Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Iron and The Beatles
If you've asked me in the past few months how I'm feeling I have probably told you that I'm tired. Or exhausted. Maybe even grumpy. But definitely tired.
7 months pregnant with three little kids running around and not sleeping through the night - of course I'm tired!
But today I learned that my thyroid is a little out of whack and my iron numbers are pretty low. So this pregnancy is kicking my butt. No wonder I took two naps yesterday!
I suppose I should start eating steak and burgers every night with lots of kale chips on the side. Have any of you been in this situation before? What did you do about it?
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5 comments:
My iron (and thyroid) runs low, too and after hemorrhaging post-partum with #3, it was even worse. I take an iron supplement, so start with that - take it with orange juice or a Vit C. Avoid dairy, chocolate, eggs, tea and coffee for a couple hours before/after (calcium and magnesium, tannic acid, and egg protein inhibit absorption). Definitely as much red meat and dark-meat chicken as sounds good to you.
Hope you're feeling more energetic, soon! Low iron fatigue is the pits! :(
I had low iron during my last pregnancy and was supposed to take iron supplements. I took one dose and was so sick, I never took another. I just gutted it out which wasn't smart. I was so tired. The last 6-8 weeks I craved ice like you wouldn't believe. Do you have Sonic ice? That's what I wanted all the time. It was May and June so I just figured I was hot. A few weeks after my delivery I learned that craving ice is a classic symptom of iron deficiency. No real advice here except try to do better than I did.
I take an extra iron/folic acid tablet along with a vitamin tab in addition to my regular prenatal vitamin every day. I think it helps because a day or two after I forget to do it, I am always draaaaaaaaaaaaaging. And I craved ice at the beginning of this pregnancy too before I started with the new regimen! So weird.
With my first pregnancy, the doctor was surprised at how high my iron level was. I am convinced it was the 1/2 cup of grapenuts I ate for breakfast every morning (with a little sugar to help with the flavor). They have a ton of iron and other vitamins. I notice a difference in my energy level when I don't have them. If grapenuts isn't your thing, than you could try other high-iron cereals. There are lots of other iron rich foods out there too, (certain nuts, veggies & fruits, etc).
You can try taking a spoonful of blackstrap molasses (you can get the organic kind at any healthfood store, if it's not available in the supermarkets). It's a great source of iron, and I like the taste, though some people don't, and you can always wash it down with a glass of orange juice anyway - the vitamin C in the juice helps your body absorb the iron.
Good luck!
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