‘No woman should be forced to choose between her health and her baby’s future:’ NH program offers expectant mothers access to iron therapy not covered by OHIP

Photo by Diane Moore

Shemiah Marcus-McDonald with her newborn son Amani Hall, both healthy thanks to blood transfusions called intravenous iron therapy at the Niagara Health ONTraC Clinic during her pregnancy.

At 26, Shemiah Marcus-McDonald expected her first pregnancy to be full of changes. What she didn’t expect was how deeply iron deficiency would affect her health — and her baby’s.

“With this being my first pregnancy, it has been a bit of a roller coaster of many changes, especially in the physical aspect,” she says. “I was iron deficient before pregnancy and was aware of how it could negatively impact my baby, but I definitely was not expecting my blood levels to drop so much and make me feel so out of whack.”

The symptoms were alarming: dizzy spells, shortness of breath, heavy fatigue, even seeing spots.

“It was hard to differentiate whether or not the shortness of breath was caused by my baby getting bigger and sitting high in my tummy,” she says. “It became quite uncomfortable, so much so that it brought me to tears each night. Once the other symptoms arose I followed my gut and came into the hospital. It was the right call. All parents should follow their gut, always.”

At Niagara Health, the ONTraC (Ontario Transfusion Coordinators) clinic works to reduce the need for blood transfusions by improving patients’ health before surgery or childbirth. For expectant mothers, that often means arranging IV iron therapy — sometimes making the difference between a difficult pregnancy and a safe delivery.

Marcus-McDonald quickly learned how critical that support could be.

“I am very grateful to the staff and physicians who made it a priority to find this program funding for my infusions,” she says. “Since getting pregnant I have been in a very tight spot financially, however, through donations I was able to receive two infusions so far. A few days after having each infusion I had so much more energy and all my symptoms pretty much disappeared.”

Stories like Marcus-McDonald’s are exactly why Stephanie Scott, ONTraC Nurse Coordinator, and Dr. Mohammad Refaei, ONTraC Physician Lead, are determined to shine a light on iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pregnancy. Despite being one of the most common health issues for expectant mothers, IDA is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Left unmanaged, it can increase complications in childbirth and has even been linked to autism, ADHD and intellectual disabilities in children.

“Most women don’t realize that their own blood health is directly connected to their baby’s development,” says Dr. Refaei. “By treating anemia early, we’re not only protecting mothers, but also giving babies a stronger start in life.”

IV iron treatments can cost between $300 and $600 each and are not covered by OHIP. Recognizing that barrier, Scott partnered with the Niagara Health Foundation to create a dedicated fund this past spring. Already, three mothers — including Marcus-McDonald — have received treatment they otherwise couldn’t afford.

“This initiative is about equity,” Scott says. “Ensuring every mother has access to essential care, regardless of their financial situation. No woman should be forced to choose between her health and her baby’s future due to unaffordable costs.”

Donors to the Niagara Health Foundation always have the ability to direct their contributions to areas that matter most to them, says Andrea Scott, President & CEO, Niagara Health Foundation.

“By choosing where their donation goes, donors play a vital role in shaping the future and impact their gifts have on our community," she says.

For Marcus-McDonald, the infusion fund eased a burden she feared she couldn’t overcome.

“It was very nerve wracking to think that I would not be able to get these infusions,” she says. “I felt like I was already failing as a mother and I was beating myself up. I was so afraid that my low income could affect my baby so much. All parents should have the chance to receive care for anything that could hurt the health of their babies and themselves, regardless of where they sit financially.”

Both Scott and Dr. Refaei recently took their advocacy to a global stage, sharing their expertise and personal insights in the World Anemia Awareness Mom’s Blood Health campaign (Sept. 1 – 9). They highlighted the vital role of midwives, best practices for supporting women with IDA and the clinic’s innovative HOPE quality improvement project. HOPE focuses on early detection and treatment of iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy, training midwives in best practices and enhancing care to improve outcomes for both moms and babies.

Now, with her iron levels back to normal, Marcus-McDonald is preparing for motherhood with renewed strength.

“I have high hopes that my story and positive experience with ONTraC creates more opportunity to allocate funding for the program to help parents in need,” she says.