Iron is a mineral that is important in making new red blood cells. Many children and adults do not get enough iron in their diet and are anemic because of the lack of iron. Babies are born with plenty of iron, but they need to have iron in their diet. Premature babies become anemic sooner than full-term infants because they start out with fewer red blood cells. They also lose blood from frequent blood tests.
Many premature babies become anemic before their body can make red blood cells.
They may need a transfusion of blood. The smaller a premature baby is, the more likely he will need one or more blood transfusions in the first 2 months of life. Every baby in the special care nursery has a red blood cell count, or hematocrit, several times a week. It is expected that the blood count will gradually fall. A baby is not treated for anemia unless the baby develops symptoms of anemia or the hematocrit level drops too low.