“What was your baby’s weight was at birth” is a question every parent will hear at some point. This question will be asked over and over again throughout their childhood. The simple truth is that your baby’s weight tells a big story about their health.
The weight of your child at birth can indicate many health factors. Though this can be a great indicator of whether they are healthy or not, it is not foolproof.
In today’s post, we will discuss the important facts parents need to know about baby weight at birth.
What Parents Need to know about Baby Weight at Birth
Guest Post by Sara Juliana
Prematurely born babies
Your baby’s weight depends on gestational age, which is the number of months they spent in the womb. Babies that are prematurely born also tend to be smaller and are prone to more health issues at birth.
These issues can be both short term and long term. Depending on how early your child is born, this can result in breathing, heart, and immune complications. Premature babies can struggle with temperature regulations as well. Long term, premature births can lead to developmental delays, chronic illness, and other health concerns.
Born in August
According to one study, babies born of August have a strong likelihood that it will be taller and more optimistic than babies born in other months. Being born in August also affects when they will attend school. According to your country’s age requirement’s more school, they will either be the youngest or oldest in their class.
Babies born Full Term
Babies that are born full term are likely to be born between six and nine pounds. However, there are a number of reasons for this including genetic that might cause their weight to differ.
Low birth weights can indicate health concern of the child or mother during pregnancy. Likewise, a baby weight at birth being low can be because the mother is small or is genetically prone to smaller children.
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Baby Weight at Birth: Gestational Diabetes
Mothers who suffer from gestational diabetes, or glucose intolerant, then this may lead to high blood sugar in the baby. This affects the baby’s ability to produce enough insulin and will lead a larger birth weight..
Babies that are born large for their gestational age are prone to losing weight quickly after birth, upwards of ten percent. In normal circumstances, a baby loses about ten percent of its weight before they are able to regain the weight.
Proper Weight gain
A baby weight scale will help you to keep a close watch on your baby’s growth. Babies who are getting the right nutrition will typically double their birth weight by the time they reach five months old. In fact, this weight will triple by the time your baby is one year old.
Second Year of Life
Once your child reaches their second year of life, their weight gain will slow drastically. In fact, in the entire second year, they will only gain around five pounds.
About half of their adult height and 90 percent of adult head size have been reached by 2 years. Boys tend to weigh more than girls about a pound but about the same height on average.
Every baby is different
It is crucial to understand that no two babies will show the same kind of weight gain and so it is hard to say what is the ideal body weight for your child. It is always best to follow the advice of your pediatrician.
Baby’s Weight at Birth
Most importantly, keep in mind that your baby’s weight is not the sole indicator of its growth.
It is equally important to look at other factors such as height gain. So, even if your baby is not putting on a lot of weight you must not worry. Be sure to also look at whether or not he or she is gaining height.
