[JulieMc]

I had an appointment today. I am just past 32 weeks now... yay! Anyways, the good news is all tests came back normal and they don't think I'll get pre-e anymore. YAY! They had me freaking out for nothing I guess. I passed the GD test, just barely, with a 136... whew. The bad news is.... they said I am very anemic and they believe that is the cause of my high blood pressure and the constant headaches. I asked what my score was, and she said it was 8.6, which is pretty bad I guess. My mom had to get a blood transfusion last year for a score under 10... yikes... but they don't do that while you're prego, so I have to take lots of iron pills now. Which sucks, but I gotta do it cuz the anemia will only get worse if left untreated, which is definitely not healthy.

All in all, it wasn't a bad appointment. I'm glad they know the cause of my problems, and how to treat it now. It just sucks about the iron cuz it makes my tummy feel awful.

[viXen]

I am glad about the pre-e and so sorry to hear about the iron! That can def. cause the headaches, I deal with anemia not being pregnant and it is horrible. Just keep up on your iron and it should resolve itself!

[Cheet_oh]

I'm sorry you're anemic...try lots of leafy green veggies if you can stand them and I dunno how you feel about liver, I assume you don't like it, but if you do, it's great for iron!

[ericanicole]

I'm dealing with anemia as well. My number was 9.2. Was 7 right after I had Ryleigh. No transfusion though even though the blood was ordered and on standby. Started taking iron last week.

[kruff79]

The other easy thing to up your numbers is to cook something on cast iron each day. The iron leeches because it's a porous metal. It won't fix the problem but it's a baby step towards fixing it. If you don't have any cast iron go to the camping dept at walmart, you'll pay half the price for a frying pan.

[Julienix87]

aw, that stinks..hopefully the iron doesnt hurt ur tummy too much..i have borderline anemia..my iron has been between 9 and 12...thankfully no extra iron yet, just taking me prenatals..

Iron pills suck!! But Im glad everything else is AOK!!

Well, I am glad you don't have pre-e. I had it with the twins and all three of us almost died from it. I am also anemic this pregnancy and have to take iron pills. Try taking them with food to reduce stomach upset. (HUGS)

[pumpkinpie24]

My OB suggested taking iron with OJ because it helps absorb better--milk makes it worse.

I'm a little anemic but not enough for pills, so I have been looking for iron-rich foods. I was shocked to see that the cereal I eat every morning (and have for the past 8 years) has 90% of the daily recommended value!! It's Quaker Toasted Oatmeal Squares. Of course, the milk probably takes away a bit, but they are good dry too! Oatmeal itself is a good source, too.

[MamaAnna]

I'm sorry about the iron. I'm on boosters as well pregnant or not, just extra boosters now. They told me that calcium actually prohibits iron absorption so be sure to take it separately from other vitamins and vitamin C will help increase absorption. Hopefully your levels will be a lot better the next time they test them.

[mary30]

Yeah that is a pretty low number,but Iron should help take care of that, I remember with my first pregnancy I was a 9 and I had to take an iron supplement

[sethsgirl]

Yay for passing all of the tests! Sorry to hear your anemic, my midwife told me the cut off is 11. I got a 10.9 so she said I would be fine but to eat lots of leafy greens if I want to make it go up.

[megg0]

Sorry to hear about your iron levels.

[JulieMc]

With an increase in blood volume and increasing demands of the baby & placenta... is it true that at this point, taking iron won't increase my levels, but will simply maintain them and stop them from dropping further? I thought I read that once, but I can't be sure.

With blood loss from birth, how much lower can I expect my level to drop? Yikes... I'm worried about that now.

For any of you that have been anemic in past pregnancies, was your baby anemic? I'm reading stuff online and it says they are more likely to have issues with that....

[MamaAnna]

I had anemia during both past pregnancies and the supplements DID bring my levels back up. After that I continued taking the extra iron to help maintain them, but if I remember right I switched from every day to every other day. As long as you're on the right diet and supplements your levels will go up and stay up.

As far as the blood loss from birth it varies from woman to woman. For me it was like a really heavy period the first day and it slowed dramatically after that. It didn't cause me any more trouble than a period does. You may be a heavier/lighter bleeder though. Just remember to bring your vitamins with you so if the hospital doesn't give you any you'll still get your extra iron to be on the safe side.

Neither of my children were born anemic and neither has problems stemming from anemia during pregnancy. It's scarier to read about than to go through.

[mommyand3]

I'm anemic as well. Found out when I ended up in the ER a while back. Scary stuff. I take iron supplements too.

Glad you passed the rest of your tests though! WTG

[girlsrus]

I have been anemic with two of mine and the girls were not born anemic and have no lingering problems. The pills and watching my diet did bring up my levels before delivery. I just had to check it more often and they watched it closely after I had the baby. Good Luck!

[lmfinnegan]

I am anemic as well.My number was a little lower then yours at 8.I have now been on Iv infusions.I have to go to blood speacialist and have them give me iron once a week.It really helps me alot.I also have just had problems with my blood pressure.I went to labor and delivery last night and they said I had a trace of protein in my urine.I hope you feel better soon.

[HotTamale]

Sorry about the bad news, but it's great that you now know what's been causing your headaches and that it's something you can easily remedy!! I'd say that's a blessing!

I've struggled with minor anemia all my life (now low enough to cause me any problems, but it often keeps me from donating blood). However since I've been pregnant, I haven't had any trouble at all! My iron level was 37 in early pregnancy, and was 36 a few weeks ago when I was tested. My midwife actually did a double-take and said "Wow, whatever you're doing, keep doing it!"

So here's what I've been doing:

-Eat fortified cereal for breakfast every morning. Most all cereals are fortified these days, but the Total brand cereals and Multigrain Cheerios have far more nutrients than others. Total makes some pretty delicious cereals now, including one that tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

-Eat oatmeal. Instant oatmeal actually has more iron than the plain kind, and I usually get the kind with raisins because raisins add extra iron. As a snack I also enjoy a carton of yogurt with plain oats dumped in. I sprinkle the dried oats right on top of the carton, then eat off the top layer, then dump in more oats, eat off the top layer, etc. It's quite tasty and surprisingly filling.

-Consume vitamin C with your iron. For example, have a glass of OJ with your cereal.

-Cook in a cast iron skillet. You can get them for less than $15 if you don't already have one. In particular, cook acidic foods in it because they absorb the iron better. Use it to heat up your spaghetti sauce, for example.

-Stay super hydrated and eat lots of fiber to help stave off the constipation that iron supplements can cause.

-Eat meat.