Iron supplies mother and child with vital oxygen. A major part of iron is constantly busy transporting oxygen from the lungs into the blood and to all other organs, notably to the brain. During her pregnancy, the mother supplies the baby with iron stores for the first four months of life. Only then can a newborn baby produce iron independently.
Over the course of a pregnancy, the iron requirement will double. A sufficient intake is particularly important towards the end, when the baby is growing rapidly. A proper amount of iron is thus the perfect start in life.
One glance at a mother’s records provides information about the mother’s iron supply. What counts is the haemoglobin level, the content of red blood pigment. If the level is higher than 12 g%, the iron supply is good. A level below 12 g% is considered critical.