12/11/2025
👩⚕️In medicine, there’s always new research to understand and new guidelines to put into practice.
Last month the Low Risk Maternity Care team gathered for another retreat to review current evidence and advice for our patients.
A few takeaways:
➡ A major reason preeclampsia leads to severe complications or death is that people often don’t get care soon enough. Caregivers play a key role in teaching patients what symptoms to look for and why it’s crucial to seek medical care right away. A good resource for patients is
➡ Babies who weigh less than 2.5kg at birth benefit from iron supplementation. Iron is a vital nutrient that helps the body make healthy blood, supports brain development, and strengthens the immune system. Young children are especially vulnerable because not getting enough iron during early childhood can affect their brain growth and development.
Families can consult with their care provider to determine the amount and duration of iron supplementation as it depends on the baby's birthweight and to what extent they are breast and/or bottlefed. You can learn more in the Canadian Pediatric Society's Practice Point about Iron Requirements in the First 2 Years of Life.
➡ Testing for measles immunity may be considered for pregnant patients who were not vaccinated and are at high risk of exposure. In most other cases, testing isn’t recommended because one dose of the measles (MMR) vaccine already protects about 93% of people—and the routine schedule includes two doses.
Rubella is also a part of the MMR vaccine, and although we routinely check rubella immunity during pregnancy, rubella results do not reflect measles immunity. This means that someone who is not immune to rubella is likely still protected against measles.
You can learn more, including up to date reporting of current measles cases in Calgary at www.albertahealth.ca/measles.
