Which of the Following Is (Are) at High Risk for Having a Low Birth Weight Baby?

What Does Low Birth Weight Mean?

Depression nascence weight contributes to 60 to 80 percent of neonatal deaths worldwide. Approximately 20 1000000 low birth weight babies are born every year, well-nigh of them in developing countries. Preterm births, those occurring before the 37th week of pregnancy, are besides on the rise. They business relationship for over x per centum of births globally. Most premature infants also accept low nascence weights.

Complications from prematurity and low birth weight are the leading cause of death for children under age v effectually the world. Many survivors of preterm birth and low birth weight may suffer from disabilities such as learning issues, hearing impairment and vision problems.

The normal range of birth weight is from v.5 to 8.75 pounds. Commitment afterwards the 37th week of pregnancy is considered "at term." Any baby born weighing less than 5.5 pounds is depression birth weight, and a baby born earlier 37 weeks is premature.

About i in 12, or eight percent, of babies in the United states of america is born underweight, and nigh two-thirds of these low birth weight babies are also premature. A small percentage, about 1.4 pct of babies have very low nascence weight – under three.five pounds. Virtually all of these babies are premature, and some are extremely premature – born at 25 weeks or earlier.

The number of babies born with low nascency weight is increasing along with the number of multiple births in the United States. More than half of multiple birth babies have low nascence weight, and half dozen percent of single birth babies are built-in with depression birth weight.

Tin can a Doc Diagnose Possible Depression Nascence Weight Before Delivery?

During a prenatal visit, the doctor will check for medical problems that might point the baby is not growing properly. Conditions of the mother, such equally preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, may limit the nutrition the baby gets through the placenta.

The dr. will measure the superlative of the fundus, or the tiptop of the uterus, from the pubic bone. The fundal summit measurement in centimeters should correspond with the week of pregnancy from the 20th week onward. If it is less than expected, the doctor may worry that the infant is not growing every bit it should. The doc may too estimate a baby's size through ultrasound.

 Depression nascence weight babies can exist born at term or prematurely. Any baby born who weighs at or below the tenth percentile for weight based on their gestational historic period at nativity is minor for gestational age (SGA) or low nativity weight.

What Causes Low Nativity Weight?

The primary cause of low nativity weight is premature birth, or whatever delivery earlier 37 weeks. The baby has not had enough time in the uterus to grow and gain weight. Babies born at term who are underweight may nonetheless be pocket-sized and weak. Premature babies will be both modest and not yet fully developed.

Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) and SGA are not the aforementioned thing, although they oft appear together. IUGR is when the baby'south weight is under the 10th percentile for their gestational age before they are born. It is diagnosed by ultrasound. IUGR indicates the fetus has not reached its full potential for growth considering of some ecology factor in the womb or some genetic cistron. SGA refers to a babe who weighs less than the 10th percentile for their gestational age at nascence.

With IUGR, the babe may be developing too slowly due to infections in the uterus or due to birth defects. Babies with birth defects are more likely to be born prematurely and also with low nascency weights.The doctor will desire to constitute an accurate gestational engagement for the pregnancy, starting the count from the first solar day of the last menstrual cycle. Once the gestational historic period of the fetus is known, the doctor tin can more easily make up one's mind whether the fundal height coincides with the expected size of the baby. The doctor can also compare ultrasound findings with expectations for a fetus of that age.

Some women are more at hazard for having babies with IUGR. Risk factors in the mother include:

• Weight of the female parent under 100 pounds.
• Poor prenatal nutrition
• Use of alcohol, cigarettes or drugs
• Pregnancy-induced high blood pressure level or preeclampsia
• Gestational diabetes
• Chronic wellness conditions like diabetes, heart problems, lung or kidney problems, and loftier blood pressure
• Taking medications for conditions including claret clots, seizures and high blood pressure
• Inadequate weight gain during pregnancy
• Birth of a previous depression birth weight babe.
• Age nether 17 or over 35
• Racial and ethnic factors: Women of color in the United States are between vii and 13 times more likely to have a babe with low birth weight.
• Socioeconomic factors, such equally poverty, low instruction and exposure to domestic violence.

Conditions inside the uterus may as well cause the fetus difficulty in getting the nutrition it needs to grow and develop. These include:

• Birth defects and chromosomal abnormalities
• Problems or abnormalities with the placenta
• Problems with the umbilical cord.
• Being a fetus with a twin or triplet (or more) in the uterus.
• Inadequate amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios)
• Infections in the uterus, such equally rubella, chicken pox, sexually transmitted infections, cytomegalovirus or toxoplasmosis
• Birth by preterm labor shortening the time available to grow and develop.

What Can Be Done to Prevent Low Birth Weight Before Delivery?

The all-time mode to avoid having a depression birth weight baby is to go early prenatal care and proceed information technology throughout the pregnancy. The doctor tracks the growth and development of the baby and knows of any warning signs early on enough to let interventions. If the female parent develops health problems, these tin can be treated before they become major problems for the baby. Ensure practiced maternal nutrition and adequate weight proceeds during pregnancy and avoid alcohol, drugs and cigarettes to amend the odds of delivering a healthy baby.

Medical scientific discipline is allowing the survival of smaller and smaller babies, and babies are born much earlier in the gestational period. These babies are very underdeveloped and face a lifetime of struggles, much of which could have been prevented past being kept in the womb longer.

A meaning woman should control her diabetes or loftier blood pressure and take prenatal vitamins with folic acid throughout her pregnancy. She should follow her md's recommendations regarding how much weight to gain during her pregnancy. She should alert her medical team immediately if she has any signs of preterm labor.

What Are Some Complications for Babies With Low Birth Weight?

