Can a baby be born with too much blood? What’s the term for this and what do you do for it?
Published April 16, 2024 | 
( 1997 )
About 1 percent of newborns have more than the normal amount of red blood cells in their bodies when they’re born. This condition is called polycythemia. It can be diagnosed by a blood test, either a hemoglobin or hematocrit. (Normally a baby is born with a hematocrit of approximately 45 to 65 and hemoglobin of 15 to 22.)
If a baby has polycythemia, the evidence may include poor feeding, low blood sugar and labored breathing. Usually these problems are cause for relatively minor concern, don’t require treatment and resolve within a few days. Rarely, polycythemia causes serious problems, such as seizures, due to poor circulation to the brain. If the disorder appears to be causing significant problems, up to several ounces of blood can be removed and replaced with intravenous fluid. This dilutes the circulating red blood cells to a normal level.
Most commonly, polycythemia is caused simply by the baby receiving more than the normal amount of blood from the placenta during birth. Polycythemia also can result from the mother living at high altitude or a placenta that was not functioning optimally.