Quote:
Originally Posted by
loveandgarbage 
Thought I'd top this! So I had blood drawn and I'm borderline anemic and am severely low in vitamin D (my level is 13). It doesn't surprise me because I've had those issues before... but I need to up my levels stat! I've been taking:
Mega Foods D2: 4000 IU (will now up to 8000)
Mega Goods Blood Builder: one pill/day (will now take three)
Barlean's Fish Oil Mega Swirl: as much as I can choke down a day
Not related but I bought Natural Vitality brand "calm plus calcium" that has magnesium in it to help with leg cramping at night. Although if I up calcium it will help with vitamin D absorption so that's good.
My midwife thinks that because I nursed for 4+ years straight my vitamin D was wiped out and just hasn't been replenished. She said it can take 2 yrs to get your levels back to normal and that's if you're supplementing obsessively.
This at least explains your fatigue! hopefully if you can get the iron levels up and vit D and feel better!
i do supplement pretty obsessively w/ Vit D as so many women i know have issues and super low levels. and it's hard, but it really does help. and usually do cod liver oil (crazy amounts during pregnancy and nursing) and the kids do it in winter too (i officially have crazy kids, they line up and request it, and that's the unflavored fermented kind! my older kids get honey on it, but the 18 month old takes it like candy????) so i get my omega 3's and Vit A and D together (i do very well on A vs. betacarotene which turns me orange, probably due to my gut issues)
i was doing magnesium for a little while, but then didn't want to take it anymore, so i stopped. so far so good. but my chocolate habit might have increased in the meantime. i think chocolate covered almonds counts towards a magnesium supplement, right? i've been roasting raw almonds and melting 63% dark chocolate over them, MMMMMMMM!
we can do nettle and RRL tea again?!? i love making my own blends, but stepped away due to early pregnancy. i love RRL! and while i don't love nettle, i love how it feels when i'm drinking it.
hope those iron levels get up sooner and that the Vit D levels out for you as well! i cook everything in cast iron, and even though i'm processed food free (and the midwives were always terrified i never ate iron fortified foods) my levels are really good and stable. i think it must be the pans vs. diet b/c i can't identify a single food or reason that my levels are always steady, even PP they stay higher than my midwife expected.
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