Anaemia in pregnancy: How I am dealing with it & some tips!

If you have watched my latest pregnancy update (30 weeks) then you will know it has been discovered that I am showing some deficiencies in iron and folic acid in my latest blood tests, which would explain why I have been feeling so droopy, low and generally lethargic over the past few months, on top of the usual pregnancy exhaustion and being a toddler mum of course!

I was prescribed an Iron supplement combined with folic acid in tablet form, to be taken every day. It took around 5-7 days for the effects to be felt and I must say they were mixed! The positive is that I feel pretty much more human, I have a bit more energy, my complexion isn't so ghostly, my under eye bags aren't (quite) so big and I can catch my breath a little easier too. So that is a win!

However, it also left me feeling queasy, nauseas at times and with horrible tummy side effects too. It is as if you win some, but you must lose some too! I did some research online and by talking to others who have had the same treatment and it seems that there are a few alternatives I could try, or at least mix in with these tablets anyway!

Firstly you can really up your intake of Iron and folic acid into your diet and that can make you really feel better. So I already knew about things like red meat and broccoli but that was as far as my knowledge went. So here are a few bits that I picked up that I have found really helpful.

I have found pinterest great for recipe ideas and meal plan ideas as well as finding a few smoothies and easier things to try out!

So that is what I have been really focusing on with my diet, but I have also been trying a few other things too.

I was recommended a liquid iron supplement that is far softer on your tummy, although it doesn't have the iron concentration that the prescribed tablets have. I have been doubling up on this (as it says to on the packaging!) on days where I have been using this and having an iron rich to compliment it. I have been doing 2 days on tablets, one day liquid iron and some extra good food! And luckily it has worked for me! That one days rest from the tablets seem to have really helped with my digestive "issues" as well as upping my water intake and trying to drink orange juice when I can, which is proven to help absorb iron into the body!

Have you tried anything else that I may be missing?

I also did a video about this for my channel this week, you can watch it here: