In some cases, women deliver bigger baby than usual. The women are mostly informed during their last trimester, either by the doctor or the mid wife, about the unusually large size of the baby. Macrosomia or big baby syndrome is a condition where, the new born has an excessive birth weight or unusually large birth size. The women delivering macrosomic babies, do experience certain difficulties. Here are a few facts about macrosomia. Read on to be aware and check with your doctor or mid wife for any such situation.
1. Excessive birth weight
Most of the newborn babies weigh only about 7 pounds (3.4 kg). Babies who weigh more than 9 pounds (4.5 kg) at the time of birth are considered to be big babies, larger than the normal types and known as macrosomic babies. The midwife and the doctor may use fundal height measurements or ultrasound to find out the baby’s height. Though these are only estimates, they may slightly vary to about a pound in real. In the year 200, about 1.7 percent of babies born in Wales and England were macrosomic.
2. Checking for a macrosomic baby in the womb
Most often it may not be very easy to confirm the weight of your baby when he/she is still inside the womb. The weight can be confirmed only when the baby comes out. If your doctor or midwife suspects a huge baby, they may use various techniques for finding the measurements. Some idea of the size can be obtained by using the ultrasound scan. However, this may not give you an accurate measurement. There may be some difference in the actual weight of your baby and the weight predicted by the ultrasound. If your baby is big according to the scan reports, the midwife may begin to monitor the levels of blood sugar. This will help her to identify gestational diabetes.
3. Several factors determine the birth of big babies
There are several factors that are responsible for big babies. One of the most common reasons is genetics. For example, if you were born big, then there are chances that you may also give birth to big babies. When the blood sugar levels due to pre-existing diabetes or gestational diabetes are not properly managed, you may give birth to macrosomic babies. Other reasons include having huge body mass index during the beginning of your pregnancy, gaining lot of weight when you are pregnant, when you exceed two weeks of your due date and if you have increased your body weight between your pregnancies. Sometimes, the sex of the baby is also responsible for the size. