Anemia during pregnancy

I just got a call from my midwife with my blood results and it showed that my iron was low. I am anemic. This also happened to me during the last trimester with baby #2. This was good news to me since I have been sluggish lately and was thrilled to know that there was an easy way to get more energy! There are two ways to treat low iron: diet and supplements.

Diet

Our bodies are designed to absorb two forms of iron: (1) from animals [heme iron] and (2) from plants [nonheme iron]. Animal based iron is the easiest for our body to absorb but animal meats do not contain as much as plant based foods do.  The National Institutes of Health, NIH, has great charts that show you how much iron is in each food if you click here.

You can encourage your body to better absorb plant based iron by consuming it with foods high in vitamin C (citrus, strawberries, peppers, etc.).  Do not consume your iron foods with tea that contain tannins, calcium, unsoaked beans, or unsoaked grains.  The reason why grains and dried beans should be soaked for several hours before cooking is to neutralize the phytic acid (phytates) that inhibits iron, zinc, calcium and other nutrient absorption.

Some fun sources of iron include the recipe for pregnancy tea (containing high iron nettles) and good quality dark chocolate (just don't go overboard).

Iron Supplement

Mainstream caregivers will tell you to take an iron pill daily. The issue with iron pills is that they are hard for the body to digest and can cause digestive issues leading to constipation.

The best version of iron for your body is absorb is the form that is found in food, thus a whole food based supplement is the best for absorption. There are not many choices out there and Floradix is the main product that is recommended.  According to Amber Canaan, for www.livestrong.com: 

• "Floradix supplements contain iron gluconate, a form of iron that is easier for the body to absorb than other types of iron, such as ferrous sulfate. Also included are vitamins, including vitamin C, B-1, B-2, B-6 and B-12. Floradix also contains herbs including fennel, nettle wort, African mallow blossom and ocean kelp."

Floradix is available at most health food stores but you will get the best rate at Vitacost (you get $10 off your order if you use this link).




What do I do?


Both times that I have found out that I was anemic, I closely looked at my diet and made as many changes as I could see.  What jumps out to me is that I should have more vitamin C and skip my weak cup of black tea (a sad loss for me). It also gives me a good excuse to buy some high quality liverwurst. I already cook my own beans and grains by soaking them first so I am good in that area.  For extra protection, I take 10mL of Floradix daily. The dosage is 20mL daily but I also get some iron in my whole foods based prenatal vitamin and diet.

Don't drink that orange glucose tolerance drink!

image: http://theherbwoman.com

The "Glucose Tolerance" test is normally given between 24 and 28 weeks for diabetes and similar conditions. It is given earlier for higher risk patients (including me with baby #3 since #2 was so big thanks to my husband's tall genetics -- I passed!).  Sometimes seemingly healthy moms develop gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that seems to appear only while they are pregnant.  It can be controlled with diet and exercise but these moms must be closely controlled by their caregivers to ensure that the baby remains healthy. These women are also at a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life so it is good to make some lifestyle and diet changes that carry on well after pregnancy. I consider this test to be very important and informational.


The test is done by giving the mom a drink high in glucose (a type of sugar) then testing her blood one hour later. Normally caregivers give a pre-made orange drink that tastes like flat orange soda. I had this with my first pregnancy and my OB made me drink it at room temperature (apparently it tastes better chilled) then sit in her office and wait for one hour. Here are my two issues with that method and why I did it different for babies #2 and #3:


1) There is no need to sit in the caregiver's office for an hour!
You can very well ask at your prior appointment (your caregiver will give you warning) to consume the beverage on your own an hour before your appointment then arrive at your normal time for your appointment.  Why do you need to sit in their office for an hour unless you really feel like escaping your office or your older kids?  :)


2) That orange drink is filled with JUNK!
You have been doing a great job during your pregnancy to consume healthier foods and avoid chemicals and artificial food colorings that will all go to your baby.  Do not let this orange glucose tolerance drink fall through the cracks of your good health.  Look at what is on the label and check out these alternatives! If your caregiver does not inform you of them, then you can simply tell them at your prior appointment that you will be doing an alternative glucose consumption. They have no right to make you drink that orange syrup. This drink is not something that you want your fetus to be feeding on!


Ingredients
Glucose syrup [probably from GMO corn], maltodextrin, purified water, acidity control compound E330 [sounds yummy!], preservative E211 [why?], cola aroma [who needs this?], foodstuff color E150 [artificial & most likely toxic] , and carbonic acid.


Alternatives (as distributed by my midwifes' practice)
20 oz. of a natural ginger ale
14 oz. of orange juice not from concentrate
10 oz. of cranberry juice
10 oz. of grape juice

Announcing your pregnancy

Who knows that you are pregnant?  Before you should decide to tell anyone that you are pregnant, there are a few things for you to think about.  There are two main reasons why it is suggested to wait until your second trimester to announce your pregnancy to the public.

Testing for problems
If you choose to do any tests to check that the baby is healthy, you will need to think what you would do if the test results show potential issues.  Yes, all of these tests are optional even though many caregivers forget to tell their patients that.  Personally, I have not had any sort of blood test or the down syndrome ultrasound done on my pregnancies because I had already thought through that I would not terminate the pregnancy if there was an issue.  Other moms want the test results so they can prepare themselves if there is an issue.  This is something to really think about.  I know other moms who have waited until their test results came back okay before announcing the pregnancy.

Miscarriage
Most women that I know never thought that a miscarriage would happen to them.  Well over half (perhaps 3/4) of my mom friends have miscarried at least one pregnancy.  This is a high number and I am not sure if there is something in the New York City water (well now the New Jersey water), all of the pollutants in our modern lives, or if it is that these women have chosen to have children at an older age than a generation ago.  The published percentages of pregnancies that end in miscarriage differ greatly since no one really knows how many early pregnancies there are.  Most caregivers do not see pregnant clients until they are 10 weeks.  My first pregnancy (meaning that my current pregnancy is really my 4th!) ended in an early miscarriage at 7 weeks.  I had known that I was pregnant for 3.5 weeks and I felt like screaming it to the world.  It felt like I had been pregnant forever and I was so excited.  Thankfully it was only my parents, brother and sister-in-law that knew.  When I miscarried I wanted to crawl into a hole of my grief.  Thankfully no one at work knew so I was able to go there and submerge myself in a lot of work and busyness.  Then I went home and cried... for months.  Even a year later, I would be overwhelmed with grief at the thought of my miscarriage.  And now with my (technically 4th) pregnancy, I did not get excited right away and I still did not want anyone except my parents and some close friends to know until I was 14 weeks and in the second trimester.  I wish you all luck and wish that no woman (or man) has to grieve a miscarriage or any baby loss.