Causes and consequences of low birth weight(LBW)
It is obvious that the dream of every mother is to deliver a healthy baby to the world. The health of the baby can be directly reflected by his or her birth weight which must be in a proper range around 2500-3500g.And this character can have a little variations which are due to sociocultural factors like the situation of the country, whether it is developed or not and etc. For instance majority of the babies born in developed countries usually having a birth weight closer to 3500g while developing countries closer to 2500g.However it is better to have baby weighing within the range since it influences greatly for the baby’s future life.
There are three major possibilities that can be experienced by apregnant mother in case of delivery regarding the birth weight of their baby. It can be baby with a normal birth weight(2.5Kg-3.5Kg) which is the most expected situation by every mother, Low birth weight(<2.5Kg) or overweight ( 3.5Kg< )Among last two consequences Low birth weight(LBW) is the most prominent one. So it is better to pay more attention on it to have an idea about the possible causes and their consequences because LBW has a great impact on foetal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, intellectualdevelopment,retarded growth and chronic diseases later in life.
World Health Organization (WHO) has been defined LBW as the weight at birth of less than 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds) .There are two major possibilities of being low birth weight. One can be, the baby may born early and it terms as “Premature birth”. Where the baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. And the other is intrauterine growth restrictions (IUGR). These kinds of babies are also known as growth-restricted, small-f...
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... if not treated well at the beginning.It’s like a cycle and below diagram will clearly explain the way it happens.
However, with all these health aspects, Low birth weight child can influence the country’s economy. Because havingsuch a child is costly for the family and also to the community. For instance if parents have baby with a low birth weight, they have to experience the longer initial hospital stays which finally increased their hospital cost. Such kind of situations can directly impact on their economy. Not only the parents, the government also has to take the responsibility of such kind of babies, since they have to provide all the medical facilities to the hospitals to keep these babies alive and healthy. These are additional expenditure for a country since the situation still can be prevented if pays much attention at the begging.
The very low birth weight are newborns that weigh less than 3.3 pounds (1,500 grams). Unfortunately, newborns that are under 3.3 pounds (1,500 grams) do not often survive, and the ones that do have delayed motor skills and cognitive development. The numbers decrease further to extremely low birth weight of 2.2 pounds (1,000 grams), where chance of life is very small. Low birth weight babies 1,500 grams – 2,500 grams (3.3 -5.5 pounds) have a good chance they will survive with proper care. Newborns that are small-for-date are placed in incubators that are sealed beds where temperature and air quality is regulated. The beds isolate the infants from pathogens and the environment. The babies need sensory stimulation to grow, so a recorded tape is played of the mothers soothing voice. Visual stimulation from video, and tactile stimulation helps foster physical and cognitive development in the baby. At five months while the fetus is in the womb ithas sensory capabilities, and can hear the mother’s heart beating, food digestion, speaking, and others speaking to her! The incubator stimulates this environment. There is great success with proper attention and care to the low birth weight babies, and. Many of the low birth weight babies are effects of parents that live in poverty, unable to access adequate medical care, and they experience stress due to an unhealthy family life.
Asfour, V, and S Bewley. 2011. Cord clamping practice could affect the ratio of placental weight to birth weight and perinatal outcomes. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 118 (12): 1539–40. Retrieved November 8, 2014
Pregnancy and the birth of a child throughout many cultures is viewed as a gift, either from God or from any other supernatural figure that they worship. If the pregnancy is terminated for any reason or there are complications it is also viewed in a large group of cultures as a punishment, or because you did not closely follow the rules or regulations of your culture. The process, emotional, and physical stress of bearing a child places mothers and family in a position of opportunity along with placing within them great responsibility. Mothers planning to bear children ideally need to be within the healthy weight range along with being well nourished, but this is not always the case. Many mothers to be are surprised when they realize or are
Two-thirds of infants die during the first month of life due to low birth weight (Lia-Hoagberg et al, 1990). One reason for this outcome is primarily due to difficulties in accessing prenatal care. Prenatal health care encompasses the health of women in both pre and post childbearing years and provides the support for a healthy lifestyle for the mother and fetus and/or infant. This form of care plays an important role in the prevention of poor birth outcomes, such as prematurity, low birth weight and infant mortality, where education, risk assessment, treatment of complications, and monitoring of fetus development are vital (McKenzie, Pinger,& Kotecki, 2012). Although every woman is recommended to receive prenatal health care, low-income and disadvantaged minority women do not seek care due to structural and individual barriers.
