Anemia not improving

[sntm]

SO is panicking - doesn't believe me when I tell him we are doing everything we can be doing and going to see an OB will do nothing but incite panic. I'm just tired of 4-6 iron pills a day.

[swissair81]

How low is your Hgb that you are panicking? Mine was below 10 during my last pregnancy, and my OB still wasn't panicking (and that was with my 4th baby, which usually has a higher risk of bleeding post delivery). Also why are you taking so much iron? I was only taking 2 pills/day.

[sntm]

Hgb is still 11, so not terrible, it just hasn't improved over several months. The midwives recommended 100 mg or more, which requires 4 pills minimum. It may be a difference in formulation with what you had.

I'm not panicked, just annoyed that it isn't better. My SO is another story, though.

[swissair81]

Mine usually tanks mid-2nd trimester and iron doesn't do anything more than constipate me. Maybe you can call your midwife and have her talk to your SO- unless the problem is that he would really prefer you use an OB, and that's why he's freaking out. My DH has this thing about me using a doctor, which as an aspiring midwife annoys the heck out of me. In the interest of peace though, I settled for the most natural minded OB I could find. Admittedly that took some doing. I've been though 5 OBs since I started having kids (2 were for my first baby).

[mskitty]

Hgb is still 11, so not terrible, it just hasn't improved over several months. The midwives recommended 100 mg or more, which requires 4 pills minimum. It may be a difference in formulation with what you had.

I'm not panicked, just annoyed that it isn't better. My SO is another story, though.

My iron was low enough to threaten me with IV iron in my 8th month of pregnancy. I couldn't stand the pills. I had liquid iron for infants on hand for my son so I started taking that. A shot glass of orange juice (for vitamin C to help it absorb) with a dropper full of iron a few times a day went down so much easier than all of the pills. It brought my iron up enough to make my midwife stop complaining. She now recommends it to many of her patients!

mskitty

[MommyAllison]

Have you considered trying Floradix? It brought DS' iron level up very quickly, and it was recommended to us by women who used it during pregnancy.

[sntm]

I can't do liquids. I may try the floradix pills again. I'm also eating a ton of red meat and liver now.

[klwa]

I know these aren't as common in areas of the country other than the South, but instant grits are pretty high in iron, too, just to give you another option for when red meat & liver get tiresome. Also, it won't help a huge amount, but do you cook in cast iron pans? Some iron is transfered that way. (Both of my kids have low iron, so, we have to deal with this pretty often.) Also, as previous poster said, make sure you're eating oranges, drinking orange juice, etc, when you take the iron to help with the absorption. And know that sometimes, it just is hard to impossible to get those levels up good.

[essnce629]

What kind of iron are you taking now? I used to get weird cravings for eating crayons (pica) when I was NOT pregnant and linked it to low iron. Within 24 hours of starting the Hema-Plex brand iron, the cravings were gone. It's gentle on your system and doesn't cause constipation. One tablet is 85mg. Amazon sells it, but it's cheaper on Vitacost.

http://www.vitacost.com/natures-plus-hema-plex

[sntm]

I'm on one called Gentle Iron (can't remember the brand but it is iron glycinate 28 mg), two pills twice a day. I take it with my prenatal and with OJ when I remember to buy it.

I do use a cast iron skillet for somethings, but will use it for my big juicy steak tonight :)
And I'm Southern-raised, so grits sounds AWESOME. Will send SO for some and cheese and have a yummy breakfast this weekend.