Hi,

I hope all the members are doing well during this period & enjoying their pregnancy.
I have got my 1st U/S & all the tests(HIV,Blood & Urine for RBC,WBc ,platelets count & presence of protein in urine)done & everything was ok.

My only worry is that my heamoglobin is cuming around 10.5 which shud be more than 12.I have an appointment with my gynae next week.She has not prescribed any iron supplement yet coz she says it causes constipation in 1st trimister.
Please advise me a healthy iron diet which may nt creat constipation problem.

All the best to all of you. Anu replied. my dear, dont plan each n every mg of ur diet. i feel this is ur first baby. Naturally the first time we are new n cautious. But my first experience has taught me to be relaxed n responsible. You know palak, methi, anaar, kishmish, kharik, badam, anjeer (fig), bhindi, broccoli (all green n leafy veggies) are excellent natural source of iron. so daily in ur lunch make sure u eat one of the bhaji n veggie. one precaution i wud like to add - pls avoid bhindi, palak in the night coz they have cold tasir (nature), if u r prone to colds then u might get affected. Also avoid heavy n gassy stuff like rajma, chholey, besan, chana, cabbage, cauliflower, moong dal...for dinner coz they are heavy to digest n u might get gas n feel stuffy. same for fruits - grapes, anaar, avoid in the night. infact ayurveda says tht after sunset such cold tasir fruits shud be avoided. after meals have a bit of ajwain n saunf to help in digestion. drink lots of fluids - nimbu pani with black salt to start ur day, milk, water, nariyal pani. fresh fruits are much much better than juices so i would suggest that u chew on the fruits that way u will have fibre intake to avoid constipation.



fruits daily 5 portions are a must so plan for the whole day accordingly. all day have lots of oranges, kharbooza, tarbooz, naashpati, kiwi, angur, bananas (excellent source of iron). night u can go easy just have may be a slice of mango...or have a sweet better.

all this depends entirely on wht is it that u like these days - coz we have our likes n dislikes during pregnancy. Our elders say dont eat guava, papaya, mango during these times coz they are very hot tasir n can heat up our system, whereas we need cooling n calming effect food. pineapple causes allergies so it can be avoided too.

rest u see u have loads of options to chose frm - enjoy ur meals. if u can get a good book on ayurveda - preferably by an indian author - thr u will find a lot more in details abt tamasik, rajsik n satvik food...

listen to nice music, read positive books, write down ur feelings, experiences in a journal...n be excited.

I am a total home remedy person so all this is the only stuff i would like to suggest. its safe, surely good, no side affects. so try n do let me know abt ur heamoglobin level.

my best wishes to u. have a safe pregnancy. ofcourse do share wht ur doc said to u!!! Meghnah replied. Hello monica,
First of all Congrats on ur pregnancy.Well I' m 4m spetember due date board.I just happned to read ur post.I 2 did am facing the same problem,ie My haemoglobin content was very low.Initially (ie I had my first ultrasound n all kinda tests done in my 6th week)I was detected with low haemoglobin content(ie that time I had it 8.8)n Hyperthyroid.But recently they did the blood tests n thyroid test n thyroid tests came to be normal but my haemoglobin content had further reduced to 7.4..whichsz really very bad..
But during my first test,doctors was bit skeptical on giving iron tablets for the 1st trimester, since it causes nausea and constipation(but I didnt have any nausea or constipation).So she told me 2 eat iron rich food.So I' ll mention that 2 u,hope it helps..
daily eat overnite soaked black chana atleast a fistful,daily eat atleast 1tsp jaggery,include beetroot in ur daily diet(I drink daily beetroot juice),also eat daily pomegrante,eat chikoo daily..n also they say eating palak daily also is very gud for we pregnant ladies,especially who have low haemoglobin content.. .By including all this in ur diet u' ll get iron...But remember whatever we eat now our baby starts taking it, so the iron what we consume will go to the baby,n what iron we need,doctors will prescribe tablets from ur second trimester..But for the time being u can include all this in ur diet.Surely it makes diffrence.
Btw In my first trimester I used to take folic acid tablets,r u taking it?Did ur doc mention that 2 u?

All the best have a safe pregnancy n yes eat healthy.
lotsa luv
megs