A month ago we talked about the appearance at birth of the baby, how it would be in the first days after arriving in the world, so that you had a minimum reference and help you solve the typical doubts of the parents who just were.
Today we continue a little with that entry focusing on the weight and size of babies at birth, because many parents have expectations about the weight and size they will have, or doubt when they see that their baby is throwing lightly and that of the room next to the hospital, which was born the same day, looks like his older brother (or vice versa).
What does the weight of a baby at birth depend on?
Babies do not weigh all the same at birth, and this is because there are several factors that affect the weight and height of the unborn baby. Let's see below what these factors are:
- Duration of pregnancy: Logically, the longer a baby is gesturing in his mother's belly, the bigger he will be. A baby is born at term when it does after 37 weeks of gestation, and is considered post term after 42. Between 37 and 42 there is a month apart. For a baby it is not the same to leave at 37 than at 42, so despite the fact that he is born at term in both, at 42 he sure is larger than if he was born at 37.
- The size of the parents: It's not an exact rule, because sometimes you see little children with big parents, but there is a clear trend. If the mother and father are rather tall, the children are born great. If parents are short, children are usually born small.
- The mother's diet during pregnancy: Pregnancy is the worst moment in a woman's life to start a weight loss diet or to deprive herself of nutrients that she and the baby need. It is because the risk of premature delivery is greater, the baby may have a worse brain development, can be born with cleft lip and can also be born with low weight.
- Possible complications in pregnancy: There are circumstances in pregnancy that can change the size of the baby. If the mother had high blood pressure during pregnancy or suffered from some diseases, the baby could be smaller than it would have been if everything had gone well. If instead the mother has suffered gestational diabetes the baby could be bigger.
- The consumption of harmful substances for the baby: tobacco, alcohol or drugs during pregnancy affect the size of the baby.
In Babies and more The growth charts by percentiles: How much does your child weigh compared to the rest?How to know if its size is correct?
If a child is very small, or if he is very large, development and life outside the womb can be relatively complicated. Therefore, when babies are born, after measuring and weighing them, the figures are compared with those considered normal at birth. This is done by looking at the weight and height tables by percentiles.
In them you can see what is the usual size of babies and what is the usual birth weight, and so the newborn baby is compared to see if everything is normal or if there could be something to consider. For you to have more data, tell you that it is normal for a newborn child measure between 46 and 53.5 cm and weigh between 2,500 and 4,300 kg. If she is a girl, it is normal that measure between 45.5 and 53 cm and weigh between 2,400 and 4,200 kg.
If you go above or below you have to see the reasons, because it could be something normal or there could be a cause to work on or solve.
And if it is big or small?
The children closest to the high or low values that I have mentioned are those considered large or small (large, above the 90th percentile and small, below 10).
In the event that the baby is large, which is something that amazes the family, because it gives the feeling that the bigger it is, the healthier it is, you have to monitor with blood sugar levelsWell, they may have difficulty regulating them and, to prevent hypoglycemia (a very low level of sugar that affects the baby's level of consciousness), they must be fed more frequently than the rest of the babies.
In Babies and more The growth charts by percentiles: How much does your child measure compared to the rest?In case the baby is small you have to take into account the issue of feeding, because sometimes they have more trouble eating, and you have to keep an eye on the temperature, because they can have more trouble regulating your own temperature.
Once the days pass and the baby makes his first visit with the pediatrician and the nurse will be measured and weighed again to see if the size. the weight and cranial perimeter are increasing as expected. If this is not the case, it will be necessary to assess whether there is a problem with food or health.
Photos | Thinkstock
In Babies and more | The size of the gut does not depend on the size of the baby, Formula for calculating the weight of the unborn baby, Factors that influence fetal growth
