Anemia during pregnancy is a common occurence, but what is it? and why does it occur during pregnancy?
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Anemia
Anemia is one of the most common complications that occurs during pregnancy. This is when our body does not have enough Red Blood Cells (RBCs) or Hemoglobin to transport oxygen to and remove carbon dioxide from the other parts of our body. There are many types of anemia but the most common form of anemia is Iron deficient anemia, especially during pregnancy.
It can be test with a blood test known as the CBC, Complete Blood Count. This is done at least twice usually in pregnancy. At the beginning and then the end of the second/beginning of the third.
Some common symptoms of anemia:
- Fatigue
- Shortness of Breath, or feeling like you can’t take a deep enough breath
- Pale Skin
- Feeling Cold often
- Dizzy or Weak
- Headache
- Tachycardia (Elevated Heart rate)
- Some will say the craving of ice chips
Why does it happen?
This occurs commonly during pregnancy due to the physiologic changes that occur to our bodies during pregnancy. The biggest reason being the amount of blood we have nearly DOUBLING!
When this occurs, sometimes our body cannot keep up with the demand needing to create RBCs and Hemoglobin to maintain homeostasis or balance. This could be due to a number of different factors, but usually it is due to low iron stores.
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Sources of anemia during pregnancy
Iron:
Most common form of anemia both during and outside of pregnancy. Iron is important for the creation of hemoglobin, which is the transporter of oxygen. When we do not have enough Iron in our body, hemoglobin cannot be created.
There are different reasons for Iron deficient anemia, but the most common is due to lack of iron. It can also be due to a decrease in the transporter of Iron, because Iron cannot travel throughout our body without an “escort” in a way. If diagnosed with Iron deficient Anemia, asking for an Iron panel to dully understand the reason for the anemia can be helpful for treatment!
Vitamin B12:
This Vitamin is not only helpful for healthy red blood cell formation, but also the myelin development for our nervous system. If we are deficient in this Vitamin for prolonged periods of time, it could lead to irreversible nerve damage. Like numbness or tingling in the hands or feet.
Folate:
Folate/Folic Acid is used for DNA replication and RBC formation. When we are deficient in Folate/Folic Acid this can lead to neural tube defects during pregnancy.
This anemia is fairly rare in our society as so many things are fortified with Folic Acid, and it is pushed hard to supplement with Folate/Folic Acid during pregnancy to avoid neural tube defects.
How can we treat it?
Depending on the type of Anemia will depend on the treatment supplementation, if it is iron it will mean supplementing with an iron supplement, B12 would be supplementing with a B12 vitamin, and same for folic acid.
If the Anemia is severe enough, sometimes Transfusions are warranted by blood transfusion, iron transfusions, or Vitamin B12 shots.
Having a good prenatal vitamin that has the above vitamins in them, or has a way to get all the three above in your vitamin or diet is recommended. We personally love Needed’s Prenatal Vitamins they offer. We both used them during our pregnancy and trust all of the products they create!
Their iron is separate from their prenatal to ensure it is absorbed optimally (only 5% of the iron we consume or supplement makes it into the body, so we want a form that easily is absorbable by our body). You can use code MAMASTEFIT for 20% off your Needed order!
Does it affect baby?
Your Red Blood Cells are what are transferring all the nutrients your baby needs, to baby. If we don’t have enough RBCs and/or enough nutrients, that means baby is not getting enough of those nutrients to be able to grow!
If you have anemia during pregnancy your baby is at an increased risk of also having anemia at birth, or just a lower amount of the common nutrients of B12, Folic acid, and/or Iron.
Conclusion
You may be diagnosed with Anemia during pregnancy, understanding why it happens and how we can treat it can help make pregnancy more enjoyable!