Seriously need to increase my iron levels .... please come and give me some diet advice

[mosschops30]

Am 23 weeks pg. I normally take spa tone once daily as I have chronically low hb, which normally rests at about 10.5.

At my booking bloods it was 10.7, and I increased my spa tone to twice daily but was admitted to a&e two weeks ago from midwife when they found that my exhaustion/breathlessness and palpatations were due to my hb levels dropping to 9.4.

I was started on ferrous fumerate twice a day but midwife told me to take just one and continue with 2 spa tone as was already constipated.

I ended up back at the doctors yesterday, totally exhausted, had not dressed all weekend, slept 9-10 hours a night and still tired. Hb levels after 2 weeks of tablets and spa tone are now 9.3!

So have increased iron tablets, given up the spa tone, but really want to try and improve dietary wise also. BTW I dont eat red meat, but anything else is good TIA

[ComeOVeneer]

What is your vit C intake like, as that helps with iron absorption?

[Streetlight]

How odd - usually Spatone is great, it upped my Hb in a week or two when I needed a homebirth level.

I wonder if they are investigating everything it might be - perhaps there is an underlying reason why you are so anaemic?

Hope not to worry you, but this sounds really odd.

[Streetlight]

Or steak with cabbage is v good

[ComeOVeneer]

Also tea and coffee reduce iron absorption.

[Streetlight]

btw 9. anything is no reason to panic. Mine reached 7.9 in my first pg, I was fine, just a little woozy.
You are doing ok.

[Lizzylou]

Dark green cabbage and dark (70% cocoa solids+) chocolate (well, that was my excuse during pg), lentils and wholegrain cereals.

[Cosmosis]

make sure you are drinking plenty of orange juice or taking a vit c supplement with your iron, as it helps absorbtion. don't drink tea/coffee while you eat as that reduces absorbtion.

Plenty of green veg (brocolli, cabbage etc), wholemeal bread & chocolate are good

[potplant]

Also had low iron count when pg, but nowhere near as poorly as you. I don't eat meat but I think you can still improve your iron levels through diet. Iron rich foods include the usual leafy green veg as well as Cereals fortified with iron, dried apricots,

Also Vit C encourages iron absorption into your body so drink fresh orange with meals and I ate loads of high Vit C fruit.

I think that this helped in the early days but towards the end my doctor put me on iron tablets.

[potplant]

Nobody told me about chocolate!!

Can't do links but try this:

www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/irondeficiency/

[mosschops30]

Streelight, tis always low, always has been ever since the age of about 14.
The spatone clearly isnt working in pregnancy for me, although usually keeps me ticking over quite nicely.
I have been taking the spa tone and the iron tablets with OJ.
What high vit c fruit can I have, Im not fussed on oranges or satsuma type things.
I can do cabbage and brocolli as I love both.
Any decent cabbage/brocolli food ideas though?

[Streetlight]

Kiwi fruit is good I think. Do you like those?

[Streetlight]

Oh and blackcurrants. They have much vit c.

[Lizzylou]

Brocolli is high in both Vit C and Iron as is cabbage.
Red peppers and tomatoes are also high in vit c
Strawberries too.

You could have a vegetable pasta bake, with tomatoey sauce shredded cabbage, spinach and brocolli.
Roasted red pepper and lentil soup, with wholegrain bread

Then dark chocolate dipped kiwi and strawberries

YUM

[mosschops30]

Yes love both of those, have got a good list of foods now so after sleep will trot off to sainsbury to buy new iron week of food

[hannahsaunt]

I am quite like you; I had to maintain my iron levels up around 10/11 in my last pg because of high PPH risk. I took max dose iron tablets daily and managed not to miss any - did the trick but it was a mega loads. I did all the right eating things too (would you consider red meat for the duration?) and ate even more fruit/veg than usual to counteract the constipation issue with success. I don't store iron so makes the whole thing a bit tricky.

[mosschops30]

I dont eat red meat because I dont like the smell, or taste or texture of it, its not a veggie thing, I just dont like it. I do eat chicken and turkey and pork though. Just beef and lamb I cant stomach in any shape or form (steak/mince/chops etc bleurgh)

[Cosmosis]

another tip is that I put chopped or frozen spinach in to pretty much every sauce I make. Particularly the frozen stuff is chopped so tiny that you don't really notice it.

Spinach is particularly lovely in curry. It's also good raw in salads - I often use it in sarnies instead of salad - ham & spinach with mustard is delish.

[mosschops30]

Well I have bought a good selection inclusing dark choc, dried apricots, some cereals with extra iron, sardines, black pudding, grapefruit juice, cabbage and brocolli.

If I make bubble and squeak with the cabbage is it still as good for me even though it will be fried? Its the only thing I know what to put cabbage in

[hannahsaunt]

Lightly steamed savoy cabbage is lovely just as it is. I would second the raw baby spinach as salad - I do that a lot.