My Postpartum Experience with Low Iron Anemia
Submitted by: Eritrea Ghebrehiwet
From pregnancy to birth and postpartum, each women’s experience is different. Postpartum, also considered as the 4th trimester, is typically the first 6 weeks after delivery and can extend up to 4-6 months due to physical and emotional complications. Most women don’t understand the importance of postpartum care, both in the hospital and home setting, but it should be followed as closely as prenatal care and treatment. In this blog post, first time mom, Eritrea shares her postpartum experience that quickly became an emergency after her hemoglobin level dropped, and what symptoms to look for with iron deficiency in pregnancy.
After Delivery
When the nurses were helping me get up to use the bathroom for the first time after delivery, I immediately felt dizzy, heard ringing in my ears, my vision became blurry and I felt incredibly cold and weak.
I was seconds away from passing out.
My condition became very serious, very quickly, and it was all hands on deck from a handful of nurses and midwives at that point.
All I could think about was the black maternal mortality rates. Was I about to become a part of that statistic?
“52% of maternal deaths occur in the postpartum period, and Black women are 2.5 times more likely than white women to die from a pregnancy-related condition.”
I scrambled to figure out what I did wrong, and quickly did a mental checklist:
I had a low risk pregnancy
I was well taken care of throughout my pregnancy
I experienced little to no stress and was happy throughout my pregnancy
What did I miss? What did I overlook?
I remember thinking, “this is it; but at least I brought a beautiful, healthy boy into the world who has a dad like no other. I did the best I could with the time I had.”
I didn’t look at my husband or my baby. I couldn’t. I was in survival mode and my body was in too much shock to process what was happening to me, let alone absorb anyone else’s emotional state at the moment.
They pumped me with fluids, ran the machines to check my blood pressure and oxygen level and wrapped me up in blankets to keep me warm since I was shaking. They took a blood sample to see what was happening with me.
That’s as much detail as I can remember.
After some time, I was able to go to the bathroom, but I needed major support. I still felt very weak, dizzy and had the ringing in my ears. At that point, going to the bathroom became a traumatic experience.
I thought, “how the hell am I going to feed my baby if I can’t even go the bathroom by myself without passing out?”
What a way to start my postpartum journey.
More on Hemoglobin and iron deficiency
Eventually, the results of my bloodwork indicated that my hemoglobin count was dangerously low.
“Hemoglobin is the substance that allows for the transport of oxygen throughout the body.”
The range for normal hemoglobin level for women is 12.0-15.5g/dL. My levels were already low when I was admitted to the hospital (10g/dL).
When I nearly passed out after delivery, my hemoglobin level was 7.7g/dL. The next day, it dropped to 6.4g/dL and discharge day it was at 6.5g/dL
When your red blood cells aren’t getting enough oxygen, you can experience:
weakness
dizziness
headache
shortness of breath
fast, irregular heartbeat
pounding in the ears
cold hands and feet
pale or yellow skin
I experienced each of these symptoms.
I was anemic before pregnancy and didn’t have much iron in my diet. Iron is needed to make hemoglobin. Being pregnant increases your body’s blood volume by 30-50% to accommodate baby.
Thankfully my anemia didn’t cause any trouble while pregnant.
“Your doctor will be able to determine if you have an iron deficiency and prescribe the correct dose of iron for you to take if necessary.
You may also try including more iron-rich foods in your diet. These include dark green leafy vegetables (e.g., spinach), red meat, poultry, pork, beans, peas, dried fruit, and iron-fortified bread, cereal, and pasta.”
Given the bloodwork results, the medical staff were very concerned for my well-being outside hospital, especially for the first few weeks of postpartum. Caring for myself and baby would require energy I did not have. Over extending myself even a little could result in me fainting.
They strongly recommended a blood transfusion, but...
It was so much to process.
I just delivered a baby. There was a lot to learn about him.
I was experiencing this painful, new body and now this.
It was all too much, too fast and too scary.
After they answered all of my questions, I declined the transfusion and the supplements and opted for taking it easy, eating well and using my support system.
Here I am one month later, still standing. I’m thankful for that.
We’re thankful that Eritrea’s postpartum scare had a happy ending. Shedding light on some of the things that can occur during postpartum is important to realize, not to scare us, but to educate us and equip us with the right questions during our entire pregnancy journey. Furthermore, it’s a reminder of how important the postpartum period is, and how critical it is for us to have support during that time.
Here are some great resources on postpartum care:
American Pregnancy Association
Emotional Support: