Anemia During Pregnancy

By Constance Rock & Aleksandra Evanguelidi

Anemia is a common problem during pregnancy where the oxygen-carrying capacity of your blood is diminished. Oxygen is carried to every cell in your body by a component of the blood called hemoglobin. Your blood will expand to almost twice the normal volume by the 28th week of pregnancy to ensure enough oxygen is getting to you and your baby. Hemoglobin takes longer to develop then other components of your blood and an iron-rich diet is essential to the development of hemoglobin. Making sure that an adequate amount of hemoglobin has developed can ensure a healthy pregnancy and a quick recovery postpartum. Being anemic puts you at risk for hemorrhage, shock, the need for a blood transfusion. These are scary things but luckily, anemia is easy to avoid or resolve with good nutrition and supplementation.

Some of the causes of anemia include inadequate intake of iron, folic acid and B12 in the diet, caffeine consumption, and back-to-back pregnancies. It’s important that you avoid caffeine during pregnancy. It not only blocks iron absorption, but it leaches calcium from your blood. Both iron and calcium are vital for growing a healthy baby and they’re vital to your health and longevity. Caffeine is in sodas, coffee, and black or green tea.

The most important thing you can do to avoid anemia is to eat an iron-rich diet. This is especially important if you’re vegetarian or vegan. Your body can absorb the iron in the food you eat much eaiser than it can from iron supplements. Most iron supplements are synthetic and are constipating. This not only makes you uncomfortable, but it can cause hemorrhoids. Nobody wants those.

If you’ve had pregnancies closer than 2 years apart, it’s even more important for you to eat a nutritious diet. Not only will it reduce your risk for miscarriage and postpartum complications, but it will increase your energy and vitality which are so important when you have little ones to care for.

Here is a list of foods that are high in iron that will help build blood:

•Clams, oysters, legumes, tofu, organ meats, especially chicken liver, whole grains, black rice, beans, dark leafy greens, figs, seeds, nuts (especially almonds), eggs, rosehips, blackstrap molasses, and seaweeds such as kombu.

Foods that contain high amounts of folate are also important to have in your diet. The following foods are rich in folate:

•Asparagus, barley, beef, brewer’s yeast, brown rice, cheese, chicken, dates, green leafy vegetables, lamb, lentils, legumes, liver, milk, oranges, split peas, root vegetables, salmon, tuna, wheat germ, and whole grains.

Your blood will be tested at the beginning of your pregnancy and then again at 28 weeks to make sure that your hemoglobin count is at least 11 or 12. If you are borderline anemic some of the symptoms you might be having include depression, fatigue, weakness, breathlessness, fainting, dizziness, nausea, inflamed or sore tongue and headaches. Below is a list of natural supplements that will boost your iron stores and raise your hemoglobin.

•First, make sure you are taking a vitamin that is whole food based. Our favorite prenatal vitamin is made by New Chapter. It’s an excellent brand that’s organic, 100% food and highly bioavailable.
•Mega Foods Blood Builder is an excellent source of iron and the cofactors necessary for maximum absorption.
•Himalayan Goji juice, 4 oz taken 2 times a day
•Yellow Dock tincture, 3 droppers taken 4 times a day
•Floradix Iron + Herbs Liquid Extract Formula
•Chlorella tablets, 6 tablets taken 2-3x a day
•Take a Vitamin B6, B12, and Folate supplement.
•Make sure you take extra Vitamin C with any supplementation. The extra vitamin C is necessary for the iron to be properly absorbed into the blood.
•Other herbs that contain iron and are safe during pregnancy are chickweed, burdock, dandelion root and leaves, purslane, nettles, red raspberry leaf and alfalfa. You can take these by tincture or make a tea infusion and drink throughout the day.
It would be ideal for you to incorporate these foods into your diet on a regular basis during your pregnancy and afterwards. Include these supplements into your diet if you’re feeling run down or you know your hemoglobin is low. They are extremely important for you to not only build rich blood, but they ensure that you are sustained well into breastfeeding and beyond.