polycythemia in newborns

[TowelStripes]

Hi all

Has anyone had a newborn diagnosed with polycythemia?

My week old has bright red skin and while googling, came across this syndrome. Another symptom is having very thick blood and during the heel prick test, the midwife was practically unable to get blood out of him because of how thick the blood was. It essentially clot immediately.

Google doesn't have a huge amount of info, but what it does have makes for quite scary reading.

The midwife is due a visit tomorrow so will mention it then but keen to hear experiences of others as panicking a bit now

It's normal to start life with a very high haemoglobin. This gradually falls over the first months of life. Severe polycythaemia can be a cause or symptom of more significant problems but these are normally unwell babies or have other abnormalities. If he's now a week old with no other issues coming to light this is very likely within the range of normal.

OK, that's really helpful, thank you. Wheat about the very ruddy complexion, my baby is very red all over, even when not crying out too hot. I also may have had undiagnosed diabetes during pregnancy, so either of these make it more likely?

Being very red fits with the high haemoglobin (red blood cells) but this will settle down over time. It is more likely in bigger babies or if mothers were diabetic during pregnancy.