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mrsashkennedy
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Anemic Mamas-I need your help!
mrsashkennedy
member
So my mw told me yesterday that I am very anemic! I got an iron supplement to take (ferrofood) and I know a lot of the basic foods that are good for iron, I'm just concerned about getting it up in the next 8 weeks. My level is 9.9, anemia is labeled at 10.5, and if I go below 9.5 I can't birth at our birth center! If you have experienced this and successfully kicked it, what worked for you? It feels like everything I eat has to have iron in it or something.. Please share your experiences, I appreciate it!
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Re: Anemic Mamas-I need your help!
I'm in a similar situation, but my score's just a little higher, still low enough that my midwife has me on supplements. She said that being low in iron at this point in pregnancy is very common. I was surprised because my iron count is always very good but with pregnancy the body changes, so anyway onto your question:
-Dairy inhibits the obsorption of iron my MW told me so when you take the vitamin, make sure it's not with a dairy-based meal. (Dairy is good for you though, so no need to stay away at other times of the day)
-Iron rich foods: red meat (I *love* beef tacos!), fortefied oatmeal (I eat 2 quaker packets at a time & each has 20% iron), spinach, some beans I believe are rich in iron
I do an eggs scramble a few times a week: a little onion, half a tomato, half cup frozen spinach sauted in a pan with salt & pepper, scramble in 2 eggs
Hope this helps - good luck!
Tried that in oatmeal this morning. It was gross! I thought it would taste good, cause you use it in cookies and such, but no. I can't stomach it! lol
It is specifically the calcium--so be cautious of any high calcium food or supplement taken with iron-rich foods. Vitamin C helps iron be absorbed.
Many types of nuts and seeds have a fairly high amount of iron. I like pumpkin seeds in particular. They are tasty as snack on their own or added to things.
Good luck!
I suffer from anemia and it got down to an 8 with my first pregnancy. With my last one I got down to a 9 and decided to address it through diet only. I cut out black tea (I was drinking it a lot and it leaches iron from your body) and started eating organ meat twice a week, particularly beef liver. I brought it up two whole points in a very short time without any supplements.
ETA - I forgot about the blackstrap molasses. I did that too.