apparently i'm anaemic - but what are the risks?

[Tutter]

because a quick web search just tells me i'm likely to be pale and tired!

no risks to the baby then?

don't think so unless it gets v severe. Are you on iron tablets?

no, take spatone, dark green leafy veg, ready meat and dark chocolate!

i have a presecription for pregaday, so i'm sure it'll be sorted quickly

just realised i had no idea what the consequences of anaemia were

I'm sure the main problem will be the tiredness you feel. The baby should be okay unless you get seriously anaemic. As long as you take an iron supplement all will be well. Many pregnant women get aneamic.

ah, but had better lay off the dark choc lulumama, til i get the results of the gtt back

yes, spatone's good but not cheap and not on prescripton so depends how you take to the tablets, they can constipate!

from what I've heard the baby keeps on drawing iron from you, so you will get ill long before the baby suffers any harm. I was badly anaemic by the time my twins were born and I had to have transfusions and was not allowed out of hospital until my levels were better.

also has implications if you have PPH.....so best to boost iron levels now !

tablets are difficult to absorb, there are some guidlines on this but cant remember (something about not taking them with breakfast cereals or dairy).
spatone is great along with dark choc, sardines, broccoli etc.
It only poses a risk if your hb becomes very low, you may need a transfusion, there is also a risk with post-partum bleeding and if you lose any more blood etc

low hb levels also decrease the chances of them letting you have a homebirth, because of the things mosschops mentioned, which may or may not bother you...

I have low iron too, I have to take two tablets a day with orange juice so my body can absorb it alot better, you can also feel very breathless to with low iron, so I was told today by my MW, I thought it was down to growing baby but she said the breathlessness I'm feeling is simply down to low iron!

that's interesting bmwb

i had put my breathlessness down to having such a big bump and baby being breech, but this may be a factor too

Baby will take all from you, you would have to be very ill for baby to suffer.
Parasite

iron carries the oxygen around your body, therefore without iron your body cannot get the oxygen it needs, so you become breathless, tired, etc

sorry to hijack but that's very interesting about the breathlessness. I've been feeling tired, but it's my breathing that's most noticeable, I have to breath much more deeply and often to get enough air in. I haven't been diagnosed as low on iron, but I've decided to start taking a sachet of spatone a day to see if it helps. The breathless thing really rang a bell with me.

vitamin c helps the body absorb iron

what is spatone?

Spatone is a liquid iron supplement available from chemists. Take it with OJ to help it absorb.

I love the stuff as iron tablets IMO take too long to work and make me constipated.
£6.49 for 28 sachets.

i was anaemic after dd was born as i had a small pph. my milk took 5 days to come in which was possibly attributable to the pph/anaemia. so worth dealing with it antenatally imo.

pregaday is yeuk. Made me sick + black runny poo.

2 sachets of spatone daily in a glass of orange juice. Much nicer and gentler on the stomach.

Breathlessness - low iron results in lower levels of oxygen in the blood hence harder to get sufficient oxygen when you breathe.

Muminfife, you're right of course, but once you've had 'high risk' written in your notes (for whatever reason - low hb, old, young high/low BMI, high/low BP etc), you may find yourself with a fight on your hands if you want a homebirth against the consultant's advice...

Low iron can make you tired, breathless, pale and also it can make you VERY weepy and miserable. I've been prescribed liquid iron as pregaday gives me a very unhappy tummy (TMI). My mum "diagnosed" my anaemia just because I kept bursting into tears over everything lately - and she was right!

This sounds like me - was interested because I think I might be anaemic. Did you have to go to the doctor's to get tested or did they pick it up in the routine bloods?

I ended up in hospital as I kept almost passing out and they tested my blood then and discovered I was a bit anaemic. If you are at all bothered get yourself an appointment to have bloods done. You can ask to have it checked at any point in the pregnancy.