A common question I get is why does hemoglobin go down during pregnancy and how to help prevent this in order to have a homebirth.
I had my hemoglobin tested all 3 trimesters and didn’t experience a significant dip until the third trimester.
-first trimester: 13.8
-second trimester: 13.5
-third trimester 12.3
Most providers will require a hemoglobin no lower than 10.5 (some are even higher) because of the association between a risk of bleeding during birth.
Morley Robbins from The Root Cause Protocol has a great article that breaks down research that shows a lower hemoglobin can actually be beneficial the second half of pregnancy. Learn more here: https://therootcauseprotocol.com/iron-toxicity-post-81/
Aside from that, I think it’s important to understand WHY hemoglobin naturally decreases during pregnancy so that we aren’t scared of it.
1. Blood volume is increasing significantly during the third trimester, but since hemoglobin production stays the same, overall hemoglobin levels look lower.
2. Estrogen continually rises and peaks in the third trimester, which can naturally cause lower hemoglobin because it increases our blood volume amongst many other important functions.
3. During the third trimester, mom is giving baby a large number of nutrients, including iron and copper. This increases the need for iron and copper during this time as well as vitamin A (vitamin A helps us use copper).
Want to hear more about my pregnancy journeys? Check out the podcast episodes below from the are you menstrual? podcast.
reminder: i’m currently taking on 1:1 clients. if you’d like to explore what it would be like to work together and if we are a good fit, fill out this form to get more details!
