Birthweight is one of the most accessible and most misunderstood variables in epidemiology. A baby’s weight at birth is strongly associated with mortality risk during the first year and, to a lesser degree, with developmental problems in childhood and the risk of various diseases in adulthood.
Is birth weight a good indicator of health?
Birth weight for gestational age is found to be suitable as a health indicator at the local area level.
Does high birth weight indicate?
High birth weight babies are often big because the parents are big, or the mother has diabetes during pregnancy . These babies may be at a higher risk of birth injuries and problems with blood sugar.
What is a healthy birth weight?
The average birth weight for babies is around 7.5 lb (3.5 kg), although between 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) and 10 lb (4.5 kg) is considered normal. In general: Boys are usually a little heavier than girls.
Is higher birth weight better?
A lighter baby of well-educated parents is likely to do much better in life than a heavier baby of high-school dropouts. Yet within every group the researchers studied, birth weight appeared to have a noticeable effect, even after controlling for a long list of other factors.
What causes babies to be big at birth?
Genetic factors and maternal conditions such as obesity or diabetes can cause fetal macrosomia. Rarely, a baby might have a medical condition that makes him or her grow faster and larger. Sometimes it’s unknown what causes a baby to be larger than average.
What are the signs of a big baby?
If your belly is measuring larger than expected for how far along you are supposed to be, then you may be carrying a large baby. Feeling your abdomen : The doctor or midwife will move her hands along your belly to feel the baby’s size and position.
Does baby weight indicate adult weight?
Background: Both birth length and birth weight are associated with height in adulthood and may have independent contributions to adult body size, but the effects of gestational age on these associations have not been fully evaluated.
Does birth weight affect life expectancy?
Weighing less than 5.5 pounds at birth increases the probability of being in fair or poor health as an adult by over 70 percent. Not only does birth weight have large and lasting effects across the life course, the researchers note, but its effects become larger later in life .
What are causes of low birth weight?
What causes low birthweight? The primary cause is premature birth , being born before 37 weeks gestation; a baby born early has less time in the mother’s uterus to grow and gain weight, and much of a fetus’s weight is gained during the latter part of the mother’s pregnancy.
Is 2 kg baby normal?
Babies weighing less than 1,500 grams (3 pounds, 5 ounces) at birth are considered very low birth weight. Babies who weigh less than 1,000 grams (2 pounds, 3 ounces) are extremely low birth weight.
What is the heaviest baby ever born?
According to Guinness World Records, the heaviest baby on record was born in Aversa, Italy, in 1955. That baby boy was born weighing 22 pounds 8 ounces . Guinness World Records reports the heaviest baby born in the United States was 22 pounds in Seville, Ohio, in 1879.
Is a 9 pound baby big?
What is a big baby? The medical term for big baby is macrosomia, which literally means “big body.” Some researchers consider a baby to be big when it weighs 4,000 grams (8 lbs., 13 oz.) or more at birth, and others say a baby is big if it weighs 4,500 grams (9 lbs., 15 oz.) or more (Rouse et al.
Are Heavier babies smarter?
In the biggest study to date examining the influence of birth weight on intelligence, scientists have found that babies born on the heavy side of normal tend to be brighter as adults. Experts have long known that premature or underweight babies tend to be less intelligent as children .
Is it safe to deliver a 10 pound baby?
A baby that weighs more than 10 pounds poses the risk of delivery complications such as excessive bleeding for the mother, increasing the likelihood of long-term nerve injuries or needing a c-section. Even then, the risk of bleeding and delivery complications loom.
Is a six pound baby healthy?
The average weight at birth was between 6 pounds, 9 ounces (3,000 grams), and 7 pounds, 11 ounces (3,500 grams). 6 8.28% of babies were considered to be low birth weight (defined as less than 5.5 pounds or about 2,500 grams). 7
