The relationship between hematocrit levels in gravidae and their newborn

The changes in hematocrit levels during pregnancy in 90 Nigerian women, both anemic and nonanemic, were studied. The maternal levels at term were compared to the hematocrit levels of their newborns. The anemic patients received 200 mg of ferrous sulfate three times daily throughout pregnancy. Generally, the hematocrit level either decreased slightly or remained unchanged during the first half of pregnancy, with or without iron supplements. The decrease was, however, more noticeable in the nonanemic patients. Babies delivered by patients who remained anemic at term had hematocrit levels that were actually in the upper limits of the normally acceptable range.