Here are a few little tidbits from this week:
*Throwing up in a parking lot is embarrassing. Just sayin’.
*I haven’t been taking the Zofran as often. Still not convinced it works…at all.
*I got the dreaded “your iron is low” call from the Dr’s office this week. Already? Surely not. Bleh. For you curious ones, my hemoglobin was a 9. The lowest I have ever been in pregnancy is a 7. And no doctor has been able to figure out how I manage to continue to function. For some reason I do not see any side effects from the low iron, but I know it isn’t good for the baby, so I do my best to stay around a 10. Not normal, but good for me.
*I’ve begun to get up several times a night. Usually I can go right back to sleep, but other times it takes a little while. By the time I’m at the end of my pregnancy, I’m up for hours at night. With my last baby, I spent a lot of time watching Deadliest Catch online in the middle of the night. My husband thought this was rather funny.
*Those upper 80 degree temps in the forecast look mighty nice. I don’t like Summer when I’m not pregnant. Throw in pregnancy and weeks of 100+ temps and you have one grumpy mama. You will hear a huge sigh of relief from my corner of cyberspace when Autumn gets here.
ashley says
I am right there with you on these hot weeks! I joked I might need a sweater if it really only gets to 88 on Sunday! I can’t wait for Autumn!
Congrats on the second trimester milestone!
I got the iron call too, around 14 weeks I think. I’m 20 now. I don’t remember my numbers but it wasnt super low. How do you boost your numbers in pregnancy?
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
Spirulina, lots of grass-fed beef, liver — and eat it all with orange juice or another form of vitamin C. These are better than supplements, which are poorly absorbed and hard on the tummy. There’s also a Tri-Iron formula (herbal) from Trilight Health that might help.
Amy says
I take Bifera, drink OJ, drink green smoothies. Many of the fixes for low iron make me very sick. 🙁
Jenny says
I watched Deadliest Catch late into the night with my last pregnancy too!!!! How funny. And I also don’t love being pregnant in the Summer but here I am again for the 3rd time! Thank you Jesus though. And I’m BIG in the Summer considering one babe was a labor day weekend baby, one was a first of October baby, and this one is due in the middle of October. I finally caved and bought some better Summer maternity clothes as I just could not face another Summer pregnancy with the same old frumpy jean shorts. A few losses sure has changed my perspective on being big in the Summer heat though. Sure am feeling blessed. Hope you continue to have better days and less and less doozies!
Amy says
Praise the Lord!
Jenny says
Oh, and I get anemic with each pregnancy too. I take Floradix. I get it at my local health food store. It comes with a stool softener in it, but I still try to up my water intake. I also try to eat red meat, dark greens, and raisens. Oh, and beets.
Victoria says
Congrats on your 8th baby! That is awesome, I have 5 children myself. I’m so sorry you are not feeling well – I normally get extreme morning sickness until about 16-26 weeks, so I understand how you’re feeling. Loved your post! Blessings <3
Miranda says
I sympathise on several of those; I threw up in a good few parking lots when I was pregnant. And my friend’s car, on a main road where she couldn’t pull over. (Thank goodness for the stash of nappy sacks I’d started carrying!) And on more than one bus. The second time I got so many nasty looks and I was so embarrassed I got off the bus and phoned my mum to come and get me!
My daughter was a night owl when I was pregnant with her, so I used to end up getting up and cleaning things, which my husband thought was hilarious – he could always tell when I’d had a bad night!
Amy says
Ugh! I always manage to get somewhere “appropriate”. lol
Michele says
Oh, bless you! I pray things continue to improve. My hemoglobin was at 7 recently and my doctor wanted to do a blood transfusion! No thanks! Lots of iron- spinach, raisins and supplements! Here’s to cooler temperatures!
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
Are you usually anemic when you are not pregnant? I would guess (from things I’ve read, obviously I am not a doctor) that your B vitamin levels, especially B6 and B12 are low…and so is your magnesium. These levels being low causes anemia and severe morning sickness. Grass-fed beef, a B-complex supplement, and transdermal magnesium supplementation (magnesium oil) may make you feel better all around. Spirulina can also help raise your iron levels naturally, and it’s best taken with vitamin C to increase absorption. Again, from my research and midwives’ advice, take it or leave it!
I ate a ton of grass-fed beef in my third pregnancy and even at 28 weeks my iron was 12.5, higher than in my first two.
