Anemia can cause problems during pregnancy and birthing process, such as bleedings, infections, and difficult birthing process.  Anemia is also dangerous for the embryo, since it may cause premature birth or lack of iron reserve for the baby. Anemia is a condition in which the hemoglobin rate inside the blood is less than normal. According to WHO, anemia in pregnant woman is when the hemoglobin rate within the blood is less than 11g/100ml. Anemia happens because there is a lack of iron mineral in the body to produce red blood cell.

The Function of Red Blood Cell

The function of red blood cell is to carry oxygen from the lung to all parts of the body. During pregnancy, the required amount of this cell for the mother and the embryo increases. The increase of blood volume during pregnancy causes the amount of iron needed to produce red blood cells also gradually increase. So the amount of iron needed for the pregnant woman simply keep increasing. Take a look at the following explanations about anemia.

A.Types And Causes Of Anemia

The cause of nutritional anemia is the imbalance between the consumption of food which contains iron mineral and the increasing amount of iron required for the body. Especially on pregnant woman and people with internal or external bleedings due to other cause. The deficiencies of iron mineral is the main cause for nutritional anemia compared to other kinds of nutritional deficiencies, such as folic acid, the vitamin B12, protein, other vitamins, and other trace elements. It is why nutritional anemia is often identical to iron nutritional anemia. The followings are some causes for anemia.

1. The body does not receive adequate iron mineral.
2. The increasing needs of iron mineral for the body, especially on pregnant woman, during the growth period on teenagers, chronic diseases such as tuberculosis, and other infections.
3. Bleedings which is caused by the infection of worms, malaria, excessive menstruation, and birthing process.

Other than because of the lack of iron, during pregnancy you could also be affected by other kinds of anemia.  The followings are some classifications of anemia morphologically according to cell size and the contained hemoglobin.

I.Macrositic

This kind of anemia is recognized by the increased size of the red blood cells along with the increased amount of hemoglobin in each cell. The cause is the lack of vitamin B12, folic acid, disturbance in the DNA synthesis process, and the accelerated forming of the red blood cells. This condition is also the effect of the lack of iron mineral from consumed foods.

II. Micrositic

The size of the red blood cells is shrinking due to the lack of iron, problem in the blood synthesis and another iron metabolism.

III.Normasitic

The excessive loss of blood because of bleedings or the red blood cells metabolism is not functioning due to diseases, such as kidney disease, liver disease, or endocrine disturbance. Generally, pregnant mother who is contracted by this kind of anemia is already at serious level. To overcome this, the disease must first be cured, and then the patient must be given adequate iron minerals to solve the lack of iron.

B.What You Have To Be Aware Of

If you look pale, feeling hard to breathe, sleepy, headache or your vision is blurred or it's hard to see after getting up from chair or bed, feeling fatigued, easily exhausted, languid, it's possible that you may have been contracted with anemia. Other symptoms are usually you feel tired, your body stamina and work productivity is decreasing, and you are easily contracted by diseases. Although sometimes anemia doesn't give any symptoms at all.

Anemia has bad effects on the health condition of the mother and the embryo. There can be bleedings before or after birthing process, unconsciousness, premature falling out for the embryo, infections, difficult birthing process, high risk of premature birth, high risk of underweight baby, physical defection on the baby, and the lack of iron mineral reserve.

C.How To Handle And Prevent

Actually anemia can be prevented before pregnancy.  Eat food with adequate and balanced nutrition, especially observing the amount of iron mineral in it. Food which is rich of iron mineral is food which is sourced from animals, with the absorption of iron mineral within the body is more than 15%. Although food from plants is rich in iron, it's cannot be well absorbed by the body, causing only small amount which can be used by the body, less than 3%.

If it's not possible to have the adequate food, it can be replaced by regularly taking a tablet of blood increaser medicine each week, or one tablet every day regularly for woman during menstruation.

But if you are already pregnant, other than increasing the amount of nutrition with healthy and balanced food. You can take the blood increaser medicine every day, or at least the minimum of 90 tablets during pregnancy and 42 tablets after giving birth. The followings are how to handle anemia if you are already contracted.

1. Eat foods with complete nutrition and contains iron mineral. Such as milk, liver, anchovies, or any food with enriched iron mineral. Other than those, food which helps the absorption of iron is also important, such as fruits, chicken meat, and fish. On the other hand, avoid food which can disturb the absorption of iron mineral, such as coffee and tea.
2. Have enough rest, it's very important not to fatigue yourself.
3. Take iron mineral food supplements to help increase the amount of iron in your body.

If the rate of hemoglobin is less than 11g, take three tablets a day during the 90 days of pregnancy period until 42 days after birthing.