Iron
Iron is very important during pregnancy for healthy blood and for your baby’s brain to develop properly.
You build a whole new blood supply for your baby while you are pregnant. Iron carries oxygen in the blood so you need a lot of extra iron when you make your baby’s blood. You also need iron so that your baby has iron stored in his or her body after birth.
Babies that are born without enough iron may be sick more often and may have problems learning.
Am I getting enough?
Take your prenatal vitamin every day
Iron is one of the reasons that taking your prenatal vitamin everyday is so important. There is a lot of iron in it because it would be very hard to get the iron you need during pregnancy just from food.
Eat foods high in iron:
- Caribou meat
- Muskox meat
- Seal meat
- Fish eggs
- Dried char meat and skin
- Beef
- Birds (chicken, turkey, ptarmigan)
- Clams, mussels, oysters and shrimp
- Canned baked beans
- Whole grain breads and cereals
- Cereal with added iron
- Dried fruit (raisins, prunes, apricots)
- Dark leafy greens (spinach, seaweed)
Eat foods high in Vitamin C when you eat foods high in iron that aren’t meat or fish:
- Berries
- Oranges
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes and tomato juice
- Muktuk
- Peppers
- Cabbage
Iron Deficiency Anemia
If you are low on iron during your pregnancy, you may feel really tired. During pregnancy you will get your iron level checked by a blood test. If your Nurse, Doctor or Midwife tells you that your iron is low or that you have iron deficiency anemia then you will need to take extra iron pills to bring the amount of iron in your body back to normal. The Nurse, Doctor or Midwife will tell you how much you need to take. When taking your iron pills, it is a good idea to take them with a small cup of 100% unsweetened orange juice as it will help your body absorb the iron.