gonna lie DS and I both cried when he got drawn. DH was there and held him while they drew it from his arm. He honestly was way more upset about having to be held still then the needle stick. He was back to smiling with in a minute of it.

Ohhhhthis makes me so sad! I honestly black out when I think Bo is seriously hurt or something terrible is happening.

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