Normal fetal weight of a newborn baby.
It is believed that the normal weight of a newborn baby at birth is from 3000 to 4000 grams. The weight of the fetus of a newborn child is more than 4000 grams - a large baby, the weight of the fetus of a newborn child is less than 3000 grams - an infant with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). These newborn weight parameters are relevant for full-term babies, that is, children with a gestational age of a full 37 weeks or more.
There are tables of fetal weight by week, which indicate the average values of the estimated fetal weight per week. different stages its intrauterine development: how much the fetus should weigh at 8 weeks, 10 weeks, 20 weeks and 30 weeks. In case of premature birth, the doctor records the weight of the fetus, and if the weight of the newborn corresponds to gestational age, then the baby has developed normally. If the weight of the fetus is less, then it is written, for example, “premature, gestational age 33 weeks, small for gestational age,” that is, the baby has signs of intrauterine growth retardation.
The term intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is valid for both full-term and premature babies.
In recent years, maternity hospitals have appeared premature babies with a body weight that exceeds the norm for this age. In this case, doctors write that the baby is premature, for example, the gestation period is 36 weeks, “large for the gestational age.” That is, a situation is possible when a child was born weighing 3,200 grams at a gestational age of 35-36 weeks. This is not a positive thing. After all, as a rule, “excess” fetal weight in a newborn baby is gained due to edema. Adaptation of a newborn child with “excess” weight (fetal weight above the table norm) is very often difficult.
There may be several reasons for the “excess” weight of a newborn baby: the threat of premature birth;
increased blood pressure in a woman;
development of edema in the mother herself, water metabolism disorders, gestosis in the second half of pregnancy;
fetal nutritional disorders.
The body weight of the developing fetus of a newborn baby depends on two factors:
- supply of nutrients from the mother through the placenta and umbilical cord;
- absorption of these nutrients dissolved in the amniotic fluid.
An imbalance in this mechanism leads to the development of a pathological process and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Quite often there are situations when the mother did not have placental dysfunction, she did not have fetoplacental insufficiency, but the child was born with signs of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). This means that he may have had a violation of the amniotrophic type of nutrition.
If a mother regularly attends an antenatal clinic and undergoes all the necessary examinations, then the doctor, by prescribing restorative therapy that improves blood flow to the mother and child during pregnancy, will help prevent problems with excess weight in the newborn baby.
Weight loss in newborns.
All newborn children lose weight in the first days of life. There are physiological and pathological weight loss in a newborn baby.
Large children weighing over 4000 g and low birth weight newborns are at risk for pathological loss. They usually lose more. Large babies lose more weight because they do not have enough milk (colostrum); small newborn babies also lose weight, but because they do not suck well.
The physiological norm for weight loss in a newborn child is considered to be 5–7% of body weight at birth by 3–4 days of life (on average, this is about 150 g). After this 1-2 days, the newborn baby may have a period of zero weight balance, when the baby neither gains nor loses anything, and then the weight of the newborn baby begins to increase, and the baby begins to gain weight. As a rule, on the 5th - 6th day a positive weight gain appears in the newborn.
A mandatory condition for examining a newborn baby in the maternity hospital is daily weighing. Low birth weight newborns in the maternity hospital should be weighed twice a day.
Table of weight of children under one year old by month (in grams)
AGE
BOY
GIRL
Baby's weight at birth
3400
3200
At the end of the 1st month
4010
3760
At the end of the 2nd month
4850
4610
At the end of the 3rd month
5630
5260
At the end of the 4th month
6360
5970
At the end of the 5th month
7060
6590
At the end of the 6th month
7650
7190
At the end of the 7th month
8090
7550
At the end of the 8th month
8610
7951
At the end of the 9th month
8890
8210
At the end of the 10th month
9280
8620
At the end of the 11th month
9410
8880
Baby's weight at the end of the 12th month.
(at 1 year old).
9840
9120
Dear mothers, the above table of the weight of a newborn baby up to one year is approximate. This weight table is provided for comparison, and if your child’s weight does not deviate significantly from the weight indicated in the table, then do not worry. If the difference in weight is significant from that indicated in the table, then you should contact your pediatrician.
Growth chart for a child up to one year old by month.
The normal height of a child at birth is 49 – 52 cm. As the weight of a newborn child increases, as a rule, the baby’s height also increases. But if the fetal weight of a newborn baby is small, then the baby will not necessarily be short. With a child’s height of 50 cm, a newborn may well weigh 2400 – 2600 grams. This indicates that the newborn has little muscle mass and intrauterine growth retardation occurs; but as for the growth of the newborn, the child developed normally, in proportion to his age. Gradually, these children, who are prescribed an individual diet, catch up with their peers.
