Tackling anemia in pregnancy!!

Anemia is one of the most common ailments in women. Especially considering the lack of attention paid to diet by today's young ladies this can be a very critical factor in pregnancy. During pregnancy you can imagine our bodies as massive machines running non-stop in building a home for your baby and nurturing your baby. Since most of this happens without you noticing the only side effect you feel is the massive tiredness. As your body is grinding out the energy from you, the new life inside you requires more of your blood as it grows. No wonder you turn anemic!! If left unchecked can cause serious harm to your baby. Some signs to know if you are anemic:

• A blood test will surely tell you a confirmed answer!
• Check if your finger nails and palm looks pale. A healthy body will have a nice pink color in the nails and palms.
• Excessive hair fall.
• Extreme tiredness and uninterested in any activity.

If you have any of the above symptoms be sure to consult your doctor for any supplements of iron. In addition to that you will need to supplement your diet to boost your hemoglobin. Here are a few tricks to help you do that.

• Eat iron rich foods like green leafy vegetables - preferably raw, brinjal or Eggplant, Ragi or finger millets, dates, figs are all rich in iron.
• Consuming dates syrup with milk is also very beneficial.
• Eating Vitamin C rich foods like Oranges help in absorption of iron better.
• Try to introduce yourself to homemade multi-grain drinks containing Ragi, Jowar among other sprouts. These help in developing core strength as well as improving your hemoglobin. Ragi is a rich source of Iron, Calcium and Fiber, all of which are needed in plenty during pregnancy.
• In some cases Iron supplements can cause constipation. In such cases introduce a lot of fiber in your diet.

Treating anemia must be done very diligently and regularly. Pregnancy or otherwise keeping anemia in check is advisable. Anemia brings down the overall immunity of the body and can be a reason for most of your other trivial infections and diseases. You will need to doubly ensure you are not anemic if you are carrying more than one baby.
So here's to a healthy non-anemic pregnancy and life!! Cheers!!