The Impact of Anemia on Pregnant Women and Fetus: Solutions for Anemic Pregnant Women

March 11, 2024

The term anemia is probably familiar to everyone. Some people may say that anemia is no big deal, just pay a little attention to diet. This is true, if you have anemia, you need to pay more attention to various aspects of your diet, so that your anemia can be resolved. This is just one solution for anemia, but for a special group of people like pregnant women, it is not that simple. Anemia in pregnant women has a serious impact on the fetus. If anemia is detected in a blood routine examination, timely iron supplementation and blood supplementation should be carried out. It is recommended to eat more beef, animal blood, red dates, black sesame seeds, seaweed, etc. However, due to the large amount of blood needed by pregnant women, food supplementation cannot meet the needs of anemic pregnant women, and sometimes this solution is not feasible. Today, let's talk to pregnant women. What are the effects of anemia on pregnant women themselves? What are the effects of anemia on the fetus? What are the best solutions for anemic pregnant women?

Effects of Anemia on Pregnant Women

1. Physical discomfort: If anemia in pregnant women is not treated in time, the body will gradually experience some discomfort symptoms, such as oral inflammation, tongue inflammation, dry skin and hair, hair loss, yellowish complexion, edema, general weakness, dizziness, palpitations, poor appetite, shortness of breath, etc.

2. Impact on labor: Severe anemia in pregnant women may affect labor, causing weak contractions, prolonged delivery, and excessive postpartum bleeding.

3. Postpartum discomfort: Anemia also affects postpartum mothers, leading to low resistance, easy infection or non-healing of the perineum and abdominal incision, and is prone to colds or urinary system infections. In addition, postpartum recovery of the uterus is slow for anemic mothers, and lochia may continue to be unclean, which can easily lead to endometritis.

Effects of Anemia on the Fetus

1. Physiological anemia: After pregnancy, the demand for blood volume increases, causing blood dilution and a decrease in hemoglobin content, which belongs to physiological anemia and has no major impact on the fetus.

2. Non-physiological anemia: Pregnant women with weak constitution may lack one or more nutrients in their bodies, such as iron, folic acid, and vitamins, which can cause non-physiological anemia due to impaired hematopoietic function. It is necessary to treat it in a timely manner to avoid worsening anemia and affecting the health of the fetus.

The impact of severe anemia on the fetus: Severe anemia in pregnant women can lead to a decrease in the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood cells, resulting in fetal hypoxia, which can cause intrauterine fetal death and premature birth. Even if the fetus can reach full-term pregnancy, the child will be small in size, light in weight, and have poor intelligence. In addition, newborns born to anemic mothers have low iron reserves in their bodies. Even if they do not have significant pathological changes and their hemoglobin levels are normal after birth, they will soon develop anemia due to insufficient iron reserves, which can have serious consequences.

What to Eat for Anemic Pregnant Women

Anemic pregnant women can regulate their condition through diet, such as eating more iron-rich foods and foods rich in vitamin C, protein, and folic acid to help alleviate anemia.

1. Iron-rich foods: Anemic pregnant women generally have iron deficiency, so they should eat more iron-rich foods. Common ones include liver, lean meat, offal, animal blood, egg yolk, red dates, brown sugar, dried fruits, mushrooms, etc.

2. Foods rich in vitamin C: Foods rich in vitamin C can help with iron absorption, so anemic pregnant women can eat more of them. Foods rich in vitamin C are mainly found in fruits and vegetables, such as red dates, kiwi, red and green peppers, greens, etc.

3. Foods rich in protein: Protein can synthesize hemoglobin, so protein-rich foods are essential for anemic pregnant women. Foods rich in protein include eggs, legumes, various lean meats, and fish.

4. Foods rich in folic acid: Folic acid is involved in the synthesis of red blood cells and supplementing it appropriately is beneficial for preventing anemia. In addition, in the early stages of pregnancy, folic acid can also prevent neural tube defects in the fetus, which is very beneficial for pregnant women. Common foods rich in folic acid include spinach, celery, asparagus, and other leafy green vegetables.

Through the above discussion on the effects of anemia on pregnant women themselves, the effects of anemia on the fetus, and what to eat for anemic pregnant women, do you now know how to deal with these issues? Expectant fathers should pay more attention to changes in the pregnant mother's body during pregnancy!

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