Growth chart for a child up to one year old by month (in centimeters)
AGE
BOY
GIRL
Baby's height at birth
51,0
50,0
Child's growth at the end of 1 month
53,9
52,9
At the end of the 2nd month
57,9
56,3
At the end of the 3rd month
60,1
58,8
At the end of the 4th month
62,1
61,0
At the end of the 5th month
64,4
63,1
At the end of the 6th month
66,3
65,0
At the end of the 7th month
67,7
66,2
At the end of the 8th month
69,4
68,0
At the end of the 9th month
70,7
68,8
At the end of the 10th month
71,7
70,2
At the end of the 11th month
72,7
71,1
Child's growth at the end of the 12th month (at 1 year)
74,7
72,8
This table of growth of a child under one year old by month is also presented for comparison.
A summary of weight gain in newborns and height gain in infants can be found in the table below.
Weight gain in newborns /
growth increase in infants up to one year by month. Table.
Age, months.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
(1 year)
Growth gain in infants over 1 month, centimeters
3,0
3,0
2,5
2,5
2,0
2,0
2,0
2,0
1,5
1,5
1,5
1,5
Increase in height in infants over the past period, centimeters
3,0
6,0
8,5
11
13
15
17
19
20,5
22
23,5
25
Weight gain in newborns over 1 month, grams
600
800
800
750
700
650
600
550
500
450
400
350
Weight gain in newborns over the past period, grams
600
1400
2200
2950
3650
4300
4900
5450
5950
6400
6800
7150
Consultant-professor of the department for premature babies of the Scientific Center for Premature Babies of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences Galina Yatsyk talks about large and small babies.
Lively babes
Let's figure out what small means. A baby's weight at birth is more than 2.5 kg - normal weight. Pediatricians do not consider babies weighing 2.5–2.7 kg small. A full-term newborn with this weight does not need any special nutrition, wrapping, or a hot heated room. Sometimes parents want to feed their miniature baby, to quickly see how plump the cheeks have become, wrinkles have appeared on the thick legs... They begin to give the baby a little more food than necessary. The result is regurgitation. There is no need to overfeed your mini-baby. Yes, he eats a little less milk or formula than a large baby, but he has enough. It's just a different constitution. In parents, grandmothers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers, who are also probably of fragile build. He will eat his quota, but develop normally, will catch up with his peers in all respects, and after a year may weigh no less than them.
But children who were born weighing less than 2.5 kg already require closer attention from doctors and special care. Pediatricians call such babies low birth weight.
Reasons for the birth of very small children:
- prematurity,
- malnutrition,
- multiple pregnancy.
Prematurity is not a death sentence
The main problem of premature babies is not low weight at all, but the immaturity of some body systems - respiratory, thermoregulatory... They are designed by nature to live while in their mother’s tummy, develop further, and their weight for intrauterine life quite normal. And then suddenly bad luck: something forced him to be born ahead of schedule.
Premature babies are also divided into those with a very low weight - less than 1.5 kg, and those with an extremely low weight - less than 1 kg. Of course, such babies are not born often, they constitute 0.4% and 0.2% of all premature babies. Previously, it seemed that if a child was born weighing only 1 kg, it would be a disaster! How to get it out? Now, according to the WHO classification, a fetus born alive after 22 weeks of intrauterine development and weighing more than 500 g (!) is considered a child who can and should be nursed. Now both society and doctors have a different psychological mindset; they believe that a newborn weighing 1–1.2 kg can be grown into healthy child and mentally he will be complete.
Premature babies initially require special care, they are placed in special hospitals, but if the baby is discharged home, it means that he can live in normal conditions, like all babies, he can breathe, drink and eat, and he must be fed like an ordinary baby.
The fact that prematurity is not a death sentence among famous people They were premature, they probably already heard everything. Goethe and Napoleon were premature... Low birth weight did not become an obstacle to longevity, talent, or happiness.
Sometimes babies are born on time, and their height is quite normal for newborns, and their weight is very small - 1.3–1.5 kg. This is malnutrition. It is caused by my mother's illness. Such children appear in women with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diseases of the endocrine system... Thin, long, they continue to gain weight poorly, although nutritionists have created special food products for them, enriched with proteins, fats, and vitamins. They may remain small for the rest of their lives, but they will develop well.
Hypotrophy in a baby can also be caused by bad habits of the mother. If a woman smokes during pregnancy, the fetus is constantly poisoned and the child is born small.
And children are born when they are still small multiple pregnancy, and they are born earlier because they are cramped in their mother’s womb. They are cared for in the same way as premature babies. And they grow up to be quite healthy twins and triplets.
Giant Problems
But doctors are not very happy about large children, those who weigh more than 4 kg at birth.
They are harder to give birth, that's understandable. They more often receive birth injuries: collarbone fractures, hematomas, paralysis... Therefore, when doctors, performing an ultrasound on a pregnant woman, see a large fetus, they often offer her a caesarean section.
But the most important thing is that large children are born to sick mothers. It happens, of course, that a baby is big simply because his dad is two meters tall, and his mother is not small. But such a reason for high weight is rare. But a hero with a mother with diabetes, including a mother who does not yet know about her illness, is the rule. And each subsequent child of this mother will be larger and larger. And there is a great danger that these children will also develop diabetes.
So families where there are people suffering from this disease should definitely consult a pregnant woman with an endocrinologist. She will undergo special treatment so that the baby is not born too large and is not harmed during intrauterine development.
Large babies take longer to adapt after birth. Usually, in the first three days, at most five days, the cardiovascular system begins to function rhythmically, the pulse evens out, breathing becomes established - without shortness of breath, without signs of apnea, gastrointestinal tract gets into its own rhythm... And for large ones, adaptation can take two weeks.
But then the hero arrived home from the maternity hospital. How to feed him now? He should eat the same amount of food as middle child. But the hero can gain more weight than the average child.
And such a baby should definitely be shown to an endocrinologist. We have well-equipped children's centers where a baby can be tested for any endocrine pathology.
Important
On average, larger children are born in Scandinavia, smaller ones in Africa.
The average weight of boys (3200–3500 g) is slightly greater than that of girls (3000–3250 g).
Firstborns are usually born smaller than second and third children in the family. Although if parents and children are healthy, the differences in grams and centimeters may be barely noticeable.
Accelerated children, even at birth, are larger in weight and height than the children of the generation that was not affected by acceleration.
Many young mothers and fathers, especially those expecting their first child, are interested in what the normal weight of a newborn baby is.
This question cannot be answered unambiguously, since the weight of a newborn baby depends on many factors.
- physiology of parents . If mom and dad are tall and of large build, then the babies are born with more weight than those of miniature parents.
- If not my first pregnancy , then each subsequent baby will weigh a little more at birth than his older brother or sister.
- gender of the child . As a rule, newborn boys, under the same pregnancy conditions, weigh more than girls.
- If multiple pregnancy , then the weight of each of the twins or triplets will naturally be less, as this is necessary for the normal development of several babies.
- health status expectant mother . Even before pregnancy, the mother needs to take measures to improve her health, since some diseases, for example diabetes, various cardiovascular diseases can lead to a baby being born underweight or overweight.
- mother's poor diet . Food that contains a large number of carbohydrates, also excessive consumption of salty foods causes fluid retention in the body, as a result of which there is an increase in the weight of the fetus, therefore, in order to bear a healthy baby, you need to follow a diet.
Normal weight of a newborn (boy/girl)
Official medicine considers the normal weight of a newborn to be from 2700g to 4000g. But these parameters are relevant only for full-term children, that is, for gestational babies (from the Latin gestatio - wearing, the age of the embryo from the moment of fertilization, corresponding to the gestational age) whose age is 37 weeks or more.
Table of height and weight of newborns (WHO norm)
|
Child's age |
Standards for a boy |
Norms for girls |
||
|
Weight, g |
Height, cm |
Weight, g |
Height, cm |
|
|
newborn |
3200 |
3000 |
||
|
1 month |
3750 |
3500 |
||
|
2 months |
4500 |
4200 |
||
|
3 months |
5250 |
4800 |
||
|
4 months |
6000 |
5500 |
||
|
5 months |
6600 |
6200 |
||
|
6 months |
7300 |
6800 |
||
|
7 months |
7900 |
7400 |
||
|
8 months |
8500 |
7900 |
||
|
9 months |
8860 |
8300 |
||
|
10 months |
9200 |
8600 |
||
|
11 months |
9500 |
8900 |
||
|
12 months |
9700 |
9200 |
||
There are specially developed tables for correlating fetal weight by weeks of development; they show the average values of the expected weight of the baby in accordance with certain weeks of its intrauterine development, that is, how much it should weigh at 10, 20, 30 weeks. If it happens that the baby was born prematurely, and his weight corresponds to gestational age, then it means that he developed normally. Nowadays, babies are increasingly being born prematurely, but with a weight exceeding the average. In this case, the doctor notes that the baby was born premature, for example 36 weeks, but large in terms of gestational age. This phenomenon cannot be unambiguously called positive, since the “excess” weight of the baby most often occurs due to edema and the reasons for its occurrence may lie in the pathological course of the mother’s pregnancy, for example, when her blood pressure increases, edema and toxicosis in the second half of pregnancy. There is also often difficulty in adapting to a baby with a weight exceeding the table values.
What is the reason for the low birth weight of a newborn?
Low weight of children is most often associated with malnutrition of the mother during pregnancy. Such babies are under the supervision of doctors and are not discharged home until they gain a weight of 2600g. The generally accepted opinion is that large babies are calmer, sleep and eat better, but we must not forget that the behavior of babies depends on many factors and how calm a baby is often has nothing to do with his weight. The normal weight of a newborn is purely individual and can be determined by a combination of many factors. Children are all different, some are big, some are small, but any deviation from the norm can be a reason to play it safe by contacting a qualified specialist.
What weight and height is considered normal for a baby at birth? Why do deviations occur?
Norms of weight and height of newborns
The norms for weight and height at birth are slightly different for boys and girls. As a rule, girls are born slightly smaller in height and weight. Among female representatives, very few children are born with excessive weight or gigantic height.Girls' weight and height
According to standards, the normal height of girls at birth is from 43 to 54 cm. The average is 49 cm. Weight ranges from 2300 to 3300 g. Average is 3000 grams.
Boys' weight and height Boys' height and weight are slightly higher. So the height at birth is no less than 44 cm and no more than 56. On average - 50-51 cm. Weight - from 2500 to 3500 g. The average normal birth weight for boys is about 3200-3300 g.
Body weight, height of the newborn child and physique of the parents The size of the fetus directly depends on genes. Short parents are unlikely to have tall offspring. Although such cases are not excluded, they are extremely rare. If the parents at birth were no more than 50 cm and 3000 g, then their child will be born about the same size.
Deviations from the norm
If parents of medium size have a large or too small fetus, then these are most likely deviations from the norm, which may be due to genetic failures or the influence of other factors, for example, forced use of drugs during gestation.Overweight newborn
If the parents are large, then the birth of a large baby is not considered a pathology, otherwise it is a deviation from the norm, which can affect the future health of the child. Babies born weighing more than 4 kg are large.Excess weight in the fetus occurs due to:
- Uncontrolled caloric intake of the mother.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Endocrine diseases of the maternal body.
Newborn baby weight deficiency
Insufficient weight of a newborn is called malnutrition. It comes in symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes. The first is diagnosed at early gestation, the other - in the second half of pregnancy. A newborn weighing less than 2300 g at term is considered insufficient.Weight loss develops inside the womb for the following possible reasons:
- Past infectious diseases.
- Developmental pathology.
- Impact of maternal chronic diseases.
- Low water.
- Regular use of alcohol and other toxic substances by a pregnant woman.
Newborn weight gain and growth in the first month
In the first days after birth, the baby's weight may change downwards. His body cleanses itself and returns to normal. In addition, if the baby is breastfeeding, but normally milk begins to arrive only on the 2-3rd day, then the weight may decrease slightly.As soon as everything returns to normal, the baby’s weight will begin to increase, by about 100 grams per week. It may be a little less or more, depending on the nutritional value of the milk, the feeding regimen and technique, the characteristics of the newborn’s body, and the gender of the child.
First, you need to monitor your baby’s weight every week and look for trends. If it gradually increases by at least 100 grams in 7 days, then there is no reason to worry. If it drops rapidly or increases insufficiently, it is better to seek help from a pediatrician.
During the first month of life, a baby needs to gain about 1 kg of weight - for a boy from 900 to 1,500 g, for a girl - from 700 to 1,200 g.
The height and weight at birth of a baby depends on many factors. However, it will not differ significantly from the parameters of the parents. Small deviations are not pathological and should not cause concern. More significant violations of the norm can be corrected if you follow the recommendations of doctors.
You have a baby. You have been waiting for him for a long time, imagining what he will be like, and how you will raise and educate him. But when this finally happens, you are suddenly faced with many unexpected problems. One of them, which never ceases to worry every young mother and all grandmothers in the world, is the rate of weight gain in newborns.
