I went today for a prenatal appointment. Doc comes in, announces that he won't bother looking for a heartbeat via doppler because we won't find it - and he doesn't want to make me "nervous" if he can't find it. I assure him that I'm okay with that, it's only ten weeks, I have never heard a fetal heart beat this early from a doppler anyway. We go into his office, and he flips through my file, checking my ultrasound results and bloodwork from nearly a month ago. He tells me, "Well, you don't have ________, ___________, & ___________." That's great, thank you, I'm glad I don't have any STDS, because, I've been, uhh, married for years and years already. Doc then adds that my ultrasound looked fine, but the due date is definitely changed and we won't change the date from October 30th, ever. Fine, because I plan to paint the belly orange and pumpkin-like anyway in October.
Lastly, he tells me that I've got low hemoglobin. I thought maybe I would have recieved notice of that when the blood levels were drawn a month ago. He writes on my chart " B -( somethingorotherIthinkB12 )!!!!" Note the exclamation points. So, I've been more anemic than usual for a month, and I didn't know. Lovely. He tells me to start taking two iron supplements per day plus a prenatal vitamin. I may never move my bowels again. Ever.
What does a low hemoglobin level mean?
A low hemoglobin is referred to as being anemic. There are many reasons for anemia. Some of the more common reasons are loss of blood (traumatic injury, surgery, bleeding colon cancer), nutritional deficiency (iron, vitamin B12, folate), bone marrow problems (replacement of bone marrow by cancer, suppression by chemotherapy drugs, kidney failure), and abnormal hemoglobin (sickle cell anemia).
What causes anemia during pregnancy?
Pregnancy places major demands on the body, because the mother must meet the needs of both her body and her growing baby. The body needs enough iron and folate to make the right amount of red blood cells. To prevent anemia during pregnancy, the expectant mother should stay in close contact with her doctor, and be sure to eat a diet that includes foods rich in iron and folate, like liver and dark green leafy vegetables. Folate also plays an important role in the normal development of a baby's spinal cord and can help prevent serious disorders like spina bifida. If your diet does not provide adequate nutrients, you may want to talk with your doctor about nutritional supplements.
I went today for a prenatal appointment. Doc comes in, announces that he won't bother looking for a heartbeat via doppler because we won't find it - and he doesn't want to make me "nervous" if he can't find it. I assure him that I'm okay with that, it's only ten weeks, I have never heard a fetal heart beat this early from a doppler anyway. We go into his office, and he flips through my file, checking my ultrasound results and bloodwork from nearly a month ago. He tells me, "Well, you don't have ________, ___________, & ___________." That's great, thank you, I'm glad I don't have any STDS, because, I've been, uhh, married for years and years already. Doc then adds that my ultrasound looked fine, but the due date is definitely changed and we won't change the date from October 30th, ever. Fine, because I plan to paint the belly orange and pumpkin-like anyway in October.
Lastly, he tells me that I've got low hemoglobin. I thought maybe I would have recieved notice of that when the blood levels were drawn a month ago. He writes on my chart " B -( somethingorotherIthinkB12 )!!!!" Note the exclamation points. So, I've been more anemic than usual for a month, and I didn't know. Lovely. He tells me to start taking two iron supplements per day plus a prenatal vitamin. I may never move my bowels again. Ever.