Why? Is it too bad to have more iron during pregnancy??? ?

Question

Hello there... I'm currently 8 mos pregnant... I am taking Citracal calcium because I dont drink much milk and DHA plus my prenatal vitamins... My healthcare provider didnt allow me to take more iron supplement because my prenatal vitamins has already 27mg on it... But ive read from the net a while ago about Citracal DHA which has even 90 mg of Iron on it... Is my baby getting enough nutrients? Im so worried what is iron for? Does it has something to do with my baby's development or brain development if Im not getting more? Pls let me know thank you very much in advance...

Answer 1

Iron is used in the production of Heme, a component of red blood cells that is used to carry oxygen.  If you get too much your body will store it in unusable forms, if you get too little, you will become anemic.  The amount you need to get in supplements (vitamins, etc) depends on the amount you get in your diet.  Beef is rich in iron, google iron and the foods you commonly eat to get an idea of how much you are getting in your diet.

Answer 2

Usually your doctor/midwife will say you don't need iron as long as your blood tests come back good.  My prenatal vitamin has 28mg in it, plus I'm taking an iron supplement of 65mg.  That's about it for me for iron, but I'm normally usually a little anemic, even though my blood test this time came back great and she just keep taking what I'm taking.  I would say you were having enough iron, as long as your not anemic (which your doctor would have told you).  Your body needs iron to make hemoglobin, which is basically a particular substance that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen.  So if you were anemic, you would be depleting your brain and baby's brain and organs of the appropriate amount of oxygen it needs to function.  Also, if someone was iron defiecient they run the risk of having a more intense labor and a possibly to bleed more and need a transfusion (rare but can happen).  They claim that there is such a thing as too much iron.  It can overload your liver with iron which can be bad.  By the sounds your baby is getting the right amount of nutrients.  I wouldn't suggest getting on an additional supplement because by the sounds you aren't anemic, so your having the perfect amount.  I wish you the best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy.  You sound like a very genuine mother who is concerned about her baby's well-being, you'll make an excellent mother.