31 Weeks and Low Iron

Day two on blackstrap molasses.

We got a call from our obstetrician shortly after our family doctor made the referral, and ended up having an appointment with her just two weeks later. She seemed really great; easy to talk to, asking lots of questions and interested in the answers to them.  We hadn’t even yet finished seeing our family doctor, but as we’ll be seeing our obstetrician every two weeks from now on, we gladly cancelled our last appointment with her. One of the main things that happened from this new appointment was that I got another blood work requisition because my haemoglobin levels hadn’t been checked as they routinely should at 28 weeks (Just one more reason to never go back to this doctor).  Two days after I completed the blood work, my obstetrician called and told me that my blood count was low.  I felt this was a very helpful discovery, as it helps explain the exhaustion I’ve felt the last few weeks. Another symptom I’ve felt a little nervous about is the heart palpitations I seem to get a few times a day, notably when sitting down and without physical activity. It’s a strange feeling of too little oxygen in my blood and an acute awareness of my heartbeat, which is very fast these days.  So I’ve yet to really find out if it’s the low iron levels that’s causing that or not. It’s a little weird when I can’t get to sleep at night because I feel like I’m out of oxygen. Hopefully after a week or two of taking blackstrap molasses (two tablespoons of this will provide 70% of your usual daily need) and orange juice (vitamin c improves iron uptake) in the morning, consciously eating more iron-rich foods, and taking a ferrous gluconate supplement, I will start to see a difference in these symptoms.

Iron rich foods include:

-fortified cereals

-Oatmeal

-Tofu

-Soybeans

-Kidney beans

-Sea vegetables

-Lentils

-Spinach

-Chickpeas

-Blackstrap molasses

-Raisins

Besides that, the prenatal classes have been great. We’ve had three so far and they are very comprehensive and the public health nurse who teaches it is great. The classes have me thinking much more about labour and what will work best for us. Sometimes I get stressed, as there’s a lot of information out there, but then I remember that the baby is the only thing that matters.  For the second prenatal class Patrick and I brought the snacks, as there was only a budget for snacks for the first session. I made white bean hummus with roasted garlic and dill with a lots of veggies, and mini cinnamon coffee cake muffins.

I feel a little chaotic as there’s much more I want to think and write about, but I have to go to work. Only four days to go, though, and then three days off to rest and nest. :)