Low Iron or Anemia during Pregnancy? What Can You Do Now to Raise Your Levels?
Show Notes:
[2:00] Our Reviewer of the Week is MariaMartensThiessen, and she said, "I have a little obsession with birth stories and all things birth! I started binge listening to your podcast a couple months ago and absolutely love every single one of them! Currently not pregnant or have any kids but praying the Lord will bless us with kids soon. Can’t wait to experience that and learn all the things! I’ve already learned so much from you! Thank you."
[02:52] This week's topic is low iron or anemia in pregnancy. This topic comes up a lot for pregnant moms, and it's why there is a lot of iron in prenatal vitamins! Low iron levels or hemoglobin may come up in conversation with your provider around the third trimester blood work. For some moms, it might not be an issue, but for some, it may require a blood transfusion or if you're wanting to give birth outside of a hospital, you may not be able to.
[4:10] Anemia is another word for iron deficiency or when you have a hemoglobin level of less than 11 grams per liter. If you're anemic, it means that you don't have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen into the tissues in your body. It occurs in about 15 to 25% of all pregnancies.
[5:43] Iron is a mineral in our bodies that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. It also helps our muscles store and use oxygen. When too little is produced, your body can become fatigued and have a lower resistance to infection. Other symptoms are weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath, rapid or irregular heartbeat, any kind of chest pain, pale skin, lips, and nails, cold hands and feet, and trouble concentrating.
[7:15] During pregnancy, your blood volume increases and it increases by about 45%. Your body takes all of the hemoglobin and sends it to baby in anticipation of your birth!
[8:34] The biggest risk of having an iron deficiency is postpartum hemorrhaging. The uterus needs to contract in order to block out the blood after baby is born, but if it's fatigued, it can't do that properly. Risks for baby include having IUGR, so that intrauterine growth restriction, along with that could be a low birth weight. It's been shown that having an iron deficiency in the first trimester puts baby at a greater risk for low birth weight all the way down the line. Premature birth is another side effect that can happen. If you are in a out of hospital setting, it can actually force you into a hospital setting if your iron levels are low enough.
[10:38] There are two ways to get more iron into your diet. You can do heme iron, which is found in animal sources, and non-heme iron, which is found in plant sources. Your body absorbs the animal iron way better than it does from plant sources. You can add lean red meats, like beef and liver, or eggs, dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, nuts and seeds, or lentils and beans.
[11:53] Pro Tip: you absorb iron better when you also take Vitamin C along with it. So get that orange juice out!
[12:15] Supplements are another way to get iron into your diet. Constipation is the most complained about side effect from having the iron supplement.
[12:52] So what I've learned and what I've witnessed is the power of beef organs. They are rich in nutrients and vitamins and can easily be taken in a capsule! Beef liver is rich in Vitamin A and B, folate, selenium, and copper.
[17:11] Low copper directly record correlates with low iron levels. Ninety percent of copper in the blood is bound to ceruloplasmin. Ceruloplasmin oxidizes iron absorbed from the gut and stored in the tissue so that it can be transported by transferrin.
[19:39] What happens if you're doing all these things and your levels still aren't rising? You would need to get an iron infusion. They do about 300 grams per liter per infusion, and it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to three hours to administer, just depending on what type that you get. The side effects for that can include a metallic taste in your mouth, headache, joint pain, constipation, and severe allergic reactions.
[20:42] You have options to get those levels raised in the way of supplements, beef liver, or even an infusion. It's important to talk to your doctor or your provider about the relationship between copper and iron to see if they're willing to send some blood work that catches those things so you can kind of look at that ahead of time. As long as you can get your hemoglobin into the normal range, which you totally can, then it doesn't have to affect your birth plan, and that's always the goal! To leave you in charge of your pregnancy, your birth, and your decision making!
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