Iron Levels

Went to the Obstetrician today and baby has her head down and feet up woo... Glucose test came back good, only thing that came up on bloods was that my iron levels are low so I have to take iron tablets for rest of pregnancy... Icky I hate tablets tongue Apparently they should be 15 and I was 6?? Whatever that means tongue

ask your doc if you can just eat more of these foods instead?


Iron-Rich Foods
Foods that are a good source of iron include:

liver
lean red meats, including beef, pork, lamb
seafood, such as oysters, clams, tuna, salmon, and shrimp, etc.
beans, including kidney, lima, navy, black, pinto, soy beans, and lentils
iron fortified whole grains, including cereals, breads, rice, and pasta
greens, including collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, and turnip greens
tofu
vegetables, including broccoli, swiss chard, asparagus, parsley, watercress, brussel sprouts
chicken and turkey
blackstrap molasses
nuts

ive had low iron my whole pregnancy so i totally know how u feel sad
i dont get the numbers they gave u cos im not sure what the right number ur iron should be at but im at 106 and that is considered as low.
iron tablets are horrible though they can make u constipated and make ur poo go really dark and smelly just make sure u drink a glass of OJ or take a vitamin C tablet with it or u may not obsorb the iron ive had that problem

Liquid iron supplements are gentler on the stomach than the tablets (no constipation) and often more effective. I take Spatone, its natural liquid iron and is nearly tasteless you just mix into a glass of juice and drink. Available from health food stores and pharmacies. /hope that helps smile

ask your doc if you can just eat more of these foods instead?


Iron-Rich Foods
Foods that are a good source of iron include:

liver

dont think ur allowed to eat liver while pregnant

I had really low iron throughout bothmy pregnancies and the iron tablets were awful but the liquid iron is great. Highly reccommend giving it a try.

I'm the same as you Lami and had a low level of 5 so was recommended FGF or something like that, but with my last pregnancy they made me nauseous, so the chemist recommended a brand called Fefol.
Ive been taking them for a couple of weeks and no nausea!
Yes they make your poo greeny black and smelly but small price to pay for your baby and your health!
My OB said they baby takes all your iron stores now and saves them for the first 6 months of it's life, so if your stores are low the baby will take them and you will get very sick. I had headaches, nausea, dizziness and no energy, until now I'm slowly picking back up. Yes, as the PP said take them on a empty stomach with orange juice or fruit, not with tea or coffee as the tannins in tea reject iron absorption.
Also, you can't possible eat enough now to get the iron levels you need to replace what you've lost when your levels are as low as ours so you have to take a supplement! My OB and midwife told me last week!

dont think ur allowed to eat liver while pregnant

No your not allowed to eat liver while pregnant its a big NO NO! The vitamin A levels are way too high. You are meant to have less vitamin A while pregnant because it can cause defects (neurological I think).
You can choose to have am iron injection which works quicker but is apparently rather painful, my iron level were really low with my son so I had to take supplements for the rest of my pregnancy but I've already decided next time round I'm going to opt for the injection I would rather have a few days of pain then taking iron pills everyday.

I was told today to drink Milo as well for iron..
What are your thoughts on this?

My iron levels were really low during pregnancy even with iron supplements that I had to get injections. They are a set of 5 painful injections into your bum which leave a rusty coloured stain and severe brusing. I had my injections more than 5 months ago and still have bad painful brusing. You can also have a blood transfusion or an iron transfusion. I was told there are risks with the iron transfusion so opted for the injections. If I have the same problem next time I will get the blood transfusion as it's a lot less hassle.

im currently low on iron as well and was with both my other bubs..i refuse to take tablets again they made me horridly constipated and made my deliveries far longer then they wouldve been otherwise (not that my labours were that long really but i felt i was ready to push but had a bowel obstruction) im trying to lift my levels with foods atm and will consider liquid iron supp if i absolutely have to. id recomment at least trying to lift your levels a bit, you have time too atm if your 34weeks but if theyre not up by say 36 weeks id go a supplement in the end as low iron can make a pph worse xx apparently

During my last pregnancy I had porridge with cream -that was naughty- and black strap molasses on it. I brought a good quality organic molasses... and it worked really well for me. Oh and I always had a glass of apple juice with it.