Ms. Li is 38 years old this year, she and her husband are junior high school classmates, and then the two went to high school together, then went to college and graduate school, and talked for 10 years before entering the palace of marriage. Just a few days ago, the two ushered in the crystallization of love, and their son was born, which was a happy thing, but for Ms. Li, who was doing confinement, she quarreled with her mother-in-law because of a small matter.
It turned out that when Ms. Li's mother-in-law knew that she was about to give birth, she rushed over from her hometown and stayed outside the delivery room, and when the doctor took the child out and said that it was a boy, his mother-in-law was particularly happy, but when the doctor said that the child weighed only 5.1 pounds, the mother-in-law immediately changed her face and disliked that the child was too light.
So much so that later, when Ms. Li was in confinement, she kept muttering that it was because of Ms. Li's irregular diet on weekdays that the child's birth weight was low, and she complained that when she grew up, she would definitely not be as strong, healthy and smart as other children. Hearing this, how could Ms. Li endure it, so she quarreled with her mother-in-law.
I believe that some women have had such an experience, and anyone may be angry in this scenario, but I don't know when the weight of newborns has become the first topic of discussion. So, for a newborn baby, in which range is the most suitable weight? What does being underweight or heavier say?
First, why should the baby report "a few pounds and a few taels" after birth? How much is the most suitable?
When it comes to the birth of a child, in addition to the first concern is the health of the child, the weight of the child seems to have become the most concerned topic. If a child is born fat, the family will be proud. Especially some grandmothers, always discuss together how many pounds their grandchildren are born, if it comes to who whose grandson is born 8~9 pounds, then other people can't help but give praise.
No matter which hospital, when the baby is born and cuts the umbilical cord, in addition to helping the baby wipe the body, the next two very important things are to "press the footprints" and "weigh the baby", and when the baby is taken out of the delivery room by the nurse to announce the family, it will generally only say whether the child is male or female and how much he weighs. So, have you ever wondered why doctors "weigh" newborns? Is the weight of the baby born really that important for people? What does it say?
In fact, it is important to use the weight of a newborn baby as an indicator for doctors to assess the health status of the newborn. In medicine, there is also a standard for judging the weight of newborns, and the normal weight range of newborns is 2500~4000 grams, with an average of 3000 grams.
If the baby weighs more than 4000 grams at birth, the baby is considered "giant", weighing less than 2500 grams is considered "low weight", and if it is less than 1500 grams, it is "ultra-low weight".
Therefore, for doctors, if the baby's weight is within the normal range, then it will add points to the baby's health; If it is less than 2500 grams, then it is necessary to pay some attention to further observe the baby's condition.
If it is less than 1500 grams, it should be highly valued, and it is best to live in an incubator when necessary. Such children are generally pre-term, and the body's functions are usually incomplete, and certain medical means are needed to assist growth to a qualified state.
In addition, after the birth of the baby, there will be medical examinations at regular intervals, such as once in the 1st, 3rd, and 6th months, and the most basic medical examination items are weight and height.
Combining the baby's weight and height can be drawn into a specific height/weight gain curve, combined with the baby's age, which is also a criterion used by doctors to judge whether it is developing normally. If the final test results are not within the normal range, it may indicate that the baby has a problem with feeding, which needs to be taken seriously by parents.
Therefore, many parents are very relieved to hear that the doctor reports that the baby's weight is within the normal range. But when the baby is too low weight, it will be unhappy, and even some parents think that the baby's weight is a sign of high IQ, is this really the case?
Second, the "heavier the weight" of the baby at birth, does it mean that the baby is "smarter"?
There are many elders who are proud that the children in the family are "big fat boys" or "big fat granddaughters", they think that the higher the birth weight of the baby, the better the development, the healthier the baby, and the smarter this is, is this true?
In fact, this is a big misunderstanding, although the baby's weight at birth and health are indirectly linked, but when it comes to the relationship with IQ, the two cannot be equated.
