How heavy is the baby? This question is important for many mums during pregnancy. This figure is particularly exciting after the birth. Was the birth weight estimate correct?
The weight of babies varies. And yet there are regional and gender differences. The birth weight is a figure that is recorded for all babies. It is even stipulated that this may only be determined using calibrated scales. This is why there are also official and precise statistical values.
On average, newborns in Germany weigh 3,480 grams, as determined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017. This makes our babies the second heaviest internationally after Norwegian newborns with an average of 3,575 grams. The study shows that babies in Central and Northern Europe are generally the heaviest at birth. Accordingly, babies in Denmark follow in third place with 3,462 grams. The "lightest" babies are born in India (2,975 grams), followed by Egypt (3,100 grams) and Thailand (3,130 grams). To ensure the most objective comparison possible, the WHO only included data from uncomplicated pregnancies and from mothers in comparable economic and social circumstances.
What is a "normal" birth weight?
The trend in Germany is that newborns are becoming or have become heavier overall than they were three decades ago. Thirty years ago, the average birth weight was 3,300 grams.
If we assume that the average birth weight is a good 3,500 grams, many children are naturally below or above this. A "normal" birth weight is considered to be between 2,800 and 4,200 grams.
The situation is somewhat different with body length. This cannot be easily determined immediately after birth. This is because newborn babies have a high muscle tone. It is therefore not easy to place them in a so-called measuring tray or measure them easily and accurately with a tape measure.
Nevertheless, length is important. This is because health risks for the birth or the baby can only be predicted from the relationship between body weight and body length.
A normal body length for newborns is assumed to be 48 to 56 centimetres.
According to the Federal Centre for Health Education, seven out of 10 newborns in Germany weigh between 3,000 and 4,000 grams and measure between 50 and 55 centimetres.
Over 10% of children weigh 4000 g or more at birth. This figure has remained relatively constant over the last 10 years. However, not every baby in this weight category is a "chubby" baby. After all, just a few centimetres more body length at this age can already make a slim baby.
So when talking about increasing risks with higher birth weight, it is correct to talk about the risks of higher BMI in newborns. This indicates the relationship between body weight and body length.
A high or very high birth weight, which is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes and obesity later on, is related to the BMI on the one hand and the duration of the pregnancy on the other. It is normal for babies born after their due date to be heavier than newborns who have had less time to grow in mum's womb.
What influences the baby's birth weight?
The weight at which your baby is born depends not only on the actual date of birth but also depends on other factors. Firstly, however, we can say that the longer the unborn child remains in the mother's womb, the more it will weigh at birth. This is why birth weight is also an indicator of a newborn's degree of maturity. Accordingly, for example, a Premature birth defined as birth before the 37th week of pregnancy or with a birth weight of less than 2,500 grams.
It was also found that the birth weight usually increases from child to child that a mother gives birth to. This is no longer the case from the fourth child onwards. This means that a woman's first child is often lighter than its subsequent siblings. One reason for this is thought to be that the woman's body may be able to take better care of her unborn child from pregnancy to pregnancy. The increased space in the abdomen, whose muscles and connective tissue have already stretched for a baby, could also make it easier for the next baby to grow. However, these assumptions have not been proven. In any case, the quality of the placental care Influence on the growth and development of the child.
The birth weight is also influenced by the Hereditary traits of the parents plays an important role. A rather small, petite and lightweight parent couple will therefore tend to have a smaller and lighter baby. There are of course exceptions to this "rule", for example if a tall, sturdy grandfather or grandmother of this type "makes it" with the grandchild.
Also the Gender of a child can influence birth weight. It has been shown that although male and female newborns hardly differ in size, they do differ in weight. Specifically, boys often weigh slightly more on average (3,550 grams) than girls (3,450 grams) at birth because they absorb more nutrients in the womb. Why this is the case has not yet been clearly explained. One logical explanation could lie in the eating behaviour of the mothers. Women who are pregnant with a boy are hungrier and eat more on average than mums who are expecting a girl.
The woman herself can influence some factors. These include the maternal body weight at the beginning of the pregnancy. If it is (Heavily) overweightincreases the risk of a Gestational diabetes. This condition in turn often leads to a higher birth weight because the baby is oversupplied with sugar. The heaviest baby in Germany to date was delivered by caesarean section in Cottbus in 2020, weighing 6,700 grams. The mother was suffering from gestational diabetes. Excessive Weight gain during pregnancy.
