The happiest thing for a parent is when their child comes into this world and is born very beautiful and chubby. But if the same child is born with low weight and any other problems, then it becomes a matter of concern for the mother. One of the concerns of all parents is when babies have low birth weight.
Low birth weight means a baby born weighing less than 2.5 kg at the time of birth. According to a study, about three out of every 500 children are born less than 2.5 kg. What are the reasons for this, have you ever thought or tried to know? If not, then let’s know the reasons for low birth weight of the child so that we can bring our children into this world with a good weight and health and later protect them from many diseases.
Causes for Low Birth Weight
1. Premature Birth
The reason for low birth weight in babies is to be born prematurely, which we also call Premature Baby. Babies who are born before 37 weeks are said to be premature. Since these babies are not able to complete their time and development in the mother’s womb, they are kept under the care of doctors in the postnatal neonatal intensive care room (NICU).
2. Embryo Infection
Fetal infection can also occur due to low birth weight at the time of birth. Various parasitic infections that the mother has can also affect the baby such as rubella, chickenpox, cytomegalovirus and toxoplasmosis and cause many problems. There are problems in the development of the child, due to which the child’s weight at birth is low. In addition, some of the medicines used to prevent these infections can also affect the birth weight of the baby.
3. Placenta related problems
If the mother has various placental problems such as placenta previa or preeclampsia, due to which essential nutrients may not pass to the womb, due to which the baby may have low birth weight. Even if the blood circulation in the womb is not done properly, many developmental problems can occur in the baby.
4. Having more than one child in the womb having twins
If a pregnant woman has more than one baby in her womb, the baby may weigh less than 2.5 kg. When there is more than one baby in the uterus, they put more stress on the uterus and they may not get the nutrients properly.
5. Stress
Pregnant women need proper mental, emotional and physical rest, especially when they are nearing labor pains. During pregnancy, a woman’s body undergoes many changes over time, causing her to get tired or stressed out more quickly. Many pregnant women do not leave their jobs or continue to work until the time of delivery. This work can put pressure on the woman’s body, it helps in normal delivery, but sometimes this stress can affect the growth of the child or weight, so you need to stay away from stress.
7. Nutritional Deficiency
A pregnant woman needs to take in essential nutrients for the growth of the baby. As vitamin C helps in developing muscles, bones and teeth of babies and folic acid helps in building the brain and spinal cord and similarly fruits, green leafy vegetables, dairy, lentils are essential for the birth of a healthy baby. And it is important to eat a diet rich in grains. But women who do not consume nutrients properly during pregnancy, then they also give birth to a child with low birth weight.
8. Uterus related problems
The cervix keeps the baby safe and away from infection. Sometimes the uterus does not close properly and as the size of the baby increases, the uterus is put under stress, which increases the chances of premature pain and labor which can lead to premature birth.
However, doctors treat this condition known as cyclase and also suggest rest for the pregnant woman. Sometimes uterine abnormalities and fibroids can also be the cause.
9. Mother’s Health Issues
The reason for the low birth weight of the child can also be due to health problems of the mother. Women, who have a serious condition such as high blood pressure, thyroid, diabetes, kidney problems or heart disease, often experience premature delivery. It is highly advisable for such women to follow a strict diet and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Such women should act as per the advice of the doctor.
10. History
If a pregnant woman has had pre-term deliveries in the past, then there may be a higher chance of this in the second delivery as well. History Studies have shown that if a woman has had a premature or low birth weight baby before, then it can be more likely in another child as well.
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How Low Birth Weight Affect Kids
Low birth weight can affect each baby in many ways. No one has any problem with this and a child may have to face many problems due to this. It depends on what are the reasons for being underweight and whether the baby was born prematurely. Such as:
- The production of too many red blood cells, which makes the blood very thick. This is called polycythemia.
- Your baby may have inhaled her first bowel movement (meconium), which can make it difficult for her to breathe.
- low blood sugar (Hypoglycemia)
- Difficulty keeping the body warm
- Infection
- Problems with eating and gaining weight
- insufficient oxygen level at birth
You must have seen many times that underweight children are not very intelligent, they do not perform well in school and other areas or they have some other problems like behavioral and mental problems. But it is difficult to say how these children will perform in future. Some studies have shown that underweight children perform just as well as children with good weight. So why should we face such difficulty? Before such a problem occurs, a pregnant woman should take care of her health and diet so that this problem is not seen.
