Can you be anemic in pregnancy?
Some thoughts on anemia in pregnancy and an update about my practitioner learning program:
In pregnancy, blood volume expands by 50%
But red blood cells (RBCs) only expand by 30%
This is why some people say you probably aren’t anemic even if you test that way while you are pregnant.
I’ll start this post by saying I agree the test —> infusion pipeline has serious problems.
Here’s where the narrative that you can’t be anemic in pregnancy concerns me: inadequate blood volume expansion is one of the most dangerous situations for baby.
Baby is fed by the placenta.
The placenta is fed by the mother’s blood.
When the mother doesn’t have enough blood volume expansion, her body responds as though she is hemorrhaging. This means her body has to pull resources back to her own core body functions to preserve her own life.
Thus, not enough blood for the mother = not enough support of the placenta.
Think of the placenta like a plant that needs its roots to be well watered.
Poor placental implantation in the beginning and the likelihood increases for:
congenital heart defects
placental insufficiency
fetal growth restriction
preeclampsia
gestational diabetes
premature rupture of the membranes
and preterm birth
Several observant midwives have even told me they have noticed how one mom can lose just a little blood in birth and have a very difficult time with that loss, while other moms can lose a lot of blood after birth and be just fine. (This between-mother difference is a nuance most postpartum hemorrhage guidelines can’t predict or account for at present)
Things that may help with healthy blood volume expansion in pregnancy:
Hydration: water with a pinch of salt, water with a squeeze of lemon, water with a splash of apple cider vinegar
Protein and healthy fat in every meal: not just for building blocks, but for hormone and antioxidant support
Outdoor time: circadian programming, infrared, and UVA/UVB all influence the rate of blood cell creation and the efficiency of RBC recycling via their impacts on mitochondria and the endocrine system
Bedroom under 1 lux overnight: a minimum of 10 consecutive hours each night in a very dim (or fully dark) environment allows sufficient time for melatonin to do it’s work and a full autophagy/mitophagy cycle to take place
I teach more about how this all comes together to support healthy blood in my Quantum Anemia Theories series.
Updates from Nikko:
This is the very last week to get my Practitioner Lessons: The Circadian and Quantum Childbearing Year program through Substack with your Quantum tier subscription.
The program includes 14 lessons where you are guided through preconception, fertility, pregnancy and birth through a quantum lens of light & redox. Each lesson walks you through the information I have found to be most relevant to this time, and offers you the opportunity to complete short projects and get direct feedback from me so you can fill out your own marketing with resources on these topics or even create your own course or program based on my template.
Nikko’s practitioner lessons were such a discovery for me. I learned so much — not only for myself and my family, but also for my work as a doula. As a mom of a baby, improving my circadian health and sleep has made a big difference in my daily life. But what’s been really special is being able to share this knowledge with other mothers. Understanding how light affects our bodies has helped me guide women to sleep better, rest more deeply, and improve their overall well-being. Sleep quality is incredibly important, especially during the postpartum period, and this knowledge has allowed me to support mothers in a much more meaningful way. Discovering Nikko has truly been life-changing for me, and I’m so grateful to have met her.
Ainhoa Bilbao
All existing Quantum tier members here will be grandfathered into this practitioner level program inside new platform with Lifetime Access.
You have until March 27, 2026 to upgrade and get this migration offer.
I am forever grateful for stumbling upon Nikko’s Substack a year ago and taking the time to finish the practitioner training. It has completely changed my perspective on how I perceive prenatal health and also made me realize how surface level the education on maternal-fetal health is in nursing school curriculums. Anyone who takes the time to go through each lesson will leave empowered and motivated to bring this information to as many families as possible! You’ll be happy to find out how easy and intuitive it will feel to incorporate the foundational principles of circadian and quantum biology into your life. It will truly make it easy to encourage others to do the same. I believe acquiring this knowledge is a HUGE missing puzzle piece in efforts aimed to improve maternal-fetal health around the world. Thank you for changing my life Nikko you truly helped me confidently leave my NICU nurse career in hopes to spread this knowledge to any and all ears that are willing to listen and hopefully prevent NICU admissions along the way!
Amandaliz Conte
Here’s where you can upgrade (choose the Quantum tier—this offer is only available in the highest tier, NOT the regular monthly/annual tier).
If you are in the regular tier, you can upgrade to the Quantum level in your account settings and what you have already paid will be prorated automatically.
If you have any questions, leave a comment or email me at nikko@brighterdaysdarkernights.com.
I appreciate all of you!