Anaemia and Pregnancy

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Anaemia in Pregnancy

 

Anaemia in Pregnancy: Anaemia is the state when your blood lacks adequate healthy red blood cells to carry and supply oxygen to your tissues and to your body.

“You must have got an idea by now that getting pregnant is not a cakewalk. Through many blog posts, we have tried to throw light on the road of complications and discomfort attached to it. There are still many that are yet to be covered.”

One of those complications that might develop into a major health hazard if left ignored or not taken seriously especially during the pregnancy period is Anaemia.

During pregnancy, the requirement of blood in our body increases two times than the actual requirement a female body feels. Now, to ensure the growth of the foetus, partaking the needs of the proper supply is inevitable. If you’re not getting enough iron or certain other nutrients, your body might fail to produce the required amount of red blood cells. It is essentially needed to make this additional blood.
During pregnancy, it’s normal to have mild Anaemia and it doesn’t affect much. But, your Anaemia may get severe from low iron or vitamin levels or due to other reasons.

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Symptoms of Anaemia in Pregnancy:
A) Anaemia can cause fatigue. You keep feeling exhausted, drained of all energies throughout. It also depends, upon your anemic state if it’s mild or severe. The amount of fatigue that grips you depends upon that
b) If it’s severe or if it goes untreated then it can also increase the risk of serious complications like preterm delivery
C) Shortness of breath
D) Rapid heartbeat
E) Pale skin, lips and nails
F) Bad focus and concentration

Symptoms For Anaemia in Pregnancy

Types of Anaemia in Pregnancy:
Several types of anemia can develop during pregnancy that you must be wary of.
• Iron Deficiency Anaemia.
• Folate Deficiency Anaemia
• Vitamin B12 Deficiency.

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Iron Deficiency Anaemia is one of the most common anemic problems. When the body doesn’t have enough iron to produce the adequate amount of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is vital to ensure the healthy supply of oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
Such deficiency results in an interruption in the functioning of blood. Hence the blood is not able to carry enough oxygen to tissues throughout the body.

Folate Deficiency Anaemia: Folate is the vitamin which is found in rich, green leafy veggies. The body constantly needs to produce new cells. And during pregnancy, women need to be cautious about their folate intake. Folic acid intake to a certain extent really helps in keeping the deficiency away.

Anemia in Pregnancy - Strawberry can help for Folate Deficiency Anemia
Anemia in Pregnancy – Strawberry can help in Folate for Anemia During Pregnancy

Vitamin B12 Deficiency: To form healthy red blood cells. When a pregnant woman doesn’t get enough vitamin B12, then her body fails to produce enough healthy red blood cells. It’s important for a woman to include a healthy amount of meat, poultry, dairy products, and eggs to prevent the deficiency. This deficiency may lead to severe health hazards too, such as preterm labour and neural tube complications.

Prevention is Better Than Cure:
• The best way to prevent anaemia is to include ample of iron sources in your diet. The more enriched is your diet with iron, the lesser are the chances of anaemia attacking you during pregnancy
• Aim for at least three servings a day of iron-rich foods, such as:
Lean red meat, poultry and fish, leafy dark vegetables such as spinach, methi, broccoli.

• Cereals and grains (Kala Chana, soyabeans)
• Lentils, sprouts and tofu
• Nuts and seeds
• Eggs
• Fruits that are high in vitamin C help in the absorption of iron, say, all kind of citrus fruits, juices, strawberries, blackberries, kiwis, tomatoes, bell peppers.

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Anaemia in Pregnancy Prevention
• Try eating those foods at the same time that you eat iron-rich foods. For example, you could drink a glass of orange juice and have a bowl of iron-fortified cereal for breakfast.

Vegetarians and vegans moms-to-be must take extra care of themselves. They must talk to nutritionists about including dietary supplements and vital tablets such as Vitamin B12 or multivitamin tonics, during their prenatal and also post-natal days.

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