Mother's Anaemia May Affect Baby's Brain After Birth

A study tracked over 300 mother-baby pairs in Cape Town. Mothers with even mild anaemia — a shortage of healthy red blood cells — had babies whose brains were about 4% smaller. The gaps, in areas controlling movement, learning, and emotion, were not present at birth but showed up by age one and grew by age two. This suggests help may be needed beyond pregnancy into a baby's first years.