Breastfeeding And Iron Deficiency
If you are wondering whether or not your baby is getting enough iron while you are exclusively breastfeeding, a recent study published by the International Breastfeeding Journal answers this question. Babies who are exclusively breastfed are getting sufficient amounts of iron in their diet, even when the mother is iron deficient. The study concluded:
Exclusively breastfed infants of non-anemic and anemic mothers did not develop iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia by six months of age. Source
This study only looked at babies up to 6 months of age, and it should not be assumed that babies who are being exclusively breastfed longer than 6 months require supplementation of iron through fortified foods. I believe, based on my research, experience and intuition, that babies do not need to eat iron fortified foods at any age, but should get their iron exclusively from breast milk followed by a progression to naturally iron rich foods.
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