I need your help please! Iron (HB) low again!

[nickelbabe]

I had my latest (last!) blood test results today - the blood was taken 2 weeks ago.
The HB level is low, even lower than before: it's now 10.0, and the MW is not happy.
apparently, my iron stores are good (normal!)and one of them has even gone up (platelets I think) but she says that because my HB is low, I'm not absorbing it.

Her main issue is that I'm not resting (I own a shop and can't have time off before the birth because I have no one to cover)

My latest plan of action is this:
Today I will close ½ hour early at 5, and then I will open at 10:30 and close at 5 every day. (i don't open sundays anyway)
I have things planned for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, there is potential to cancel the Saturday night (it's a party), but Thurs and Fri are non-negotiable. I have church on Sunday, and I can't skip that (but it is only a couple of hours so I can rest all afternoon)

DH is a postie, so finishes work at 2-ish and I've said that he can take over the till once we've had lunch.
He has holiday booked all next week, so he can do the lion's share of the work that week.
(i don't do housework anyway, so we don't need to worry about that!)

I have multi-vitamin tablets that I try to remember to take.

I have realised that I tend not to eat all day from when I have breakfast until DH comes in for lunch. (which can be nearly 4 o'clock some days!), supplementing with a couple of biscuits mid-morning.

So, I thought I could have a bowl of ready-brek (lots of iron) with milk and follow it with a satsuma/glass of OJ at about 12?

What I'd like is some ideas of meals that are big in iron and vit C, so that I can get as much ready iron into my system as possible.
MW suggested dried apricots but that made me want to vomit (I might be forced, so I won't rule it out!)
I'm a vegetarian, so nothing with meat in, please! (but do eat eggs and dairy)

I'm hoping that these ideas might help others in my predicament, so I don't mind lots of suggestions (even obvious ones like drink juice with your tablets etc)

thank you! :)

Oh, despite the dairy thing, I think calcium is still pretty important during pregnancy, so I'm not cutting it out, just trying to have one iron/vit c rich meal a day and then one with dairy (cheese sarnie and then yogurt for ex). Although I'm not a nutritionist, so this is my own personal theory and not a real one

I've read somewhere that drinking orange juice with iron rich food like spinach can help absorb it into the body better. How about taking vit C tablets along with iron supplements?

Scarletsmummy - I don't know whether 5 is correct, but definitely follow the tips that have been given on this thread.
:)

Hope it rises quickly

Haven't read the whole thread but want to confirm that vitamin C aids the absorption of iron. Sadly most truly iron-rich foods are meat so are out of bounds for you. I found the listed website which lists iron rich foods - good section on veggie sources.

www.ironrichfood.org/iron-rich-vegetables/

We went to sainsbury's last night and have bought "survival kit" stuff

So, I got not-from-concentrate orange juices (they were on offer at 3 for £4 in the fresh aisle), some bags of nuts, some kale, some lentil soups, and some cobs with sesame seeds on them.
When we got home, I made a dinner of pasta with loads of different veg, and I poured one of the Spatone sachets into a big glass of juice.
I also hard-boiled a batch of eggs (one of which is sitting next to me now waiting to be eaten)

we did have banoffee pie for pudding, but I made sure I left it over an hour before eating it (in case the dairy affected the iron)

and we went to bed at half 10 last night, and I got up at 9:15.
although sleep wasn't good, because we'd been advised to put a plastic sheet under our normal sheet in case the waters break at night. It was so bloody hot and sweaty that I spent all night very uncomfortable, and as soon as DH got up for work, I stripped it off. much better.
we'll just have to get the mattress cleaned if my waters break on it.

ZuleikaJambiere - yes, i totally agree with you - I think the idea is that we can leave it an hour between, so I'm having dairy in my snacks (like yoghurt) and then having iron-rich meals. That should help. as long as I keep it spaced out.

One thing that's quite annoying about finding out about the dairy, is that I know that citric fruits help your bones absorb the calcium! (NewScientist report a couple of years ago), so you still have to have the juice with your calcium-rich food!

thatnk you for the link rogue

oh nickel, all this talk of your nice food is making me hungry. I love curly kale. Glad you are sorting things out. Yes, surely you can just clean the mattress then turn it over? Plastic sheets are hot and bothersome

DH is already worrying about having to buy a new one!

In about 10 minutes, I shall eat my yoghurt.
:)

(if you're hungry, eat something! )

I am eating some Wheat Krunchies. With bread and butter. My diet leaves a lot to be desired at work

sounds nice to me! food is food.
I've just had a bowl of porridge and a glass of mango.pineapple/orange juice.
:)

for tea last night, DH made a lentil curry.
I had been flicking through Good Food mags, and then found a chick pea curry that looked nice, so I put it on the floor and napped until DH came home.
then he came in and he said "what are we having for dinner then?" so I pointed at the open page, mumbled something about if we don't have chick peas use other beans or lentils then went back to sleep!
he didn't quite get the hang of the fact that the chickpeas would have been in a tin, and therefore soaked, and the lentils were dry therefore not soaked, so I poured some extra water in when I woke and we ate a slightly crunchy curry.

it was nice though.
and i had it iwth Spatone and juice and naan bread.

ooh it sounds great!! Very nice indeed, even more so since you managed to get it cooked for you - well done you

I'd really recommend you get a special Vitamin B mix (with Vit C in it) to take along with your iron (ditch the multivits for a while) . I had falling iron levels (HB) and rising MVP, despite taking loads of iron. After 2 weeks on the B vits I got my iron back up to 13.5 - and I am a veggie too.

It really is worth it as major blood loss isnt fun (had that with my first DS) also dont forget that when you find a regime that works for you to keep it up after the birth, you will need all the iron stores you can get for your recovery and bf-ing.

best wishes xxx

thank you.
:)