The right Nutrition before and during pregnancy is therefore also of considerable importance with regard to the baby's birth weight.
Are pregnant women reversed (severely) underweightthe baby is often only inadequately nourished via the placenta. But also the Lifestyle of the pregnant woman (consumption of alcohol, nicotine, other drugs) can jeopardise the supply by the Placentaaffect the baby. As a result, newborns often have a lower birth weight. And the Nutrition for pregnant women plays a role. If you regularly put (too) many carbohydrates on your plate, you will often make your child heavier. You can find out more about a healthy and balanced diet during pregnancy here.on my blog.
Another influencing factor is the age of the pregnant woman. More and more women are only becoming 35 and older pregnant. This increases their risk of pregnancy-related illnesses such as Pre-eclampsia and Gestational diabetes ,In addition, "late mothers" are also more likely to transmit the disease. They are also more likely to start their pregnancy with metabolic disorders and/or overweight. All of this can also have a corresponding effect on the birth weight.
How is the birth weight of the unborn child determined?
Until the 20th week of pregnancy, unborn babies are roughly the same size and weight. They then begin to grow and gain weight individually. From the 34th week of pregnancy, the foetuses gain a lot more weight due to a real growth spurt.
At the end of your pregnancy, your midwife can estimate your baby's expected birth weight fairly accurately by measuring your belly according to a certain system and feeling the contours of your unborn child. Although this forecast is not a guarantee, it is relatively accurate: in 80 per cent of cases, the values calculated in this way only deviate from the actual birth weight by between 100 and 200 grams. In 20% of cases, the deviation can be up to 300 grams. In any case, the midwife can tell very precisely whether the baby's size matches mum's size.
Of course, your baby's estimated birth weight can also be determined by a doctor. To do this, the child is measured using Ultrasoundmeasured. Based on the data collected, your gynaecologist can then calculate the estimated birth weight using a specific computer formula. However, this can lead to inaccurate values from the 11th week onwards, as the foetuses often move too much for an accurate measurement to be possible. The larger the baby grows, the greater the inaccuracy of the measurements. At the end of the pregnancy, deviations from the actual weight of 300 - 500 g can be expected using this method. The relationship to the mother's body size is also only established if special attention is paid to this as part of prenatal care.
Does a high birth weight prevent a natural birth?
There is no generalised yes or no answer to this question. In principle, however, we can say that even a (very) heavy baby does not necessarily have to be carried by hand. Caesarean sectionmust be retrieved.
Nevertheless, with a (very) high expected birth weight, certain risks for mother and child are increased if the baby is delivered vaginally. A distinction is made here between a "slightly" increased birth risk (from around 4,000 grams) and a "significantly" increased birth risk (from around 4,500 grams). For example, the baby may not fit through the mother's pelvis. It is also possible that it will no longer be supplied with sufficient oxygen during labour. And it could also injure itself on its way through the birth canal, for example by "getting stuck" with its shoulder on the mother's pelvis if the head has already been born.
For women with heavy children, the risk of injuries such as a perineal tear or incision increases during labour.
However, the risk of a natural birth is not only determined by the baby's birth weight, but also by the circumference of its head, for example. This is usually the "thickest" part that has to pass through the birth canal. With regard to the weight-related risk, we can also determine that there is a lower risk with a long-grown child, in which a higher birth weight is proportionally well distributed, than with a rather short but disproportionately heavy child. In addition, a mother of rather large stature will have fewer problems with the vaginal delivery of a heavy baby than a small, delicately built woman.
How a baby ultimately fits through the mother's pelvis also depends on the baby. It bends at birth, moves its head so that it fits through the narrow part of the pelvis and turns bit by bit through the birth canal. This can make even a large baby significantly smaller for this time. And then the mum's birth position plays a decisive role. If the pelvis is in an upright position, the mum is in an upright posture or in a quadrupedal position, the space in the pelvis for the baby is significantly increased.
My advice: So no one can make a reliable statement about whether a baby is too big to be born. Ultimately, this can only be recognised in the course of the birth process. As a pregnant woman, you cannot influence every factor that affects birth weight. However, if you eat a balanced diet during pregnancy, get enough exercise and prepare yourself intensively for the birth with a comprehensive Birth preparation course you have laid a good foundation for your baby's development and birth.
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