Feel pretty anaemic but iron levels ok?

[Sarah Lou 80]

I had my booking in appointment a week a go and told the midwife how I've been feeling sooooo lethargic and really really out of breath.

All day long I feel like I'm having to work really hard at breathing. It's like I can't get a deep enough breath. As if I'm on the top of a mountain where the air is thin if that makes sense?! I'm also getting palpitations every so often and light headedness.

I had low iron levels in my last pregnancy and, every now and then when I'm not pregnant they can go a bit low too.

Apparently my blood pressure was pretty low as well, which it does tend to be anyway.

I called the midwife today to see if my results were back as I'm struggling to get through the day and feel terrible that my LO isn't getting the attention that he deserves because of how I'm feeling. She told me my iron level was fine as it was at 12? So could it just be the low blood pressure? Why can't I breath?! I know breathlessness is normal in early pregnancy but this is ridiculous!

Anyone have similar experience or advice. I'm really struggling

 

[Button#]

Yes! I was expecting low iron levels as well but they were fine. I got past the tiredness at 18 weeks or thereabouts and I feel pretty normal now. I am getting a bit of breathlessness but I can feel now it's just where baby has wedged up high and a bit of jiggling and rubbing my bump encourages her to shift. From talking to other mums it seems to be a common symptom of second pregnancies due to the joys of running around after a toddler.

 

[Catiren]

i had horrible iron levels prior to pregnancy and about 4 months before finding out i was pregnant, i actually stopped my treatment because the meds made me so sick. so i was just a time bomb of going into some sort of blood level shock. i went for a cbc as i normally do once a month and they told me my levels were high, and that my medicine was working on me very well. i knew i wasnt taking my medicine for months so i didnt know why my levels were high. turns out, the increased blood flow from my surprise pregnancy increased my blood levels to a wonderful range. i havent been anemic since then but i take two flinstones a day in place of my prenatals for iron and what baby needs. i get sick when i take my flinstones because the iron is more in them than a normal prenatal(its the same as one of my medicines i stopped taking back then) but its ok, as long as baby is getting what they need.

i still get super sleepy throughout the day but the ob and doctors have not brought up my blood tests results about anything bad and i only had one prenatal blood test since week 4.

 

[Rato]

Hi! I was exactly the same. No matter how much I slept I was always knackered... My iron levels were always okay except at delivery due to the loss of blood. My daughter is 16 m now and I'm still not back to normal.. Although I am breastfeeding so hopefully you'll go back to yourself once bb is born xx

 

[petitpas]

Sarah, do your fingernails or lips ever turn blue?

If it isn't anaemia that is causing your extreme breathlessness you really need checking out by a doctor asap. I don't want to scare you by mentioning more serious issues but it's best to rule them out just in case.

 

[Sarah Lou 80]

No, ive not noticed blue fingernails or lips but will make an appointment with my GP anyway. It's getting really hard now

 

[petitpas]

Yes. It sounds awful and you shouldn't be like that this early in pregnancy. I hope the doctor takes it seriously and has you properly checked out. Let us know how you get on, please!