How to increase hemoglobin during pregnancy

Women bearing a child do not always understand the advisability of regular blood donation throughout the entire period of pregnancy. They simply do not realize that almost any disease can be diagnosed by clinical and biochemical blood tests. One of the main indicators that doctors monitor is the level of hemoglobin in a pregnant woman. Why is this analysis so important? How to increase hemoglobin level? This will be discussed in the article.

Why is hemoglobin so important for the body

Blood hemoglobin is a special compound of protein and iron, which is part of red blood cells. They have their own life span of about 4 months, after which the compounds break down and are eliminated from the body, and new red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow. For their education and need iron. If in the body there is a shortage of this microelement, then red blood cells are produced less, and with its regular deficiency, a person may even develop iron deficiency anemia.

The main task of hemoglobin is the transfer of oxygen throughout the body and the removal of carbon dioxide from it. Oxygen binds in the blood precisely due to iron, which is part of hemoglobin. If the hemoglobin level is normal, then all organs are freely supplied with oxygen, otherwise the brain and heart suffer.

Why, in a pregnant woman, in the absence of chronic diseases, the hemoglobin level often decreases? The fact is that when a baby is born, he needs regular intake of iron in the body to constantly produce red blood cells. The first 6 months, the baby is breastfed, and there is practically no this trace element in breast milk. Therefore, the fetus in the process of its development is stored in iron so that it is enough for the first six months of life. It enters the fetus through the placenta from the body of a pregnant woman. Therefore, it is so important to regularly monitor the level of hemoglobin in the future mother in order to prevent iron deficiency in her and the unborn baby.

The right diet is the key to increasing hemoglobin in pregnant women

As a rule, it’s enough for a pregnant woman to include foods rich in iron and its derivatives, and the level of hemoglobin begins to rise. So, what foods should be included in the expectant mother’s daily menu so that she regularly receives the necessary amount of this microelement along with food?

A sample list of products that should be daily on the table at a pregnant woman is given below:

• Low-fat meat and offal (especially the liver).
• Any seafood that other than iron is rich in iodine.
• Egg yolks.
• Buckwheat cereals or oatmeal.
• Any legumes - chickpeas, lentils, peas, beans.
• Porcini mushrooms in any form (fried, stewed, in soups, etc.).
• Vegetables: carrots, beets, green or black radishes, tomatoes, potatoes, spinach or pumpkin.
• Pomegranate or juice from it, green apples, apricots, grapes.
• Any berry crops: starting with wild strawberries and ending with black currants.
• Walnuts.
• Bitter chocolate.
• Dried fruits and stewed fruits from them (dried apricots, raisins, prunes, figs).

It is noted that calcium interferes with the absorption of iron in the blood, therefore, foods rich in this particular element must be eaten separately from those vegetables and fruits that are saturated with iron.

Soups cooked on bones, jellied meat, beef liver of any kind (fried, meatballs from it, etc.) raise hemoglobin very well.

Vitamin C contributes to the absorption of iron contained in plant foods, so doctors recommend drinking herbal teas with rosehip berries, blackcurrant compotes, and any citrus fruits. It is also preferable to eat the following vegetables, rich in vitamin C, fresh (or cooked): white cabbage or kohlrabi, sweet bell pepper.

Increased hemoglobin in pregnant women with drug therapy

It is impossible to increase hemoglobin with the help of drugs by anyone who suffers from anemia (for whatever reason this condition was caused). Only a doctor can prescribe appropriate medications based on the reasons for the decrease in hemoglobin in the blood.

Unfortunately, a pregnant woman is not always able to increase hemoglobin level only with the help of a properly composed menu. Therefore, the doctor may prescribe preparations containing iron (in tablets or injections), B vitamins, as well as in some cases folic acid.

Most often, it is quite enough to drink (or puncture) a course of iron preparations, and the hemoglobin level returns to normal. However, sometimes the problem is associated with a lack of B vitamins in the body of a pregnant woman. In this case, any preparations containing iron are useless. Here the doctor usually prescribes folic acid.

If the hemoglobin level has dropped below 70 mg / ml, then iron supplements are usually given as an injection. And only when this indicator approaches 100 mg / ml, you can take syrups or tablets containing this microelement instead of injections.

Ways to increase hemoglobin using traditional medicine recipes

If a pregnant woman shows signs of iron deficiency anemia, she should walk more in the fresh air.

Here are some traditional medicine recipes that help increase hemoglobin levels in the blood:

1. Take 1 medium lemon, one glass of peeled walnuts and light raisins, 10 tablets of calcium glucanate, 10 packets of ascorbic acid. Pass the lemon, nuts and raisins through a meat grinder, finely chop the calcium glucanate in a mortar, mix all the ingredients thoroughly, add all the ascorbic acid powders to the mixture, mix again. Store the resulting mass in the refrigerator, take a teaspoon in the morning on an empty stomach (you can drink it with water).
2. Pour a tablespoon of buckwheat overnight with water (so that it covers the buckwheat). In the morning, eat the softened mixture on an empty stomach.
3. Steam 5-6 pieces of dried apricots with boiling water and leave overnight. In the morning, you can eat the infused mass with buckwheat soaked for the night.
4. For lunch, you should cook a steep broth on beef bones. Add to it 2-3 peeled and cut into several parts potatoes, a pair of medium peeled carrots, one or two medium onions. For taste, lightly salt, add black pepper, peas, bay leaf.
5. It is very good to cook jellied meat cooked from bones 2-3 times a week. In addition, by-products such as liver, heart and tongue (beef) should be included in the diet.
6. For dessert, it is recommended to use whipped white egg yolk (the so-called mogul-mogul) several times a week with sugar. Moreover, it is advisable to use eggs for this, from under healthy hens.
7. A mixture of milled walnuts with honey, which is ground through a meat grinder, increases hemoglobin well. A similar mixture should be stored in a dark, cool place, consumed by a teaspoon on an empty stomach.
8. If the decrease in hemoglobin occurred in the spring, then you can eat a salad of young leaves of nettle seasoned with any refined vegetable oil.Instead of nettles, you can use the leaves of a young salad with the addition of green onions and parsley leaves.
9. Black tea and coffee do not allow iron to be absorbed, so instead of these drinks it is better to drink stewed fruit, herbal teas, and jelly.
10. Pomegranate juice is very useful for increasing hemoglobin, but drinking it too often can lead to constipation.

Do not forget that excess iron in the body is harmful as well as its lack.

Thus, lowering hemoglobin during pregnancy is not a sentence. With the help of modern medications and a properly composed menu, any expectant mother is able to maintain hemoglobin within normal limits. It is only necessary to regularly pass a clinical blood test in order to notice its decrease in time. Every expectant mother should devote maximum time to her health, so that the baby is born strong and healthy.

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