Women · 4 min read · 2025-11-17

Anaemia in pregnancy: tiredness is not the only clue

Pregnancy dilutes the blood and spends iron on the baby. Feeling tired is common. A haemoglobin that is truly low is a medical problem, not a personality.

This page is general education for families in Gurugram. It is not a diagnosis, a medicine list, or a reason to skip a clinician. Doses are deliberately not given.

In plain language

Anaemia means less oxygen carried in the blood. In pregnancy it raises the chance of early birth, a low-birth-weight baby, and a mother who cannot tolerate blood loss at delivery. Iron tablets are the usual first treatment. They take weeks, not days. Food supports the tablet. Food rarely replaces it if the number is already low.

Signs worth noticing

These are the clues families usually notice first. One of them, on its own, is not a diagnosis.

Pale inner eyelids, breathlessness on a short walk, and a racing heart are clues.
Craving mud or chalk is a classic sign and a reason to say so, not a joke.
Swelling and breathlessness together need a clinician, not another week of spinach.
A normal pregnancy check can find anaemia before you notice it.

What usually sits underneath

The baby takes iron whether the mother’s stores are ready or not. Poor diet, closely spaced pregnancies, hookworm, and heavy periods before pregnancy empty those stores.

Care that is reasonable at home

Take iron away from tea, coffee, and calcium tablets, which block it.
A little vitamin C, such as lemon or amla with the meal, helps absorption.
Expect dark stools. That is the iron, not bleeding, unless the stool is tarry and you feel faint.
If tablets cause severe vomiting, ask for a different preparation. Do not quietly stop.

Intravenous iron and transfusion are for selected low numbers, not for everyone who is tired.

When waiting is a bad idea

Breathlessness at rest, fainting, chest pain, or a haemoglobin your report marks as severely low.
Bleeding in pregnancy, which can drop the count quickly.
Labour if you already know you are severely anaemic. Tell the team at the door.

How Rao Lokram Charitable Trust fits in

We can check the count, start the right iron, and watch the response. Bring the tablet strip so we know what you already tried. OPD runs Monday to Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM at Near Rockford School, Anaj Mandi Chowk, Kadipur Road, Shakti Park, Sector 10A, Gurugram, Haryana. Call 98185 48492 or 70423 28047. There is no appointment form on this website.

Questions people ask

Is jaggery enough?

It is not a treatment for established anaemia. Eat food, and take the prescribed iron.

Can I take iron with milk?

Calcium in milk reduces absorption. Separate them by a couple of hours.

Will the baby be anaemic if I am?

The baby is relatively protected, but your own delivery becomes more dangerous. Treat it for both of you.

If this sounds like you, bring the article on your phone if you want, but let the clinician examine you. Old reports and a list of current medicines make the visit shorter.