A mothers' experience with low iron levels

My dear friend Roni recently sent me an email recounting her experience with low iron levels during her pregnancy and how she overcame it. With her permission I thought I would share her experience with you. In her words....

"My iron levels went haywire during my pregnancy with my second child (2.5 year age gap between babies)...falling from a perfectly respectable 56, down to an anemic 7. My doctor couldn't believe I was even upright and walking around with such low iron. Instead of taking her advice to use a super strong iron supplement, I started having beef liver pate daily (with sauerkraut & also some kefir in the same meal). I went in for my 6 week checkup - which was 10 weeks after I received the iron result of 7. My obstetrician didn't tell me the result, she just said..."now, your iron levels, what ever you are doing...just keep doing it...and do it until you stop breastfeeding!" I said ok, I will do, now can you tell me what the result was...and she said your iron levels are now "109!!!!". In just 10 weeks she's never seen this kind of improvement (a13 fold increase) not even on the most potent iron supplements. In my experience, traditional wholefoods work, and can be far more effective than using supplements!"

I find this journey inspiring but not at all surprising.  Even the most diligent "wholefoodie" can struggle meeting their body's demand for nutrients during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available and extremely iron-rich. You only need to eat smallish portions (e.g. pate with vegetable sticks) on a regular basis to meet your nutrient needs.