D Jacobs wrote:
And cows milk itself is hardly an ideal
cornerstone of a child's diet... it has NO iron at
all and can cause the stomach to leak iron leading
to anemia.

I agree that cow's milk can leak iron leading to
anemia, but I understood it was because of the
leaky gut syndrome it can cause, not due to a lack
of iron. Perhaps that's what you meant. In any
case, I felt I needed to say that formula with
iron added can cause problems, like constipation,
too. I'd like to refer the original poster to the
Le Leche League for help on making her decision
whether to wean. I've nursed 4 babies, ranging
from a disasterous 5 months of continually going
dry (due to bad information on how to maintain my
milk supply) to resorting to a bribe to wean a
four-year-old. Many factors play into the
decision. Le Leche League was a life-saver. I know
of success they have had retraining a child to
take the breast even after rejecting it. I know of
success they have had in inducing lactation in an
adoptive mother and getting the baby to take the
breast. So if there is any desire to try to drop
the pump and go back to the breast, they could
help. They could also put her in touch with a milk
bank. I supplied milk for a few months to a woman
(then a stranger) whose baby wouldn't stimulate
the breast enough to keep the milk coming. Until
she weathered the storm and got him going, she
used a milk bank and was able to specify, I
believe, because he was milk sensitive also. In
fact, if the original poster ( or anyone else
interested) wanted to talk to her, she's very
knowledgable and willing to help. She stayed on to
offer support for years after her youngest weaned.
To find out how to contact her, email me.
D Jacobs also wrote:
Regarding breastmilk, it naturally becomes lower
in fat with toddlers... as they begin to replace
breastfeeding with solid foods, that is the
natural progression of weaning.

It was always my understanding that breastmilk
becomes richer as the child grows and needs more.
They've found that the composition of breast milk
changes over time, giving preemies just what they
need and toddlers just what they need. They've
discovered they need to choose milk of appropriate
ages to match if possible in hospital situations.
I can't give you the source of that information.
It is just remembered from my Le Leche League days
in conversation. It could be varified through LLL
I'm sure. Carrie