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Birthweight
The majority of babies, weigh approximately 3- 3½ kg at birth, with
a small percentage weighing in at no more than 2 kilograms. These
underweight infants were previously labelled 'premature infants',
eventhough they were born at the correct time.
Nowadays, doctors prefer to refer to them as 'small-for-date'
babies, drawing a distinction between those who were born too soon
and those who were born at the correct time, but are underweight.
Several of the factors that may cause a baby to be born
'small-for-date', can be detected in early pregnancy, so it is vital
that you follow up all your antenatal appointments, for your doctor
to be able to fully assess the correct development of your unborn
child. Ultra-sound scanning, for example, allows just that.
At birth, the doctor will carefully examine the baby, to check for
any other problems, as generally, the smaller the baby the greater
the problems. Underweight infants have dry wrinkled skin, and tend
to look lank and thin, needing extra care and warmth in the days
following the birth. Breathing difficulties, anaemia, jaundice and
trouble with feeding are all common problems in these babies, and
they may need to spend time in a special care unit. Many of these
infants do however, go on to lead a normal healthy life.
Factors that may interfere with the baby's proper nourishment and
weight gain during pregnancy:
- Your diet: Too little of the correct food may result in
a small baby, while too much of the wrong food, in an overly large
one.
- Your lifestyle: Alcohol, smoking and drug abuse can all
stunt foetal development.
- Your weight: Women who tend to be overweight before
pregnancy and who gain excessive weight during the nine months,
seem to have heavier babies, while those of a smaller frame before
pregnancy, and who seldomly ate the correct foods, tend to have
smaller babies.
- Your health: Diabetes of any kind may cause the mother
to give birth to a large baby, while toxaemia or placental
problems will result in a baby with a lighter birthweight.
- Baby's sex: Girls on average tend to be a little
lighter and shorter than boys.
- Order of birth: Firstborns' are often smaller than
subsequent ones.
- Multiple births: Single birth babies do tend to weigh
more than those of a multiple pregnancy.
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