Amy says
It is my B. I bulked up before I got pregnant, but it didn’t last. I need to get some OJ concentrate to take with my iron. We almost exclusively eat buffalo, but when I am nauseous, it is so hard to get any meat down. I’ve been meaning to look into the spiraling… Thank you for the reminder.
brooke says
Congratulation on being in the 2nd trimester. I’m all for cooler temps. I’m 28 weeks tomorrow, 3rd trimester for me. Today in MI it is supposed to be 103 but feel like 110. My AC is not working, but my husband is really trying to getting to work for me. So the kids and I are living in the pool
I praise God that I even have this baby so I’m trying not to complain, but boy us it HOT.
My midwife is going to get me some samples of Floradix to try. I haven’t had my iron levels tested, but I’m tried all the time. Maybe that will help.
Cecilia says
Hi Amy. I usually have low iron during pregnancies too. During this last one, I took chlorella and spirulina (both have high levels of iron as well as other minerals), 1 Tbs of one, then the next day 1 Tbs of the other. I also took dessicated beef liver tablets (1 daily), 1 Tbs diatomacceous earth and 1 tsp of fermented cod liver oil. This was, in part, an attempt to keep my iron levels up, and it worked! I never had low iron this time! Just in case it can help you. 🙂
PS My daughter perfected a mini “milkshake” that made all these things very palatable involving frozen bananas, milk, and stevia. 🙂
Megan says
Happy 2nd trimester!!! 🙂 I’m so thankful that you’re feeling better, but I know you are still kinda just hangin’ in there. Hopefully you’ll start to feel even better in this trimester! God bless you!!! You are such an encouragement!
Teresa says
Congrads! Gapenuts is a good way I have found to help with my iron levels as well as red meat. Nothing else works well. I have learned to live at 9 when not pregnant and 7 when I am. It is the highest it has ever been the last time I tested (10). 101 yesterday here and 102 today. No air, but a unit by the bedrooms upstairs. Puppy and kids all try to fit in the little hard shell pool. Lots of drinks and popcicles make it almost bearable.
Amy says
Grapenuts? Hmmm…I like grapenuts a lot! lol
Chantel says
grapenuts? like the cereal? I am 18 weeks and I know I need to up my iron intake. I”m usually anemic during pregnancy. the doc hasnt mentioned anything about it, but I am feeling so sluggish, along with other low iron side effects.
Naomi M says
Yay for the second trimester! I feel you on the heat. We are in AZ and I am 22 1/2 weeks with #3. It has been HOT and now with the rainy season here, add humidity to the mix. Yuck!
Have you ever drank the Mama’s Tea from Bulk Herb Store? It is chock full of nutrients, plus the red raspberry and peppermint is wonderful for nausea. I like to drink that plus take a glass of chlorophyll in the morning, which would help with iron levels.
Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy, I am excited for you! 🙂
Mary A. says
I couldn’t agree more. It is so miserable being pregnant in the summer. We’re supposed to have temperatures in the high eighties next week and that’s like a cold front for me. In the mean time, I have been trying to keep our house as cold as an igloo. 🙂 Congratulations on reaching the 2nd trimester!
Jaclyn says
I’m right there with ya in throwing up in parking lots. In fact, I’d consider myself a professional.
Kate says
Glad to hear you had a mild day, but sorry your iron is low, I’ve dealt with that with my last 2 pregnancies. I’m currently 28 weeks and am so over this heat, those 80 degree days are looking wonderful! I completely sympathize with you, although I only have 3 toddlers to chase around instead of 7, but still the heat does begin to wear on a mommy’s attitude.
~Blessings
Jennifer G says
I spent a large portion of my first pregnancy watching the weather channel; it wasn’t interesting enough wake me up more when I wasn’t sleeping (a mistake I learned early on when I found a good movie and ended up being wide awake for hours), and I could usually doze off again somewhat quickly once I got bored. So far I’ve been pretty good about waking early in the morning instead of late at night, so I just get up and then if my son cooperates, I will nap in the afternoon.
Amy says
LOL – great idea!
Nicki says
So glad you’re past that first trimester! Praying for two more healthy trimesters!
Dianna @ The Kennedy Adventures says
I LOVE Floradix for iron supplementation. It’s liquid, and I mix it in juice. It helps me tremendously — I’ve never dropped as low as you, but I tend to be very sensitive (short of breath) when it does.
Added bonus, it helps me to go to the bathroom. TMI, perhaps!
Oh, and Zofran never worked for me, either. Just made me bloated and miserable.
Amy says
Thanks for the input! I’ve never tried Floradix (and I needed to hear your TMI! lol)
Caroline @ The Modest Mom says
I drove myself to McDonalds to get a cheeseburger, ate it and then promptly threw it up in the parking lot with baby #4. So gross. I’m sorry. 🙁 I’m soooo glad you have it made this far!!
Sherry says
So glad to hear you are feeling better! This baby is going to be such a blessing, you will think these last few weeks worth it all!