Mistakes when adding iron and calcium to pregnant women can reduce the ability to absorb these two nutrients when entering the body. Let's join WebTech360 to find out what pregnant mothers often have to avoid "money loss and disability".
The importance of iron in pregnancy
Pregnant women need more blood than usual, up to 50%, to supply the fetus with oxygen. Iron is used by the body to make red blood cells and the enzyme immune system. An increase in blood means the body will need more red blood cells and more iron to make those blood cells.
When you don't have enough iron in your body, you can become anemic. Anemia is the most common blood condition in a woman during pregnancy.
Anemia during pregnancy can lead to the risk of premature birth and low birth weight, among other complications.
Why do pregnant women need calcium supplements?
When pregnant women add enough calcium, you indirectly add calcium to the baby. Calcium plays a very important role in the formation of bones, teeth and ensuring the development of the fetus. Furthermore, calcium keeps your circulatory, nervous and muscular systems working properly.
Deficiency of calcium, pregnant mothers often have numb legs, fatigue, insomnia during the nine months of pregnancy. By the time the baby is breastfed, the mother's body will weaken, easily suffer from back pain, shoulder fatigue, and joint pain. The lack of calcium when not corrected will become a premise causing osteoporosis when women enter menopause.
Effects of calcium on the body
The mistake of iron and calcium supplements for pregnant women
Iron and calcium can be taken by mouth or in the form of supplements. The method of taking medicine is still favored by women because of its convenience. Seemingly simple, but many pregnant mothers still make many mistakes when supplementing with iron and calcium, making the supplement lose its effect or cause other consequences.
1. Take iron and calcium at the same time
Iron is a difficult nutrient to absorb and calcium will slow down this process if taken at the same time. Doctors advise pregnant women to take these two nutrients for several hours apart.
2. Drink calcium in the evening
Calcium is best absorbed in the morning, about an hour after a meal or at noon with plenty of water. Therefore, calcium absorption in the evening increases the risk of kidney stones, urinary stones.
3. Drink twice as much iron and calcium daily as needed
Hustle life sometimes makes pregnant mothers forget to take medicine. But do not drink so much the next day, because then the body will be overloaded and cause side effects. And to increase the ability of calcium metabolism in the body, elected to increase foods rich in vitamin D in the daily diet.
If you forget it, pregnant women do not need to make up the next day
4. Take iron tablets on a full stomach
As is well known, iron is difficult to absorb. Therefore, to enhance absorption, pregnant women should take iron tablets on an empty stomach and drink with vitamin C-rich drinks such as orange juice, lemon juice ... Drink iron after eating 1-2 hours for the body to absorb iron the best.
5. Don't drink a lot of water and eat a lot of fiber-rich foods
When taking iron supplements, mothers need to drink plenty of water and eat foods rich in fiber to prevent constipation.
A nutritious meal is never superfluous for a pregnant woman
6. Use tea and coffee to take iron and calcium supplements
Many pregnant women use tea and coffee when taking medicine. This will reduce the absorption of these two nutrients.
How much iron and calcium do pregnant women need each day?
For calcium:
- In the first 3 months, calcium demand falls to about 800mg / day
- In the middle 3-month period of pregnancy, it is necessary to supplement 1,000mg / day
- Late in pregnancy and lactation, the amount of calcium needed increases to 1,500mg / day.
For iron:
The recommended daily intake of iron for non-pregnant women is about 18 mg. If you are pregnant, your daily iron intake increases to at least 27 mg.
- But the recommendation according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is higher. The WHO recommends that pregnant women take 30 to 60 mg of iron per day.
Side effects when iron and calcium supplements are overdose
Too much iron during pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm birth, as well as gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. In addition, absorbing a high iron concentration in the long term will destroy internal organs in the body, especially the kidneys.
Too much calcium can cause constipation. It also affects the body's ability to absorb iron and zinc, and increases the risk of kidney stones. Several studies are also coming up with theories about whether people with high calcium intake may increase the risk of prostate cancer and heart disease.
Forming a being in the body requires many sources of nutrients. Please consult with nutrition experts and doctors to not make mistakes when supplementing iron and calcium pregnant women.
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