Association between Maternal Hemoglobin and Neonatal Birth Weight: A Hospital-Based Study

Maternal Hemoglobin and Birth Weight

Abstract

Objective: To assess the association between maternal hemoglobin status at delivery and neonatal birth weight among hospital deliveries in Sahiwal. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Settings: Departments of Biochemistry and Gynecology & Obstetrics, Sahiwal Medical College, Sahiwal Pakistan. Duration: January to June 2025. Methods: Among 170 postpartum women enrolled using a purposive sampling technique after obtaining written informed consent. Hemoglobin levels of mothers and neonatal birth weight were recorded using a standardized pro forma at birth. Frequencies and percentages were used to summarize qualitative variables, and means ± standard deviations were reported for quantitative variables in SPSS. Results: The mean maternal age was 29.3 ± 5.5 years. Mean APGAR scores at one and five minutes were 6.5 ± 1.9 and 6.9 ± 2.9, respectively. Maternal anemia was present in 85.3% of participants, and low birth weight occurred in 24.1% of neonates. The available grouped analyses did not provide statistically conclusive evidence of an association between maternal anemia status and neonatal birth weight. Conclusion: Maternal anemia was highly prevalent. The available grouped analysis did not provide statistically conclusive evidence of an association between maternal anemia at delivery and neonatal birth weight. Findings regarding gestational duration should be interpreted only after verification of the eligibility criteria and source data.