I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday. Actually, I have two midwives. Normally they alternate appointments, but this was the first time I saw midwife #2. What a great team! Midwife #1 is so laid back and friendly; she really makes pregnancy feel normal. Midwife #2 is equally awesome, but more factual. I particularly appreciate this as I am a research nutcase and prefer to have actual numbers, test results, and facts!
Speaking of, at my January appointment, midwife #1 drew blood for the glucose and blood counts. Glucose was fine, but she called me and told me I needed more iron because my hematocrit was "low". I saw midwife #2 yesterday and learned just what "low" was. She also upped my iron dose. Anyway, the low end of the hematocrit count for pregnant women is 30%. I'm at 22%. People get transfusions at around 17% and can die at 15%! I'm closer to the level that equals death than I am the acceptable range! Yikes! Anyway, I'm now on a triple dose of iron supplementation and plan on eating all the iron-rich foods I can. I get re-tested on March 1st. Hopefully, the combination of iron supplements and beef for breakfast, lunch, and dinner will get that count up!
Oh, and for those of you who were about to tell me to eat raw liver, there is a growing consensus of doctors and nutritionists who do not recommend liver for pregnant women because it contains high levels of Vitamin A, which can be harmful to the baby. Whew!
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