I am going to have to ask more questions. Wren has been prescribed liquid iron supplement because his iron levels are "a bit low". I forgot to ask exactly what the level was but he is supposed to have 0.3ml daily.
During pregnancy I was prescribed iron and had a terrible reaction to it so I was a bit reluctant to give Wren iron. I started doing it every other day and then, after talking it over with our pediatrician, I did it every day for a while. Still, I was less than stellar in my iron protocols because I've always been told that the fear over anemia of breastfed babies is overrated.
Anyway, I was just reading this article on dietary needs of infants and food introduction post 6 months. This interests me because that is when Frost's allergies became noticable adn we found out about the wheat/dairy/gluten thing. It says:
Iron is an important mineral in the second half of the first year when babies have used up much of the iron stores they received from their mmothers during late pregnancy. It is especially important for infants at risk of iron deficiency anemia due to preterm birth, blood loss after birth or those born to mothers who were diabetic during pregnancy. Iron deficiency anemia has an adverse effect on cognitive development adn motor development.
I know Wren lost blood during both procedures and had one transfusion early on. I think he really needs iron. I wish that doctors would explain their thinking to me so I feel better about giving him these things daily.
He really dislikes receiving his medicines. The Zantac is the worst because it is an acidic peppermint. The iron is a bittersweet lemon and the aspirin is okay but makes him wince. I often mix the Zantac and aspirin which omits one dose but Wren is very cunning and spits out the mixture if at all possible. I have learned to squirt it in his back cheek which makes more go down, also tickle his throat and blow on his face. Still, we do not enjoy the process and a few of his outfits are stained yellow with partial iron doses he spat out.
8 comments:
you can ask for a cherry syrup to help sweeten the meds, it is a prescribtion that card can give you, just stir a little in with his neds. i have to thicken all izzys meds because she asperates this I miss her meds with her formula and used to use the sryp but she is used to the meds and does better now. the refex med was always the worst now she has a pill that I crush and stir in apple sauc3e 2x a day and she is happy withthat:)
wyndi and izzy
Thanks for that idea. I will ask about the syrup at our next appointment in only 10 days time!
I am glad that the meds isn't such an issue for Izzy anymore.
How is the photo contest going?
we are in the lead right now, we will be gone so hopefully we stay in the lead! wow, it would be sooo cool to win his pictures are really good!
wren will get used to them also i am optamistic:) Izzy is used to taking them now, every morning it is the same things, daiper meds cuddles:) and at night food meds cuddles:) the meds went down too at first she was on about 8-10 and now she is only on three! we also bought the sweetened koolaid and sprinkled some of that in her meds (the card nurse jenny suggested it) to help with meds they said it is safe to use it and you can pick any flaver, we used grape and she did great with it too. it did turn her tounge a little purple so maybe a diff flover so he won't look blue:) I got nervous once and then had to remeber that I fed her kolaid meds:)it really helped with the reflex med! the nurses have rgeat ideas:) the pharmasit suggested vanilla sryup (the baking kind) I was ify about that because it can have alch in it
My new pediatrician says Iron is really not needed until 6 months when we get off breastmilk. My old Ped had prescribed the supplement. I think it's 50-50...I am not supplementing Ryan.
Wren is on it because he is at risk after losing blood in his two surgeries. The cath procedure only lost "a teaspoon" of blood but in the previous one he lost quite a bit and had vials taken daily so he started off a bit lower than normal and needs a bump.
Hi. I found your blog while looking at motherinchief. My son is a heart baby too (he's 3 now) and was on 9 medications when we came home from the hospital. The pharmacist gave us this idea: let him suck on a popsicle for a little bit before giving him the medicine. It tastes good and the cold temporarily numbs the taste buds so they don't taste the medicine. We would give Drew a few licks before and a few after his medicine. After a while he got used to it and we were able to eliminate the popsicle all together.
Andrea, good to meet you. Its always nice to hear from other parents who get what we are going through.
How old was your son when he was popsicle sucking? I am not sure what Wren will think of it but its worth a try. He is only on 3 or 4 medications ATM so its not too bad but the Zantac is awful and he has more than 1ml 2X a day.
It's good to meet you too.
Drew was around 9 months old when we tried the popsicle trick. Before that we gave him his meds through his G-tube.
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