A month ago we talked to you about the appearance of the baby at birth, what it would be like in the first days after arriving in the world, so that you would have a minimum reference and help you to solve the typical doubts of the parents who have just been.
Today we continue with that entry a bit focusing on the weight and height 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 pulling lightly and the one in the room next door to the hospital, who was born the same day, looks like his older brother (or vice versa).
What does the weight of a baby depend on at birth?
Babies do not all weigh 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:
- The duration of the pregnancy : Logically, the longer a baby is gestating in its mother’s belly, the bigger it will be. A baby is born to term when it is born after 37 weeks of gestation, and it is considered post-term from 42 weeks. Between 37 and 42 there is a difference of one month. For a baby it is not the same to leave at 37 as at 42, so despite being born to term in both, at 42 it is sure to be larger than if it were born at 37.
- The size of the parents : It is not an exact rule, because sometimes you see small children with large parents, but there is a clear trend. If the mother and father are rather tall, children are born big. If the parents are short, the children are usually born small.
- The mother’s diet during pregnancy : pregnancy is the worst time in a woman’s life to start a weight loss diet or to deprive herself of nutrients that both she and the baby need. It is because the risk of preterm birth is higher, the baby may have worse brain development, may be born with a cleft lip, and may also be born underweight.
- Possible complications in pregnancy : There are circumstances in pregnancy that can change the size of the baby. If the mother has had high blood pressure during pregnancy or has 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 from gestational diabetes, the baby could be larger.
- Consumption of substances harmful to the baby : tobacco, alcohol or drugs during pregnancy affect the size of the baby.
How do you know if your size is correct?
If a child is very young, or very large, development and life outside the womb can be relatively difficult for him. For this reason, when babies are born, after measuring and weighing them, the figures are compared with those that are considered normal at birth. This is done by looking at the weight and height charts by percentiles.
In them, it is observed what is the usual size of babies and what is the usual weight at birth, and thus the newborn baby is compared to know if everything is normal or if there could be something to take into account. For you to have more data, tell you that it is normal for a newborn child to measure between 46 and 53.5 cm and weigh between 2,500 and 4,300 kg . If it is a girl, the normal is that it measures between 45.5 and 53 cm and weighs between 2,400 and 4,200 kg .
If it comes out from the top or the bottom, you have to see the reasons, because it could be something normal or there could be a cause to work on or solve.
What 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 the 10th).
In the event that the baby is large, which is something that amazes the relatives a lot, because it gives the feeling that the bigger it is, the healthier it is, you have to monitor blood sugar levels , because They may have difficulty regulating them, and to prevent hypoglycemia (a very low level of sugar that affects the baby’s level of consciousness) it is necessary to feed him more often than other babies.
If the baby is small, the issue of feeding must be taken into account, since sometimes they have more problems eating , and you have to monitor the temperature, because they may have more problems regulating their 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 he is tall. weight and head circumference are increasing as expected. If this is not the case, it will be necessary to assess whether there are any food or health problems.
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 influencing fetal growth
