After delivery, the medical team is responsible for taking some important data of the baby at birth, among which is its weight. The baby's weight is something that greatly influences his state of health, not only during his first months, but throughout his life.
Ideally, all babies are born with a weight within the normal range, however it is not always the case. According to a global investigation, one in seven babies in the world is born with low weight, which can have serious consequences on their health.
Conducted by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), around 20 million babies in the world were born underweight in 2015, that is, one in seven.
This was the conclusion reached after analyzing information and statistical data of 281,000,000 births in 148 countries between 2000 and 2015. The rates decreased compared to the results obtained in 2000, however, not enough to achieve proposed goals and prevent global health consequences.
In Babies and more The first days with the baby: weight and height at birthWhen you talk about "low weight", refers to babies who weighed less than 2,500 kilograms at birth. Normally, a newborn child weighs between 2,500 and 4,300 kg. and between 2,400 and 4,200 kg. If it's a girl
The statistics were very different according to the region and the country, since 91% of babies born with low weight came from low and middle income countries, while three quarters of all babies born underweight, were from South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
However, this does not mean that things are better in richer or better-income countries, since these had the slowest progress, because their figures of records of babies born with low weight in 2000 and 2015 remained in very similar ranges.
The low weight of a baby can occur in two situations: when it is born prematurely or when it reaches term but is too small for gestational age due to delayed intrauterine growth.
Studies carried out over the years have shown that low birth weight puts babies at greater risk of presenting certain complications in their health from childhood to adulthood, showing greater delays in its development and growth, or favoring the onset of diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, as well as mental illnesses.
In 2012, The 195 WHO member countries pledged to reduce rates of babies born underweight by 30% by 2025. However, between 2000 and 2015, it only dropped by 1.2% each year, so it is necessary to accelerate global progress, to reach the goal and improve health worldwide.
Why are some babies born underweight?
As we mentioned, there are two main situations in which babies are born with low weight: that they are born prematurely or that they show delayed intrauterine growth. In the second case, There are three possible causes for which this can happen: of maternal, placental or fetal origin.
The causes of maternal origin are those that depend on the mother, and knowing them can help us take steps to try to prevent the baby from being born underweight. Among them, are the consumption of drugs such as tobacco and alcohol, which are known to limit fetal growth and cause birth defects.
Also, the mother's nutrition during pregnancy is important, since poor eating can affect the baby's weight, so it is important to have a healthy and balanced diet. Another factor that can affect the baby's weight is maternal stress, because suffering from it during pregnancy, or even before, limits blood flow (and thus nutrition) to the uterus.
Placental or fetal origin causes do not usually depend on the mother or her habits, but for that reason It is very important that during pregnancy you go to appointments or medical check-ups promptly and you can give the baby the attention and care you need.
Photos | Unsplash
Via | CNN
