During pregnancy, not only the mother needs minerals, but also the baby growing in her belly. One of the particularly important substances is iron, which not only builds the blood and muscles of the baby, but also maintains the proper condition of the uterus and placenta and enables a successful delivery.
As you can see, iron is one of the key ingredients for the proper course of pregnancy and the development of the child, and its deficiency may even prevent the proper development of the fetus or interfere with the proper delivery. Pregnant women should therefore take care of the correct amount of this ingredient in their diet. Iron is present mainly in meat and to a lesser extent in spinach. Moms-to-be who avoid these products (e.g. vegetarians) may have problems with the right amount of iron in April. Especially that the products richest in this element, such as liver or black pudding, are not recommended during pregnancy. Anemia (anemia) affects up to about 40% of pregnant women who do not notice the early symptoms of anemia. They usually notice them when it is too late – they are pale, tired and weak, which indicates a serious deficiency, mainly iron.
And what are the consequences of deficiency for the child?
It can make childbirth difficult
First of all, it is worth taking care of a diet rich in iron already at the stage of planning pregnancy, because its deficiency may prevent the implantation of the embryo in the uterus and even cause miscarriages. Anemia in pregnancy caused by a lack of iron causes the baby to suffer from it as well anemia. It grows slower, is weaker and its blood lacks one of the most important building blocks – iron. This is especially dangerous in premature babies, who are already weaker than other children at the beginning. Anemia can also make labor difficult and even lead to premature birth. Too little iron during childbirth can increase the pain experienced by a woman in labor and aggravate the complications associated with childbirth. This, in turn, is very dangerous for both mother and baby, because it increases the risk of death for both of them.
And how to tell if we suffer from anemia? The first symptom will be pale skin and malaise. Other symptoms are headaches, nail splitting and distraction. Although advanced anemia in late pregnancy may require hospitalization and intravenous mineral administration, if detected early, it is not so serious. In such a situation, it is worth taking iron preparations prescribed by a doctor and including in the diet products that contain a lot of this element – meat and spinach.