Birth weight

You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.

Birth weight and gestational age

Classifications

Large for gestational age: Weight is above the 90th percentile at gestational age Macrosomia: Weight is above a defined limit at any gestational age Appropriate for gestational age: Normal birth weight Small for gestational age: Weight is below the 10th percentile at gestational age Low birth weight: Weight is below a defined limit at any gestational age

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Phone:617-525-6884

Please Take Over This Page and Apply to be Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [2] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.

Birth weight is the weight of a baby at its birth. It has direct links with the gestational age at which the child was born and can be estimated during the pregnancy by measuring fundal height. A baby born within the normal range of weight for that gestational age is known as appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Those born above or below that range have often had an unusual rate of development – this often indicates complications with the pregnancy that may affect the baby or its mother. The incidence of birth weight being outside of the AGA is influenced by the parents in numerous ways, including:

• Genetics
• The health of the mother, particularly during the pregnancy
• Environmental factors
• Other factors, like multiple births, where each baby is likely to be outside the AGA, one more so than the other

There have been numerous studies that have attempted, with varying degrees of success, to show links between birth weight and later-life conditions, including diabetes, obesity, tobacco smoking and intelligence.

Conditions

Associated conditions include:

• Large for gestational age
• Small for gestational age

Influence on adult life

Studies have been conducted to investigate how a person's birth weight can influence aspects of their future life. This includes theorised links with obesity, diabetes and intelligence.

Obesity

A baby born small or large for gestational age (either of the two extremes) is thought to have an increased risk of obesity in later life.^[1][1][1]

Diabetes

Babies that have a low birth weight are thought to have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in later life.^[1][1][1]

Intelligence

Some studies have shown a direct link between an increased birth weight and an increased intelligence quotient.^[1][1][1]

Effects on the mother

There is some evidence of a link between a child's birth weight and its mother's risk of cardiovascular disease.^[1]

See also

• MOMO syndrome

References

External links

• "Understanding IUGR A Parent's Guide"
• MedlinePlus Encyclopedia Intrauterine growth restriction
• "Intrauterine Growth Restriction: Identification and Management" at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
• "Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)" at Health System, University of Virginia
• Fetal Growth Restriction at eMedicine
• "Researchers link low birth weight to lower achievement"
• "Management of Suspected Fetal Macrosomia"
• "Vit D linked to baby birth weight" at BBC News, 25 April 2006
• Born in Bradford - 2006 cohort study into the causes of low birth weight and infant mortality in Bradford, UK
• Intrauterine Growth Restriction Help - IUGR factors and solutions
• The IUGR prognostic scale

fr:Retard de croissance intra-utérin it:Restrizione della crescita intrauterina nl:Geboortegewicht

WikiDoc Help Menu Quick Start.. Get Started Here! How to Login How to Search Pages How to Start a New Page How to Edit a Page Cheat Sheet Editing basics Learning Basic Formatting How to make Links in WikiDoc & to External Sites How to Make Lists How to Ignoring Formatting Adding References or Footnotes to Articles Tracking Changes You Have Made How to Put an Article Into a Category When Multiple Topics Should Go To The Same Page (MI, Acute MI, AMI) Using Redirection Advanced editing How to Make Tables How to Insert Images and Other Media How to Add Video Help:How to Make Columns Web Colors How To Make Templates How to Move Pages Inserting Dynamic Dates and Times Inserting WikiDoc Statistics Editing the Table of Contents Communicating your edits Let others know what you changed: The importance of Edit Summaries Minor Edits Edit Conflicts Help Videos You Can Watch Getting Started Video