If you’re feeling short of breath, headaches, chest pains or even dizziness during pregnancy, there is a possibility that you are experiencing anemia. Anemia is a blood disease that’s one of the most common in the world and affects a lot of pregnant mothers.
While it does cause complications, simple lifestyle changes can help protect both you and the new life you’re bringing into this world from harm.
Please note that it is always ideal to consult your primary care physician or ob/gyn for choices regarding your health.
What is anemia?
Anemia (also written as “anaemia”) is a common blood disease that lowers haemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen around your body, leaving you with problems like tiredness and weakness (among other symptoms).
What causes anemia during pregnancy?
Because the development of your baby consumes a large amount of red blood cells and iron, there is an increase in the amount of blood inside your body during pregnancy.
This means your body, among other nutrients, requires a steady amount of iron, Vitamin B12 and folate (or Vitamin B9, AKA folic acid). The lack of these three nutrients are the most common documented causes of anemia during pregnancy.
apart from those . . .
There are also external risk factors that can lead to anemia.
Having two pregnancies close to each other, bearing multiple babies, morning sickness, or even having a hereditary history of anemia are all common factors that increase the risk of developing an anemic condition.
What are the complications of being anemic during pregnancy?
Anemia is mostly preventable, but that doesn’t mean you can take it for granted. The complications that come from untreated anemia can be grave.
The most common complications of anemia during pregnancy include:
- Your baby being born prematurely with a higher risk of, according to the CDC, disability or even death.
- Depression post-childbirth that may interfere with your ability to care for your newborn, often brought on by hormonal and physical changes, anxiety, genetics etc.
- Your baby being born with anemia
- Your baby experiencing developmental delays.
What are potential lifestyle changes that can be made to prevent it?
Curating your diet to include iron, vitamin B12 and Folic acid is the easiest way to ensure you have enough nutrients to power through a pregnancy without having to worry greatly about anemia, mild or severe.
Iron-rich food like meat, poultry, fish, legumes, tofu and iron-fortified cereals need a place in your diet.
Dark green vegetables, dried beans as well as citric fruits are great sources of folic acid.
Vitamin B12 is found in animal products like meat, milk and eggs. Mothers that have a strictly vegan diet are more at risk for B12-deficiency. This usually means you will need B12 shots to maintain the nutrients required to keep anemia at bay.
Additionally, your doctor may recommend iron supplements and prenatal vitamins as well, just to ensure you have enough nutrients in your system to support your baby’s development.
How is anemia medically diagnosed?
The most common form of anemia diagnosis is a blood test or a complete blood count (a CBC), which will indicate whether your red blood cell count is notably low.
When to seek medical diagnosis?
However, the possibility of developing anemia later on during your pregnancy does exist. And while your doctor will ask for more blood counts later on, you can act on it as well.
A blood test is usually taken at your initial prenatal appointments, meaning that your risk of developing anemia during your pregnancy will be assessed right at the start.
Common symptoms of anemia include:
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Shortness of breath
- Pale skin
- Irregular heartbeats
- Chest pain
If you experience these symptoms during pregnancy, it is advisable to visit your primary care physician or ob/gyn for consultation and follow their directions from there.
Conclusion
If you feel excessively tired or have similar symptoms during pregnancy, the likelihood is high of it being anemia, and not just everyday fatigue. While it can pose a considerable threat to you and your child’s wellbeing, it is preventable in a majority of cases through simple dietary adjustments and supplements before and during pregnancy. But remember to always keep in touch with your doctor in order to ensure that both you and the young one you’re nurturing are in the best of health for a fulfilling life.
