Are iron supplements for you or for the baby?

[Caz10]

I am 37wks and a couple of weeks ago saw a different mw, who was surprised normal mw hadn't put me on iron after my 28wk bloods were taken. She got me a prescription, I started taking them, and bloody hell I have NEVER felt so rough! Sick, dizzy, generally wiped out, plus the normal lively lovely constipation. Kept on them for best part of a week then stopped, after 2-3 days was back to feeling normal! Now feeling guilty in case I am depriving the bump. I take ante-natal vits, which must have some iron? Does anyone know what the iron is actually for? Thanks !

If you have a lack of iron you are likely to get dizzy and fall over, and generally feel like shit. You can get spatone from Boots which is a liquid iron supplement. I take that plus antenatal vits as my iron is low. I have low blood pressure so am at risk of dizzy spells anyway. My iron is low at 108 but not very low. Do you know how low yours was?

I just googled it and severe anaemia can lead to reduced oxygen flow to tissues and organs. So not good for baby if it is very low for a long time.

Can affect baby but it's mostly for you - should give you more energy and make you feel more human. Take it with orange juice and eat lots of fruit as it has a tendancy to make you constipated. I'm pg with twins so was put on iron at 15w. Felt terrible and it's really helped. If I get too constipated I don't take the pills for a day or two and it all clears.

There are loads of different ones as I was concerned about how my body would react - mw told me there are many different types so go to your gp and ask to try a different one.

Good luck x

I can't tell you, although I know I was put on and then taken off iron supplements, after a row between gp/mw about whether my iron was low or not.

However, I have read that if the tablet ones are making you feel rubbish the natural versions you can get from boots etc can be a good alternative and often don't have the same impact?

same negative impact! obviously you still get all the iron.

Babycentre (which is a website with information checked by midwives and health professionals so I trust it) seems to reckon that your baby will be fine, it will just be you who suffers. But even you suffering isn't great - I think there are greater risks in labour if your iron levels are low (based on the fact that in my NHS Trust you can't have a homebirth or midwife-led centre birth if your iron levels are below a certain level).

That's interesting to see that others have had problems with different health care professionals taking different views as to how low your iron levels have to be before you are prescribed iron tablets - exactly the same thing has happened to me in this pregnancy - got prescribed them at about 28 weeks after routine bloods (haemoglobin 10.9, whatever that means), then saw a different midwife at 38 weeks who said I shouldn't be on them and that there were negatives around having too high a level of haemoglobin (ie not just the negatives you get with iron tablets like the constipation). And that was after yet another midwife at the 36 week check had sent me to get my blood checked to see if my iron levels were high enough for a homebirth now I was on the iron tablets (apparently the level is a satisfactory 12.7).

So I now have no idea whether I should be taking the tablets or not.

Gah! Anyone have any idea what the guidelines actually say on all this?

I had a bit of a panic at 36 weeks when I found out I should have been taking supplementary iron from 28 weeks. My midwife told me not to touch the tablets, I was really sick the whole way through this pregnancy (my 3rd) and she felt the tablets could exacerbate this. I took Floradix, tasted like shite, seriously but it worked, took it for the last few weeks (baby now 11 weeks). My midwife felt that there was a greater risk of excessive bleeding in labour with low iron levels.

I'm another one who got conflicting advice! A doctor didn't seem to think there was a need with a level of 10.9 but then the midwife said I should be on them... Who knows. I am going to try to eat more steak for now but also have low BP so may need them in the end. Just don't fancy the constipation!

I had to stop taking Pregnacare tablets as the iron in them made me SO constipated I felt rough as old boots. A few days after I stopped them I felt great.

My iron at that point was 10.4, whatever that means, and the mw at that time never mentioned iron. Have not been feeling dizzy, bp always fine. The only spell I've had of feeling ill, outwith morning sickness, was when I was taking them!! It was only a different mw looking back on my notes who commented and recommended, very confusing!