Breastfeeding and the effects

[Dozeyland]

Breastfeeding my 4MO daughter, throughout my pregnancy my skin was immaculate. due to the hormones etc. which i loved. but since giving birth and BF my skin is terrible. break-outs, very grey/ddull looking etc.

i think im still anaemic, but does BF affect your skin seeing as baby take your goodness?

if not... how can i make my dark circles even though she sleeps ok)/ pale, dull, lifeless skin look and feel better?

has anyone heard of floradix? meant to be good for low iron?

I used floradix from 37 weeks in my pregnancy, I was very low on iron and couldn't take the tablets, my midwife recommended it. Tastes like absolute shite but works a treat Also according to my midwife it works really quickly. People told me I looked a lot better, seemed a lot brighter etc.

spatone is also good for low iron - you can get it from boots, mothercare, holland and barrats etc and put in oraneg juice to help its absorption. Also, remember that your hormones are all over the place too which won't help your skin - different ones are now in charge that the pregnancy maintenance ones.

I used floradix too as a short term boost.

If you find anything that gets rid of the black circles and bags under the eyes the let me know won't you!

What other things can be done to boost iron levels other than taking supplements, eating red meant, greens etc?

Yes, lots of dark green leafy veg­eta­bles, whole­meal bread, iron-fortified cere­als, baked pota­toes, lean red meat, pulses and dried fruit.

Vit­a­min C helps your body to absorb the min­eral.

Stop/cut down tea & coffee as they hinder iron absorption. I think you shouldn't have tea/coffee within an hour (maybe 2) of taking supplements. Reduce dairy intake as this can hinder iron aborption too.

As crikey says, eating/drinking things high in vitamin C at the same time as eating high iron foods / taking supplements helps.

Dried fruits (especially apricots) are also high in iron.

de-caf tea ok? herbal teas?

I think it's the tannin in tea that prevents iron from being absorbed so de-caff wouldn't make a difference. Not sure on herbal tea, sorry.

I used spa-tone and lots of venison!

I was very anaemic and I was told by GP bf-ing doesn't use up your iron as b-milk doesn't contain iron (babies are born with enough to last them 6 months until they eat food) so don't worry about this slowing your recovery.

(I think NCT guide said the hormonal changes that stop the lovely pregnant skin-glow are also due to not being pregnant any more rather than bf-ing.)

hope you feel better soon

Get tested for anaemia and maybe vitamin D deficiency - I'm seeing the GP this week to insist on this as I'm getting more exhausted despite DD sleeping more and I'm starting to look waxy like I did when anaemic after her birth.

BFing could be making you slightly dehydrated, which won't help your skin or energy

Floradix is absolutely brilliant stuff.

"I was told by GP bf-ing doesn't use up your iron as b-milk doesn't contain iron"

^ your GP was wrong. Breast milk does contain iron.

Yes, bm does have iron - the levels are (relatively) low, the the bioavailability is high - so the body actually gets much more from bm than from other sources.

I have read research that said that most women haven't recovered their pre-birth iron levels by the time their second baby is born, so I think it's a common problem. I had real problems with low iron levels after a m/c with my first DC. BF helps as it delays the return of menstruation.