ANAEMIA??? IRON DEFICIENCY...

Seperti biasa, ari ni p buat check up lagi kat KKIA..semua nya ok..cuma kiraan hemoglobin kali ni rendah dari biasa plak..selalunya sebelum ni between 12-14 mg.. tapi kali ni hb 10.3 mg je..less than 11 mg..so dah kene bebel ngan nurse tu..dia kater dah kira anaemia la plak..ari tu ada nurse tu suh mkn pil vitamin tu lepas mkn..i pn mkn la direct lepas mkn..tapi nurse yg ni plak kater..kene mkn 1 ke 1 jam setengah selepas mkn..mcm2 la plak..dah kene tambah dose..dari kene mkn 1 biji je ferromed to dah kene mkn 2 biji..ari tu sekali sehari..skang dah kene 2 kali sehari..tapi i amik sekali sehari je 2 biji tu..sbb mlm nak mkn kalsium plak..iron ni tak boleh plak campur ngan kalsium..nnti darah tak serap plak..ish susah betul..pastu dia suh bykkan mkn hati, limpa, kerang which i tak mkn benda2 tu..selain tu yg i mkn, ikan bilis, sardin, bayam and sayur2 hijau..nnti 3/6 ada check up kat Annexe..tgk result kat stuh mcm mana plak..kalau kat stu still rendah gak..mmg kene mkn 2 kali sehari la nampaknya..dan seperti biasa..bila ada masalah..i rujuk la jugak artikel kat babycentre..utk memberi sedikit panduan..

How much iron do I need during pregnancy?

Before you conceived, you needed about 15 milligrams (mg) of iron a day (FSA n.d. a). That's quite a lot. Many of us probably don't actually get the recommended daily amount.

During pregnancy, you need extra iron to help keep you and your baby healthy. If you don't have enough iron to fuel haemoglobin production for both of you, you may develop iron-deficiency anaemia. This is the most common type of anaemia in pregnancy (Reveiz et al 2007) and about one in five women develop this type when they are pregnant (WHO et al 2001 cited in CKS 2005).


What can I do to make sure I have enough iron?

A pregnant woman requires 30mg of iron daily. As with most vitamins and minerals, food is the best source of iron. You shouldn't need iron supplements if you take care to have a diet rich in iron. This means eating lots of dark green leafy vegetables, wholemeal bread, iron-fortified cereals, potatoes, lean red meat, shellfish, raisins, prunes and pulses.

Vitamin C helps your body absorb the iron in your diet. Try drinking plenty of orange juice or eating fruit or vegetables which are rich in vitamin C, when you have an iron-rich meal, to help prevent you from becoming anaemic (FSA n.d. b).

Tea and coffee, even soy protein, egg yolks and milk will make it difficult for your body to absorb iron, so it's best not to drink them at mealtimes (Morck et al 1983; Zijp et al 2000).


How will I know if I'm anaemic?

Anemia is confirmed if your haemoglobin level is less than 11.0 gm/dl. The routine blood tests you have at the antenatal clinic will check whether your haemoglobin levels are satisfactory. It's normal for the levels to drop a little during pregnancy because there's far more fluid in your blood to dilute the red blood cells (NCCWCH 2003: CKS 2005).

Only if your levels drop very low indeed will your doctor prescribe iron tablets.


Are some women more likely to become anaemic during pregnancy?

Women who have a diet that is low in iron are likely to become anaemic. You're also more likely to have iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy if your body's iron supplies have already been depleted, perhaps because you've had two or more pregnancies close together (Bewley 2004), or you had heavy periods before you became pregnant (CKS 2005).

If you're carrying more than one baby then the demands of each baby can also increase your risk of anaemia (Denton and Davies 2004).

Thalassaemia is a common cause of anemia in pregnancy. It is an inherited blood disorder where the ability to produce the haemoglobin chain, either the alpha or beta, is affected. Alpha thalassaemia is more common in Malaysia than beta thalassaemia (MyTalasemia).


What are the symptoms?

You may not be aware that you have become anaemic, although fatigue is a common sign and so is breathlessness (CKS 2005). However, these are symptoms also experienced by many pregnant women who are not anaemic.

Headaches, tinnitus and palpitations are other symptoms of anaemia, along with unusual food cravings (CKS 2005). Your eyelids, nail beds and tongue may also look pale (CKS 2005).


How is anaemia treated?

Your doctor will discuss your diet with you to make sure that you are eating enough of the right kinds of food, and she may prescribe iron supplements.

The drawback with iron supplements is that while they can improve your iron levels they also have some unpleasant side effects (Reveiz et al 2007). They can cause constipation and other tummy upsets, such as nausea, diarrhoea and tummy ache (CKS 2005). Increasing the fibre in your diet while you're taking them can help prevent constipation and taking the tablets with a meal can help reduce the other side effects (CKS 2005).

If you find the side effects become a serious problem for you, ask your doctor to prescribe you another brand - or to reduce the dose, as taking less is probably better than not taking any at all (CKS 2005).


Could my being anaemic affect my baby's health?

Unless you are severely anaemic, you don't need to worry about your baby. Your body will make sure that your baby gets his quota of iron before you get yours. So you'll be short of iron long before he is. Your baby makes the heaviest demands on your iron supplies in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy (CKS 2005), so this is the time to take extra care of yourself.