I have anemia, will this mean my bm has not enough iron?

[Jennylee]

I can't seem to find an answer to this online, only that it might mean I have less milk. Am just wondering as am really weak at the moment at 33 wks pg and on iron tablets, but after the birth I will surely be worse anemic from he blood loss, so does anyone know if it means brestmilk will then have less iron if I don't have enough iron?

Jenny, the reason you can't find much info about this is because it is not an issue.

www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html has some answers for you. Babies use their own iron stores in the first months of life, anyway. There is in any case very little iron in breastmilk, but what there is is very well absorbed by the baby - they don't need very much. You shouldn't lose so much blood at the birth that your anaemia is worsened - anyway, you can carry on with the supplements.

It's true that anaemia may mean you have to work harder at building a supply, but as your anaemia is being treated, this should not really have much impact.

Perhaps have a chat with a midwife when you next have an antenatal check?

Breastfeeding is good for mothers at risk of anaemia, as it prevents the return of your periods.

Thanks ticktok, that was very helpful and puts my mind at rest.

at Jennylee. How are you doing!!?

if you can't recognise me from the silly namechange, think of the warm blue caribbean sea and the barrier reef.

I am anemic (always have been - tend to have to take iron on prescription at least once a year or so - off and on) and I'd never heard of this being an issue.

I took extra iron with each of my 2 prenancies, and have to say I think the most exhausting part is pregnancy - I guess because so much goes to the baby, and therefore your own supply gets depleted. I had extra high dose iron tablets (more than my usual ones), then switched to liquid iron, as I found the iron tablets gave me constipation. Apparently you absorb the liquid iron much better than tablets, so you need less of it, and therefore you are less prone to the usual iron supplement side effects. The blood loss from birth (which may or may not be significant depending on how things go) I think affects you much more than anything else - causing you to feel extra tired/exhausted (as if you weren't already!)

Btw, i successfully breast fed both my babies - and there were no problems with supply - in fact, I stopped taking the extra iron a month or so after the birth, once I was feeling better in myself.

I've had anaemia problems in pg and I think I might do now (LO is 8mo) and it hasn;t affected bfing. The only thing I would say is that the baby gets everything it needs from you which often means that your stores end up getting quite depleted if you're not eating well enough. I've ended up getting quite run down through not looking after myself properly. The good thing is that DD is thriving even though I'm falling apart

I really recommend Spatone instead of iron tabs. It works really well, is much better absorbed by the body, and doesn't have the nasty side effects of iron tabs. You can get it at some health food shops and big Boots shops.

thanks Pawan and Missbumpy, at least I can get some idea of what to expect.

Hi kkdmom!!!! I know who you are, I now have a cousin and her 5 kids from that beautiful place by the sea in the next town from me and her Mom is over for the 5 and a half months, so it is rice and beans , and tortillas in abundance and johhny cakes too,oh and fried Jack it is good as I only had relatives that you don't see much here,now ds has cousins to visit. hope you and your family are doing well

that sounds fantastic Jennylee. Tell them that i will be inviting myself and expect relleno when i come. It taste better when you don't have to cook it, i say.

after all this time you have rellies nearby. I can just dream on. There was a girl in the village near me who was born at home and moved here when she was 7. It was lovely to have her around but htey have moved to scotland since april. it turned out taht in primary school i was best friends with her half-sister.

sometimes i make my own tortilla, johnnycakes and fry jack. DD loves fry jack. But i haven't convinced her about rice and beans yet.

my son loves fry jack too and it is so healthy too lol

I know it is hard not knowing anyone as I didn't my whole childhood, I had and still do have half-english cousins but we did not see them a whole lot and it is nto the same as seeing people on a weekly basis that speak creole and spanish, and make nice food lol.

[greedy face icon] what are johnnycakes and fry jack?

I don't make them but my cousin does adn they are like freshly bakes rolls/scone type things which are lovely hot with butter or filling, and fried jack is flour and oil or lard i think and then it is made into dough and flattened and fried and then you put butter on it, it is tasty but probably a recipe for a heart attack kkdmom would probably be able to describe them better as she knows how to make them I only know how to eat em

I was very anaemic after delivery and breastfed successfully. My supply did take a while to build up, but ds had no weight issues and was very healthy. I found both the hospital and community midwives,and my HV, very helpful. I know , but it can happen!

that is reassuring thanks for the reply

Jennylee is mostly right sabire. But fryjacks is really just flour, water and a pinch of salt. it is flattened out like a tortilla then deep fried. So while the frying is not the healthiest, it is not quite a heart attack on a plate. Oz for oz, i think they have less fat than chips made in a deep fat fryer because they have less surface area to absorb the fat. sorry, i am bit of a geek.

that is reassuring as my ds can eat several in one sitting lol