Iron and pregnancy

Hello lovelies,

I mentioned in my last post that I had been experiencing tiredness again since entering the 3rd trimester, thinking it was totally normal and i just had to deal with it.

But, at a hospital check up it was discovered that I'm actually anaemic! This means that im low in iron. Low iron levels during pregnancy can lead to several problems including pre-term delivery and low birth weight. Not everyone gets symptoms but luckily I did and have been able to correct it.

I began by feeling extremely tired, all the time. Even after a nights sleep, Id wake up feeling like it was past my bedtime! I also had dizzy spells and shortness of breath, teamed with really fast and hard heart beats (heart palpitations, or tachycardia I discovered this is called). My gorgeously long and strong nails, only since pregnancy, also became weak and began breaking. It was only once I mentioned that i had felt dizzy that my iron levels were re-checked and they were low!

As I hadnt been taking a prenatal vitamin, as those things give awful constipation (sorry for the TMI) this meant I was not getting enough iron in my diet to produce enough red blood cells... which means less oxygen being carried around my body. This explained the heart palpitations, shortness of breath and dizzy spells.

I was started on a new iron supplement called Ferrograd C, which personally has been working a treat. Its an iron supplement that also contains vitamin c to help the absorbtion of iron, and it also helps with maintaining regular bowels, thank goodness. No more iron-induced constipation! I was also reccomended to drink fresh orange juice with my meals, as the vitamin c in the juice would help with the absorbtion of iron in the meal. How clever?!

I also had low blood pressure due to the anaemia, so in order to keep this regulated, I must drink lots of water each day too. Its not advised to eat large meals, as there is a blood surge to the stomach to aid digestion after eating, causing the pressure to drop elsewhere in the body... Not that I can eat big meals anymore with my ever-growing uterus pressing on my tummy, so I prefer to have smaller more regular meals now anyway.

All this has really helped even out my iron levels, of course along with changing my diet to include more red meat and green leafies :)

Have any of you suffered with anaemia during pregnancy, and how did you deal with it?

Dont forget you can keep up to date with lifes goings-on and more pregnancy related stuff on my facebook page HERE and on Instagram HERE

Until next time, Conni x