BACKGROUND: During pregnancy metabolic disorders that affect differently the fetus, are known. These could be early or late disorders. OBJECTIVES: To analyze different biochemical parameters in umbilical cord blood (UCB) of healthy and pathological newborns from mothers with metabolic disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples from UCB (121) were analyzed of newborn from mothers with metabolic disorders who attended at Obstetrics Division. Patients were consecutive, prospective and transversally studied. Newborn were classified as healthy (n = 65) and pathological (n = 56). The maternal metabolic disorders were gestational or non-gestational diabetes, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and/or obesity).The disorders of the pathological newborns were intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and/or fetal distress. Glucose (Glu), urea, creatinine, uric acid (UA), total bilirubin (TB), total proteins (TP), albumin (Alb), transaminases (ALT/AST), alkaline-phosphatase (ALP), gammaglutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), creatinkinasa (CK), lactatedehydrogenase, amylase (amy), pseudocholinesterase, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium (Mg), sodium, potassium, chlorine, cholesterol (Chol), HDL-Chol, LDL-Chol, triglycerides (TG), high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) were determined by recommended methods. T-Student's and Mann Withney tests were applied, p < .05. RESULTS: Pathological neonates (n: 56) showed a significant decrease in maternal gestation weeks (GW) and in newborn weight (NW) with respect to healthy newborns (n: 65) from mothers with metabolic disorders (p < .0001). Pathological neonates from mothers with metabolic pathologies (n: 56) showed significant increases in Chol, TG, TB (p < .01), LDL-Chol, UA, Mg, hsCRP, ALP levels (p < .05) and significant decreases in TP, Alb (p < .0001) and Glu, ALT, CK, GGT, amy (p < .05) in UCB with respect to healthy newborns. CONCLUSIONS: In pathological newborn, the decrease in GW and NW would be related to IUGR that accompany these metabolic disorders. The increases observed of the analyzed parameters would be related to cellular destruction associated to maternal pathology and decreases of the parameters to IUGR with hepatic immaturity.