Going off the Milk Cold Turkey

Ainsley had her re-check today regarding the heart murmur. It's still there, only it has gone from a Grade 1 to a Grade 2 or 3. This grading system is totally subjective, but because her doctor feels that it has progressed, he is sending her to a Pediatric Cardiologist for an echo cardiogram to rule out structural defects that could be causing the murmur. More than likely, it is the severe anemia that she has at this time.


Her blood work from last Wednesday came back to the doctor's office Thursday afternoon. They called me Thursday night to give me the results, telling me that she is SEVERELY anemic. It is NOT a permanent condition. It is not genetic. It is the anemia caused by lack of iron in her diet. It IS totally fixable.


The doctor wanted me to start her on a triple dose of iron drops every morning in orange juice. I could not get near her with the juice without her screaming. She wouldn't touch it. So I tried the drops in apple sauce. No go. Peanut butter. Nope. Cherry Juicy Juice. Nada. This continued on through the weekend with us not able to get a single dose of iron in her. She even stopped eating if it was something that could be easily mixed with the drops. She only wanted solid stuff, bananas, bagels, crackers, etc.

So now that she has had her follow-up appointment we have a few things we have to do.

1. She has to come off the milk completely.
2. She has to have the iron drops every day, whether we have to force them in her or not.
3. She has to drink as much Pediasure as we can get her to drink.
4. She has to start back on formula, though it is one that is made for older children ages 9-24 months and is fortified with iron.
5. She has to take a daily vitamin that is fortified with iron. I bought chewable Flintstones ones and liquid ones that can be given in food or drink.
6. She has to eat as much iron rich food as we can get into her. Red meats, green veggies, black beans.

Her doctor says that she won't let herself starve, so to hold off on the milk when she asks for it. Only give it to her at night, and then it should be watered down. It may be a few days before she actually will start drinking the Pediasure and formula and actually eating, but he said that is fine.