This helps the mother control weight gain as she tends to gain less weight in the first trimester. though, they had some differences in their vitamin intake as one mother took medication for prevention of malaria due to her surroundings, they both took the recommended vitamins and nutrition for healthy child development, such as vitamin B complex (folic acid), multivitamins, fruits, vegetables, and an increase intake of water to help with dehydration and constipation. They both exercised during their pregnancy, though their intensity was different. For instance, the first mother didn’t engage in any form of exercise until her second trimester due to her history of miscarriages. The sex exercise was the most shocking part for me as I believe it could potentially harm the baby if care is not taken, but she claimed it helps to prepare the birth canal for childbirth resulting in a less painful and strenuous delivery (Santrock,
Frequency of LGA infants and primary cesarean rates as seen in HAPO study is given in table 2.
have higher rates of low birth weighted need special care right after birth for times as
After I got acquainted with MK, which I found difficult because of the way I held him and the absence of a motherly scent, I performed to the best of my ability an assessment based on the Apgar scale along with a physical assessment. MK’s weight was around 180 ounces and he was 58 cm in length with a head circumference of 33 cm. I asked about weight gain or loss patterns that the parents noticed. They replied nothing significant, just a slight drop in weight after a few days starting from delivery then steady weight gain. This can be attributed to fluid losses by respiration, urination, defecation, and low fluid intake. (Potter, Perry, Ross-Kerr, & Wood, 2009, p. 333) I also noticed that MK was using abdominal muscles for breathing at around 40 breaths per minute. His heart rate was around 130 bpm. His skin was a nice pink color; however, his parents mentioned he was bit yellow right after birth for a few days. This phenomenon can be attributed to an excess of bilirubin and the immaturity of the liver. MK received a 10 on the Apgar scale which measures Heart Rate, Respiratory Effort, Muscle Tone, Reflex/Irritability and Color of the body. Afterwards I tested for the presence of innate reflexes including: Mo...
In America, 1 out of 8 children are born premature. The earlier a child is born from their suggested due date, the poor severe the condition the child can receive. With health conditions of the mother, that may be a main reason why a child may become premature. Women with uterine, cervical abnormalities, or having twins, triplets, etc. may cause a risk of preterm labor. A women’s health is a main factor of how their child may come out. Smoking, drinking, use of illegal drugs may cause women to have preterm labor as well. To...
Low Birth Weight is stemmed mainly by poor maternal nutrition and infections. There are many other causes also contributed for the LBW such as social and economic factors, environmental risk factors and unacceptable lifestyle patterns of mother. As a whole, LBW arises many issues in the society. Therefore to overcome this problem strategies are need to be taken for a better fetal development.
Over the years birthing methods have changed a great deal. When technology wasn’t so advanced there was only one method of giving birth, vaginally non-medicated. However, in today’s society there are now more than one method of giving birth. In fact, there are three methods: Non-medicated vaginal delivery, medicated vaginal delivery and cesarean delivery, also known as c-section. In the cesarean delivery there is not much to prepare for before the operation, except maybe the procedure of the operation. A few things that will be discussed are: the process of cesarean delivery, reasons for this birthing method and a few reasons for why this birthing method is used. Also a question that many women have is whether or not they can vaginally deliver after a cesarean delivery, as well as the risks and benefits if it. Delivering a child by a c-section also has a few advantages and disadvantages for both the mother and child; this will also be discussed in more depth a bit later.
A pregnant mom to be that lives her life in poverty tends to not be able to get all the daily nutrients that she needs to allow the healthy development of the baby. Often the baby is born with a low birth weight, which later can cause infant mortality, physical problems and mental problems. 80% of poverty mom-to-be’s will give birth to low birth weight infants.
A healthy diet is very important because the deficiency of some nutrients can cause various adverse effects for both, mother and the fetus. It is know that the mother and the baby compete for the same nutrients and calories, and for this reason it is necessary that mothers have a balanced diet of nutrients for you and your baby. Most nutritional and metabolic needs can be met by eating a balanced daily diet containing approximately 35 kcal for each kilogram of optimal body weight plus an additional 300 kcal/day during the second and third trimesters. An inadequate diet can cause impaired growth of the fetus and it may be born too small and even underweight. Thus to be nourished properly makes the pregnant woman has a healthy life and to develop less risk of suffering premature deliveries, giving birth to more babies healthy. In addition some changes that occur during the pregnancy such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, hemorrhoids, heartburn and swelling can also be minimized with a proper diet.
Although childbirth appears to be a calm and unforgettable moment for mothers and family members, there can be severe complications that can affect not only the mother, but also the delivery and the child; on the contrary, the process may also run smoothly without any