Premature babies born effectually 32 weeks may struggle with breathing, staying warm and eating. Babies born very early, after fewer than six months or 26 weeks gestation, are the ones most likely to have more than serious problems.

Premature babies may take problems breathing, called respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Babies with RDS lack a protein called surfactant, which helps go on small air sacs in their lungs from collapsing. They receive this surfactant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to aid their lungs work better and mature. They may also get supplemental oxygen.

Some premature babies and babies with low birth weight develop intraventricular hemorrhage, or brain bleeds. Most are mild and fix themselves, and exit no ongoing problems. More severe bleeds crusade fluid buildup and force per unit area in the brain, which can cause brain damage. The baby may require surgery and the insertion of a tube to drain the excess fluid and foreclose harm.

One trouble seen more oft is patent ductus arteriosus, in which an opening between ii of the major blood vessels leading away from the centre has not yet closed properly. This leads to extra blood menstruation into the lungs. In some cases, the pigsty closes on its own afterward a few days. In other babies, surgery or medication may be required.

Tiny babies too accept immature intestines that are more than decumbent to necrotizing enterocolitis. This leads to swelling of the belly, feeding problems, and possibly surgery to remove damaged parts of the intestine.

Many premature infants are born with the retinas of their eyes non yet fully developed. Retinopathy of prematurity affects both optics and requires immediate treatment for the baby to go on their vision.

Depression birth weight and premature infants may have livers that are non working well or are not fully adult. They cannot process the chemical bilirubin out of their body and develop jaundice. Their eyes and skin plow yellow because of the excess bilirubin in their blood. Treatment includes time nether special lights to transform the bilirubin into a chemic that is easier to rid from the torso, Iv treatment with immunoglobulin blood proteins, or even blood transfusions.

Because many low birth weight babies are also premature, doctors may have trouble telling which problems are due to the prematurity and which are due to the depression nascency weight. Regardless, the smaller a baby is at nascency, the more probable he or she will take complications. Their survival depends on how well they gain weight and avert infections.

Babies born with IUGR are statistically at higher risk for:

• Nascency by cesarean section.
• Lack of oxygen (hypoxia) at birth.
• Meconium aspiration, where the baby swallows function of its first bowel movement. The alveoli sacs in the baby's lungs become distended and a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, tin can occur. The baby may develop bacterial pneumonia.
• Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, at birth.
• Polycythemia, an increased number of cherry blood cells, related to lack of oxygen.
• Decreased blood catamenia (hyperviscosity) due to backlog red claret cells.
• Increased risk of neurological and motor disabilities and delays.
• College gamble of social delays and learning disabilities.

How Do Doctors Treat Babies With Low Nascence Weight?

Treatment for the infant is determined by the md depending on the baby's gestational historic period, health and power to tolerate treatments. Many times, care of a depression birth weight or preterm baby includes spending fourth dimension in the NICU, a temperature-controlled incubator, and special feeding through a stomach tube or Four line. Typically, depression birthweight babies can catch up in growth if they have no other complications.

 Low birth weight babies need to receive plenty nutrition to grow in the NICU at about the rate they would have if they had stayed in the uterus. For a tiny baby born at 24 weeks, this may mean gaining about five grams (0.20 ounce) per day at start. A larger baby born around 33 weeks may need to gain xx-thirty grams (0.7 to 1.1 oz) per day. Mostly, a low nascence weight infant should proceeds about ¼ ounce per 24-hour interval for every pound they counterbalance. This is the average rate a fetus grows throughout the third trimester of pregnancy.

Very premature babies may have trouble sucking from a chest or canteen considering they cannot coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing. Less premature babies often do best breastfeeding. A canteen nipple may cause them problems considering information technology is harder to command.

Fifty-fifty the smallest depression birth weight and premature babies do good from chest milk, whether it comes from breastfeeding, a bottle, or via a tube feeding. Chest milk contains antibodies from the mother that help protect the baby from infections, Sudden Infant Decease Syndrome (SIDS), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). If the mother cannot produce plenty milk, many NICUs volition give babies breast milk from a milk depository financial institution considering breast milk has benefits that cannot be replicated with formula.

After birth, it is important to guard low birth weight babies against infections, animate problems and aridity. These babies lose more water than babies born at term or normal weights considering their kidneys are non developed plenty to control water levels. The nurses in the NICU proceed close watch on the baby'south fluid intake and output to ensure they stay properly hydrated.

What are Some Long Term Implications for Babies Born with Low Birth Weight?

Low birth weight babies are more likely to take wellness problems after in their lives. These issues may exist related to also being built-in prematurely, or to failing to go the nutrition they needed at critical times during their gestation. Early intervention and treatment are disquisitional to helping growing kids develop usually.

As medicine allows smaller and more prematurely born infants to survive, nosotros encounter these children developing a range of health outcomes. Some accept no illnesses or negative outcomes at all, while others continue to have slower growth, more than illnesses, and other problems throughout their lives. Babies with low nascency weight born into situations where they are at take a chance socially or economically are more at adventure for health problems

Nearly fourscore percent of low birth weight infants suffer some long-term side furnishings, from dumb immune systems or lung bug to learning disabilities, behavior bug or even cerebral palsy. About 20 percent of premature and low nascency weight babies go on to accept no health problems at all. Yet, parents of all low nascency weight infants must provide good nutrition and wellness care throughout childhood to ensure the best outcomes for these children.

If you are concerned nigh your baby's risk for low birth weight, talk to your obstetrician at Kansas City ObGyn. Contact united states of america at This email accost is being protected from spambots. You demand JavaScript enabled to view it. or (913) 948-9636.

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Source: https://www.kcobgyn.com/blog/low-birth-weight

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