News

6th April 2005

Post-natal anaemia can damage bonding

New mothers who are mildly deficient in iron may have trouble properly bonding with their baby, according to new research.

A study by Penn State University in America, found that women with anaemia were less emotionally in tune with their babies.

The study was presented in San Diego and follows previous research which has shown anaemic mothers are more prone to post natal depression.

Mild anaemia is common after birth, due to the volumes of blood lost during labour.

The researchers compared 64 South African mothers who were mildly iron deficient with 31 who were not.

At 10 weeks after childbirth, the women and their babies were videotaped interacting.

Half of the iron-deficient women were then given iron supplements.

After nine months, all of the women were videotaped interacting with their babies again.

Analysis of the tapes showed women who were iron sufficient and those who received supplements seemed to be more emotionally available to their babies.

The mildly iron-deficient mothers were less sensitive to their baby's sounds. They also scored lower on giving their babies chances to lead interactions.

In addition, the iron-deficient mothers cut in on the baby's play at inappropriate times more often and appeared bored or distant more frequently than the other mothers.

At nine months, the babies of the three groups of mothers also behaved differently. The babies of the mildly iron-deficient women were less responsive and less involved with their mothers.

And when moving away, the babies would depend less on their mother for reassurance.

Researcher Dr Laura Murray-Kolb said, "Our new results suggest that the effects of mild iron deficiency can disrupt the solid foundation that is established by healthy mother/infant interactions.

"New mothers should be aware of their iron status which, we know now, affects the child as well as the mother.

"Iron deficiency is easy to correct and could be a big part of post-partum problems with mother/child interactions."

• Should women routinely receive iron during and after pregnancy? Share your views in Discuss, Debate and Deliberate