Normal weight for a newborn baby“Reference point” for the weight of a newborn
Each newborn baby is examined by a pediatrician, and during the first examination he is immediately weighed and his height is measured (). Then the child and his mother will remain in the hospital for another 4-6 days for medical observation. On the day of discharge he is weighed again. It is on these two numbers – the weight in the first minutes after birth and the weight on the day of discharge from the hospital – that the subsequent weight gain of the newborn begins and largely depends. So:
Baby's weight at birth
All children are born with different heights and weights, and normal weight A healthy baby at birth is considered to be between 2,700 kg and 3,700 kg. It should be noted that the initial weight of the child depends on a number of different factors:
- Baby's health.
- Heredity. Tall and heavy mothers are more likely to give birth to large children, and vice versa: thin, short women give birth to small babies.
- Paula. As a rule, boys are always born larger (heavier) than girls.
- Maternal nutrition during pregnancy. When a pregnant woman eats a high-calorie diet, the fetus usually gains a lot of weight.
- Physical and psychological state women. If the mother is unwell or lived in a state of stress for a long time during pregnancy, then this may well affect the health and, accordingly, the weight of her newborn child.
- Presence in a pregnant woman bad habits. Of course, a woman who smokes, and even more so drinks and uses drugs, can give birth to sick and underweight children.
Weight at discharge
In the first few days of life, children lose some weight. Weight loss is due to several reasons:
- Loss of fluid. Once born, the baby begins to breathe, and a large amount of fluid evaporates through its respiratory system and skin.
- Installing power. In the first days, the baby drinks colostrum, and in small portions, until his nutrition improves and the mother’s milk begins to flow.
- Adaptation to living conditions. We know very well that the young seedlings we transplanted from the greenhouse to the garden do not begin to grow immediately. Likewise, a child, having radically changed his environment at birth, does not immediately get used to living in it.
Thus, discharge weight differs by approximately 6-10% from birth weight. And it is from this second number that it is customary to calculate the norms of weight gain for each newborn.
Weight gain norms
You and your baby were discharged from the hospital and you found yourself at home. The baby has learned to eat, his digestion and heat-air exchange with the environment are gradually improving, and he begins to grow rapidly.
Note to moms!
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Video: baby weight
Reasons for weight gain or lack thereof
Weight gain depends on the following reasons:
- Health. If the baby is sick, he eats worse.
- Appetite.
- Type of feeding: breast or artificial. At artificial feeding children usually gain weight faster.
- Quality and quantity of food (mother's milk).
- Child's mobility. A person who plays sports is usually fit. Similarly, an active child is somewhat thinner than a couch potato.
- Daily routine and meals. When feeding “by the clock,” weight increases more slowly than “on demand.”
- Age. In the first months, children grow faster, but as they age, growth slows down.
Be that as it may, specialist scientists have established some average conventional indicators of norms for weight gain in newborn children.
Gain rates: weight table for a child up to one year old
Average statistical data show that the usual weight gain during the first year of life is as follows:
- During the first month, when your baby is still very small, weight gain is considered normal. 90-150 grams per week.
- From the second, third and until the end of the fourth month, the baby should gain 140-200 grams per week.
- From the fifth month to six months, weight is added again according to 100-160 grams per week, and by six months your baby’s weight should approximately double.
- Then growth begins to slow down a little, and by one year the child weighs about 3 times more than it did at birth.
Table of weight of a child up to one year (clickable) Deviations from the norm: should you worry?
Deviations from the above averages are very common. This is too little or too much weight gain, which is also bad, since guys who are too fat become inactive and develop more slowly. In addition to possible diseases of the baby, the reasons for such deviations may be as follows:
- Each person is individual in his physiology, and everyone grows differently: some are a little faster, others a little slower.
- Weight gain rates for all taller newborns are usually greater. So, if for a baby whose initial height was 52 cm, an increase of 170 grams is considered normal, then for a child with an initial height of 58 cm it is already about 210 grams.
- It often happens that boys gain weight faster than girls.
- With artificial nutrition, babies get fat faster.
And many other reasons, which are different in each case, and can only be identified with an individual approach. And only after identifying these reasons is it possible to give an accurate answer as to whether parents should worry about this and whether to take urgent measures. In any case, the norms for weight gain in newborns are averaged and approximate, and should not be taken as an ideal. And if you have doubts about the child’s growth, it is best to get tested and consult with specialists. If you and your baby are healthy, then perhaps for rounded folds to appear on his body, it is enough to start feeding him on demand, putting him to the breast more often, and this will solve the problem.
