Little Tiny

The baby was born. First, I really want to know whether it’s a boy or a girl. And immediately the second question - how much does it weigh? After all, it is obvious to everyone that it is very important to have the right weight. It’s simple - if the baby is uncomfortable in the mother’s tummy, there is not enough nutrition, then the baby will gain little weight. Insufficient intrauterine weight gain is the first alarming symptom of trouble. Therefore, the doctor, knowing how much the baby should weigh at each stage of pregnancy, during an ultrasound examination must determine the approximate weight of the baby.

Typically, the average weight of a full-term newborn baby is 3300–3500 g, and its height is 50 cm. Normal values ​​are considered to be between 2500–4200 g and a height of 45–55 cm. I would like to say that the weight of the child at birth does not determine the weight of the baby in the future, a child with a birth weight of 4000 g will not necessarily weigh more by the year than a baby who was born with a weight of 3200 g. But there is a certain correspondence between growth at birth and in the future - large children are likely to be taller than children whose height was small at birth.

To assess intrauterine development, most pediatricians analyze not separate indicators of height and weight, but the so-called weight-height indicator, which is obtained if height in cm is divided by weight in grams. Normally, at birth, this ratio should be at least 60. If this indicator drops below 55, the newborn may be diagnosed with intrauterine growth retardation. Then, using special tables, doctors determine which indicator - weight or height - differs more from the average values. With a predominant decrease in body weight at birth, they speak of hypotrophy (hypo - from the Greek little, trophos - from the Greek nutrition) or a hypotrophic variant of intrauterine growth retardation.

Why is a child born with low weight or height? This may be due to pathology of the placenta, with severe gestosis, with some diseases of the mother, for example, hypertension, as well as with unfavorable working conditions for a woman during pregnancy. An important condition for the harmonious development of the baby in utero and good weight gain is a balanced diet and, of course, the absence of bad habits, in particular smoking.

Babies born with developmental delays find it more difficult to adapt, and for them the process of even normal childbirth is a serious stress. After birth, children with low birth weight require special attention from the doctor and parents, since they absorb nutrition somewhat worse, and therefore weight loss after birth in such babies is more pronounced, and it is more difficult for them to retain heat.

Undoubtedly, developmental delay, like any problem, is easier to prevent than to treat. Prevention of fetal malnutrition involves planning and preparing for pregnancy. It is very important that during pregnancy the expectant mother is under the supervision of experienced doctors who will be able to identify the problem of delayed fetal development in time and carry out treatment.

Assessment of anthropometric indicators is important not only immediately after birth, but also later in the first year of the baby’s life. Weight gain characterizes the baby's appetite and directly depends on the child's health and the amount of nutrition. The pediatrician builds a weight gain graph based on the weight data. A flat or decreasing curve on the weight graph is a reason to look for the cause. But I would like to immediately warn worried mothers. After weighing and measuring your baby, you should not draw conclusions on your own. They may be wrong and cause unnecessary negative emotions to the mother.