I was very upset that my iron had become so low because I have a super healthy diet, eat an abundance of greens and always make green smoothies plus I'd been eating a lot more red meat than normal. I asked my midwife why this had happened as I felt maybe it was my fault. She reassured me that sometimes during pregnancy we struggle to get the correct amount of iron solely through diet as baby demands a lot. Plus anaemia is in both side's of my family, I'm not sure if maybe I am more prone to it, I don't know if it's hereditary.
As you'll know I am a nature freak and really don't like conventional medicine, unless I really have to. After days of researching I had almost given up on a natural alternative to the iron tablets. I did not like the fact iron tablets contained E numbers, along with other (what seams to me) pointless chemical additives. But in order for me to get the daily amount I needed through a natural supplement was going to cost me a fortune, purely because I needed such a high dosage as well as a certified gluten free brand!
However after a little vent on facebook somebody kindly posted about a store in Bristol that stock holistic medicine called Wild Oats. I gave them a call so I could talk to them and see if they had anything to offer. The super helpful lady (who's name I have forgotten) gave me such great advice and recommend I take 'Hema-plex' though it only contains 85mg per dose she assured my that my body would absorb the entire amount where as with conventional medicine the body only absorbs a small amount. And at an affordable £12.95 for a months supply i was even happier.
I nervously took this supplement for one month before getting my next blood test, hoping and praying my levels had gone up else I would've been admitted to hospital. And hooray my hemoglobin levels were an awesome 11.9 only just in the healthy range for pregnancy but I was shocked at how much they'd gone up as were the midwives, they are completely happy for me to continue taking these throughout the rest of my pregnancy and after as my levels could drop easily. But most of all I am happy because now baby and I aren't being bombarded with chemicals and unnecessary unhealthy crap!
If you don't have celiac there are more options for you, but if you do hema-plex are perfect! They contain other healthy vitamins for optimum blood health and are high in vitamin C which helps our body absorb iron much more efficiently. I have had no side effect with the natural supplements which is another reason I love the natural approach. With ordinary iron tablets you can have severe sickness, diarrhoea or constipation. It's best to take the natural supplement after dinner with some orange juice (or water) especially whilst pregnant as our bodies take a lot longer to digest foods.
Will you take a more holistic approach?
HI Eloise. Thank you for your post. It has given me hope. I am currently 36wks+4 days pregnant. My midwife said my hemoglobin levels are at 8.5. They said they would not allow me to have a homebirth with this low of iron. I've been taking hemaplex for two days and have a short time frame for my levels to risee to do a home birth at 10.5. I have been praying and so has the Church. There is power in the name of Jesus!
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