Hemolytic anemia in a newborn after maternal treatment with nitrofurantoin at the end of pregnancy

Drug administration during the last trimester of pregnancy may have adverse effects for the newborn. A hemolytic anemia occurred during the first hours of life in a full-term neonate whose mother had taken nitrofurantoin during the last month of pregnancy. The immature enzymatic systems of the neonate are exposed to this adverse effect and justify the recommendation not to prescribe nitrofurantoin at the end of pregnancy.