How to calculate the weight of the baby at birth
One of the most frequent fears concerning the termination of pregnancy and therefore the birth is the weight of the child at birth. Many mothers-to-be wonder how much the fetus will grow, if it "will pass" and if it will be painful. Don't worry: the female body is made for welcome children always, and also to get them out! But if you want to get an idea of the weight that your child will have at birth, there are ways to do this.
In this article
- The weight of the fetus
- How to calculate the weight of the fetus
- The formulas for calculating the fetal weight
- What is the purpose of measuring the weight of the child?
- Estimation of weight and fear of giving birth
- Too low weight at birth
The weight of the fetus
Un fetus to finish, therefore beyond 37 weeks, it has a weight that is normally around 3kg. But we have news of Infants much more corpulent: it seems that they were born of over 8 kg, practically as big as a baby of several months!
But don't worry, record cases can be counted on the fingers over many years and millions of births. More likely, your baby will be of such weight and size that it will go right through where nature intended.
How to calculate the weight of the fetus
Il weight of the unborn child it cannot be calculated exactly, but always in an approximate way, even though it is quite close to reality. There pixy it will never be too far from actual birth weight, so if they tell you that the baby, at the last checkup, weighs about 3kg, he will not be born 5.
Doctors use the ultrasound to estimate the weight of the fetus, taking measurements of the body, head and limbs from different points of view. In addition to evaluating the dimensions highlighted by the ultrasound (transvaginal during the first trimester and then transabdominal) many gynecologists use a very old method: they measure the uterus with a tape measure!
Also Read: Newborn Weight Is Affected By Lean Body MassThe formulas for calculating the fetal weight
La formulas at Shepard is the most reliable method of measuring fetal weight, which takes into account
- the biparietal diameter (Bpd)
- and the abdominal circumference (Ac).
To apply it, of course, you need the values indicated by the ultrasound and for this, usually, it is the doctor who makes an estimate of the baby's weight.
Read also: From seed to watermelon: how the baby grows in the bellyWhat is the purpose of measuring the weight of the child?
Measure the fetal weight it has the purpose of evaluating its growth, which must always be regular. But, in the last weeks of pregnancy, it is also useful to estimate how much the baby will weigh at birth and if it will be possible to practice a natural birth. But you have to rest assured: only in very rare cases the weight of the baby is a reason for a caesarean section, it happens only when the female morphology does not recommend it. But no, it is not enough to be small, also because usually the size of the child at birth has a lot in common with the characteristics of the parents!
Estimation of weight and fear of giving birth
In case of important weight many mothers could be frightened in anticipation of childbirth: remember that the cervix expands to measure ten centimeters just to pass the head and shoulders first. The problems of passage at the moment of birth are not so much about the weight - as we said it is very rare that due to the weight of you think about a cesarean - but rather channeling and position of the fetus, which may not favor expulsion. In these cases it is up to the medical team to evaluate what to do, but most of the time, thanks to maneuvers or positions in which the mother is placed, the baby is channeled in the right way, favoring the birth.
Too low weight at birth
In some cases, the birth weight can be considered low, i.e. less than 2.5kg. It can occur when childbirth takes place prematurely, i.e. before the 37th week, or due to a intrauterine growth retardation or by combining the two causes. Excluding the cases of twins, it is a phenomenon that occurs rarely, however.
Calculate the weight of the child at birth it is a useful way to evaluate the growth of the fetus and to know what awaits us at the time of delivery, but it is only an estimate. You will only know the exact weight of your child after giving birth!
SOURCES
The low birth weight in the country
Low weight and sick children
Large-for-gestational-age newborn
Biometric parameters and fetal weight estimation
