Now With More Baby

A few weeks ago, I had to get a glucose test.. you may recall my mentioning it assuming that I actually wrote about it.. i can't remember exactly.. but anyway.

oh wait, I did write about this because I distinctly recall bitching about the fact that I had started drinking blackstrap molasses (its still not that great) in an effort to get more iron in my system. If you didn't read the previous entry, basically I passed the glucose test but failed the iron/anemia test. In retrospect, if I had recalled that the iron test was occurring, instead of worrying about the glucose test, i would have prepared for it because this is something that I've had for several years and I know all about it. You should see me preparing to donate blood. but anyway, that's another story...

so I just had another check in with the midwives and the very nice lady wanted to make sure I was doing something about the "iron situation". (The thing is, I'm not at a bad level but I am definitely below normal. And if I drop too low, then the midwives won't take me anymore and I'll have to give birth in a hospital with a doctor and abide by all their anti-litigious policies.. so I am motivated to take this serious). And I told her that I had started eating more spinach and apricots, and drinking more OJ ('cause vitamin C helps your body absorb iron).

And then I said to her, "I was told to take an iron supplement but I didn't because I noticed that my prenatal vitamin already contains more than the recommended allowance for iron and my body doesn't seem to be absorbing that, so how would another supplement help?" I mean, I assume my body isn't absorbing it because otherwise, I wouldn't have an "iron situation". so she says, "are you still having regular bowel movements?" Hah! well, yes I am. I'm pretty damn regular. I tell her so.

and then she says, "What color is your stool?". and I tell her, its dark brown, which is really not the sign of happy stool but if you want to know more about that you have to read one of my other blogs.

but here is the funny thing. Iron supplements can actually cause black stool or even constipation and since I'm suffering from neither, my body can stand to have more iron supplements. yay. yay me.

So now I'm on iron supplements until we can make sure that I'm not heading for anemia or the hospital or the bathroom for that matter.