30 Weeks and just found out I'm anemic

[randallquiver]

The red blood count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels were all low. I have to get them up otherwise I'll risk out of my homebirth. We are going to recheck at 36 weeks.

I'm going out today to pick up so floradix. Will that be enough to help things? Should I be concerned? My whole life, I've always been borderline anemic anytime they tested me, but it's never been a serious concern for any of my pregnancies.

Any thoughts? I'd love some reassurance or some understanding about if this is something that I should be concerned about.

[mamagranola28]

For anemia a midwife friend of mine recommends:
Liquid iron supplement Floradix (sp?)
liquid chloraphyll (sp?)
cooking in a cast iron pan (not really acid foods like tomato)
homeopathic ferrum phos 30c 3 pellets 3x day or whatever health care provider says
plenty of water, raw fruits, veggies, grass fed beef and bison, farm cage free eggs
Yes I would get on this right NOW.

[*mama moose*]

you can double up on Floradix too, take 20 instead of 10 (sorry forgot the measurement, ml, maybe?) twice a day. I had a really bad PPH after my last birth, my iron was 6.5 (which is really REALLY bad) 2 days PP, and up to 9 by 2 weeks PP. I'm 4 weeks now and we just re-drew it and are expecting it to be back to normal levels. I tried to eat high iron foods too, but mostly I credit that to double doses of floradix!

[randallquiver]

I was wondering about taking extra Floradix. I bought the largest bottle they had assuming that I'll be able to use it up pretty quickly. After pregnancy, I usually end up needing it anyway.

I'll admit I've not been eating much red meat this pregnancy. Usually, I devour steaks and such, but meat just hasn't been doing it for me this time around.

[thursday2]

I was quite anemic at my iron check somewhere around 28 weeks. I've gotten it up to *almost* normal by now to where I can still HB (normal is 34, and I've been at around 33 for a month - I'm 39.5 weeks PG).

I doubled my iron supplements and made sure to take them every day, have been trying to eat red meat at least 3 times a week (normally for me I eat almost none), cook in cast iron, and have been wolfing down chard, kale, spinach, etc. I've also been using blackstrap molasses in anything in which I normally would use sugar or honey, and sneaking it in anywhere I can. It changes the flavor a bit in some things, but I figure every little bit of iron helps! For breakfast, I've been having homemade granola that I made with oats, blackstrap, almonds, walnuts, dried cranberries, and raisins. Mix and bake on a cookie sheet at 300 for about an hour and a half, stirring every ten minutes. It's really good with milk and fresh fruit (especially blueberries). Vitamin C helps iron absorb, so I also have a glass of orange juice with it (also good to squeeze lemon or orange on your dark leafy greens - helps the iron absorb). I really think it's made a difference in my levels - I know I'm getting a big hit of iron every day.

I plan on making "labor cookies" this week to snack on while I'm in labor and postpartum to keep my iron up - I'm going to make Banana Molasses Ginger Cookies (basically regular molasses ginger cookies, but I'm going to add banana for the potassium and vitamin C to help the iron absorb, use blackstrap instead of regular molasses, up the ginger a little to help with nausea, and use whole wheat flour for the fiber...)

Good luck!

[CookAMH]

Maybe to add to that, cook with a cast iron skillet. I have heard you will get iron that way.

[VroomieMama]

I didn't know that cast iron skillet will make a difference! I'm also anemic.

My midwife suggested a recipe that I just fell in love with.

Clam linguine in alfredo sauce.

She said clam has good high iron in it.

YUMMY

[randallquiver]

Um. Does that mean I could justify making a pot of clam chowder just for myself

We've been cooking in cast iron for years. My husband loves cooking with it. I think the pans are too heavy, but we still use them a lot anyway.

Keep the ideas coming! Hopefully within a month I will have gotten these iron levels up.

[momasana]

A spoonful of blackstrap molasses is also good (and tasty!)

I have been taking floradix this whole pregnancy. Take the whole capful twice a day. It tastes bad at first but I have gotten used to it. And fortunately haven't had any constipation side effects like other iron supplements cause.

[umsami]

I was surprised at how much iron they put me on when I was diagnosed as severely anemia (at 34 weeks). I had been taking 30 mg in my whole foods prenatal plus 18 mg in a supplement called Blood Builder. They had me add 90 mg/day (prescription) in addition to the 30 mg in my prenatal. We've always cooked with cast iron--so I'll continue to do so.

[randallquiver]

Originally Posted by momasana

A spoonful of blackstrap molasses is also good (and tasty!)

Is the blackstrap molasses something I should buy at our health food store or just a regular grocery store. I have to admit I've never used molasses. We use a lot of maple syrup and raw honey as our sugar substitute.

[randallquiver]

Would I know if I added too much iron? Or since I'm so low does it really not matter.

[phathui5]

I was anemic with my last three babies (#2, 3 and 4). With the middle two, I was going to a freestanding birth center and they had me taking iron but didn't ask me to go to the hospital because of it.

With baby #4, I was using a midwife in Maryland named Evelyn. She called me at 38 weeks (after I'd been seeing her for the whole pregnancy) to let me know that my iron was too low for her and she wanted me to birth at the hospital where she worked. I wasn't comfortable going to a hospital so I called a local CPM and she attended the birth of my fourth baby. Everything went perfectly, despite my low iron, which returned to normal soon after I had the baby.

[thursday2]

Originally Posted by randallquiver

Is the blackstrap molasses something I should buy at our health food store or just a regular grocery store. I have to admit I've never used molasses. We use a lot of maple syrup and raw honey as our sugar substitute.

Some regular grocery stores may carry it, but I haven't found it at most. Whole Foods carries it, however, and almost any natural food store. It's a little more bitter than regular molasses and definitely not as sweet as honey, but it's such a great source of iron, potassium and calcium....

[Lit Chick]

FLORADIX!!!!

Love that stuff. I am always a bit low iron anyway, but a day of Floradix and I'm fine. If I forget a few days, I feel more run down.

I asked my MW if I could OD on iron, what with the leafy greens, prenatals, and Floradix, but she said not really, since everything but the vitamin was just food. Good, healthy food.

Floradix is easy and won't bind you up too. It's pricey but worth it.

[mamazen2five]

i'm nearing 30 weeks too, am also anemic atm and have been meaning to get my hands on some floradix (money).

eta: nm, i partially erased my post as i came asking a question but figured it out.

[fruitfulmomma]

i'm nearing 30 weeks too, am also anemic atm and have been meaning to get my hands on some floradix (money). is this a good one to get? there's so many different formulas, anyone recommend one over the other?

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/e...UNE?id=FL-7010

edited to show a cheaper one, but it has extra calcium in it--for absorbtion i assume? (anyone know? okay for pregnancy?)

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/e...jsp?id=FL-1016

No, if you iron anemic, you want the Iron + Herbs formula which is shown here http://www.floradix.net/. The Cal and Cal/Mag formulas will not supply you with the iron you need.

ETA: Looks like I was posting at the same time you removed your question. Anyway, I used some last week after my miscarriage, and it wasn't too bad. Not sure what stores you have close but I got the smaller bottle of the gluten-free formula for $25.00 @ Sprouts and it seemed to be about two weeks worth. You could probably pick it up at Vitamin Cottage or Whole Foods.