Iron and Pregnancy

[studentMW]

Hi all,
I am a first year student midwife doing an assignment about iron and pregnancy and just wondering if you can help.
Please comment below -
if there is anything you want to know/would have wanted to know from your midwife about diet and iron levels during pregnancy?
Anything that has been particularly useful for your own information?
Were you given any resources about it? Did you understand them?
Do/did you feel well informed about iron and diet for during pregnancy?
Thank you!

[acquiescence]

It would be useful for midwives to give info on natural supplements such as spatone and floradix. It would also be good if they inform patients that they can request liquid iron to be prescribed if they need it as it is much gentler on your tummy and doesn't cause constipation.
It would be good to point out additional symptoms of anaemia such as shortness of breath.

[OkyDoke]

I didnt get any information on it until my 28 week bloods when i found out i had low iron tablets. Now on three a day. We did speak about diet once i was diagnosed. No alternatives discussed. Probably would have been useful to speak about it before it was a problem!

[SeatOfMyPants]

I think iron levels should be tested way earlier in pregnancy, first round of bloods. What's the point in getting to the third trimester and turn having to deal with a far bigger iron deficiency?
Don't know if midwives can influence that!

[Emma2803]

Seatofmypants iron is checked at first bloods, at least it is where I am.

[hopsalong]

Yes! Good question. I was puzzled by studies showing that depletion of iron levels between first and third trimester is actually associated with BETTER pregnancy outcomes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25884586/?i=14&from=hemoglobin%20pregnancy&sort=[relevance]

As someone who had had a PPH with first pregnancy and had iron levels at bottom of normal range in second pregnancy I was conflicted about whether to take supplements and couldn't get a good answer to this. In the end I did take a low dose iron supplement (which was lucky because had a much bigger PPH second time!) So I would have liked to know what risks of iron being too high are, and what "too" high is.

[SeatOfMyPants]

Not where I am!

[acquiescence]

seatof do they not take any bloods from you at your booking appointment? Iron levels are checked through the standard full blood count which is the standard basic blood test. It's strange how much things can vary through the country.

[SeatOfMyPants]

Yes, but they didn't measure iron levels. They'll only do that at my 28 week appointment. And yes, this totally bemuses me: 2nd pregnancy, same last time