The baby's weight is an indicator that doctors attach great importance to, especially before delivery, doctors will specially arrange ultrasound to assess the baby's weight, because this directly affects whether it is a cesarean section or a vaginal birth.
If the expectant mother is too large during pregnancy, and the fetus is overnourished, it is easy to have a difficult birth. Even if the child is born smoothly, it may cause some harm to the mother and child, such as vaginal tears, birth canal squeezes, etc.
Moreover, the fetus is overweight, and the fetus is easy to be difficult to deliver during normal delivery, which will cause hypoxia for a long time, but will threaten the child's nervous system, intellectual development and life.
In contrast, it is most important for pregnant women to eat nutritious and balanced during pregnancy, which can control the baby's weight at birth within the normal range and is more conducive to its physical and intellectual development.
So, does the weight of the newborn baby have nothing to do with IQ?
Of course not, Harvard University did a study of newborn weight and IQ. Through a follow-up survey of babies born at the same time, the results showed that babies with relatively high intelligence tests were born with a body weight of about 6.5 pounds.
The reason is that the physical development state of this weight baby is the most normal and healthy compared to other babies, and the brain development is also the best, so the overall performance is more intelligent.
However, this does not mean that those babies below or above 6.5 pounds are not smart, but the closer the weight is to 6.5 pounds, the greater the chance that the baby will grow up to have a high IQ, and those who are lower or higher are more likely to develop some other diseases.
So, what can pregnant women do during pregnancy to control the weight of their fetus within the normal range? What factors are related to the weight of newborns?
Third, what factors are related to the weight of newborns?
As the doctor said earlier, it is best to control the weight of the newborn between 2500~4000 grams. And to control the baby's weight within the normal range is not an easy task for pregnant mothers, sometimes the size of the pregnant mother's belly does not represent the baby's weight, the weight of the newborn baby is affected by many factors.
1. Heredity
We all know that a child's body is affected by the genes of the parents, and its physical form is the same. If parents are taller and burly, their children will not only be taller when they are born, but even weigh much higher.
Oxford University, Cambridge University and other 6 world-renowned universities have done this research, they through a large number of clinical studies on 156,000 people, after analyzing the data obtained, found that in the reasons for the different neonatal weight, genetic factors account for at least 1/6. In the end, it was concluded that genetic factors have a significant impact on the weight of newborns. In particular, genes from the mother have a greater impact on the weight of newborns.
In addition, the study from the University of Washington Medical Center also found that genes affect birth weight, and can account for 51%.
2. Diet during pregnancy
The diet of pregnant women also indirectly affects the weight of newborns, for pregnant mothers it is one person to eat, two people to consume, so pregnant women eat more in diet than before pregnancy.
Especially in the third trimester, when the fetus is in a stage of rapid growth, if the pregnant mother does not control the diet, it is easy to have overnutrition, and the result may lead to fetal obesity.
3. Lifestyle habits during pregnancy
In addition to genetic and dietary factors, lifestyle habits during pregnancy can also affect the weight of newborns, such as smoking, drinking, taking drugs, and often staying up late. These bad habits will affect the fetus's absorption of nutrients in the mother's body, and weight will naturally be affected. Earlier studies showed that women who smoke for a long time during pregnancy have a greatly increased chance of producing low-weight babies.
Therefore, here to remind pregnant mothers, for the sake of the health of the child, you must restrain yourself, change bad habits, and at the same time do some appropriate exercise to maintain a happy mood.
Write at the end
In short, the weight of the newborn does not fully represent the health of the child, as long as the other indicators of the body after the birth of the child are within the normal range is very good, do not have to be too entangled in the level of weight.
Resources:
Zhu Li, Zhang Rong, Zhang Shulian, et al. Development of birth weight curves of neonates of different gestational ages in China[J]. Chinese Journal of Pediatrics, 2015, 53(002):97-103.
SHAN, Ying, ZHANG Liang, XU Zhiqiang, et al. Study on the relationship between gestational weight gain and neonatal birth weight[J]. Chinese Journal of Clinicians, 2013(10):2.