ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Hematologists, neonatologists, and obstetricians have long been fascinated with the development of the fetal hemostatic system, which this chapter reviews. First, it should be noted that hemostasis is functionally intact in well full-term infants, and clinical presentation of excessive bleeding or clotting in a healthy infant is rare. However, the sick infant, especially the sick preterm infant, is uniquely prone to overt signs of paradoxical bleeding and clotting, often simultaneously. Histological signs of hemorrhage and thrombosis are routinely found on autopsies of babies who have died from any cause.
