Do you need an iron supplement for pregnancy and delivery? A couple days ago, I asked around to see if any other women had an insatiable need to chew on ice during their pregnancy, and what they had heard that it might mean. After some research and a talk with my midwife...yep, its the ol iron deficiency! Even if you have good blood counts early on, levels can dip as the baby grows and makes more demands on your body. And obviously, labor and delivery can cause more deficits with normal (or beyond normal) blood loss that comes with it. Many women find that iron supplements cause constipation, which is a very common hormone-driven problem throughout pregnancy anyway (or at the very least, tummy discomfort.) Its enough of an issue to skip the supplement and deem it not worth it! Most prenatal vitamins have iron in them and lead to this issue. So whats a gal to do? There are a few supplements that have been shown to raise iron levels rapidly and not cause the unfortunate discomfort. My midwife recommended them and they were the two that my doula clients in DC were always told to use, so at this point Im a believer. One winner is Flordadix, which many women like because its a liquid and easy to take. The only draw back is that its $30 for a months supply, but if you are needing a quick fix and you dont do well with pills, this is a great option. Hema-Plex is the second winner, and it comes in capsules and pills. Its cheaper (generally $13-18 depending on supply), and anecdotally, makes iron levels ramp up very quickly in blood tests. They both can be found at health food stores and Floradix is often available at CVS and other pharmacies. As usual, make sure you clear this with your provider - and talk about dosage, specifically. You may or may not need the highest dose, and Hema-Plex comes in different forms and amounts. And, eat more steak.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 12:47:17 +0000
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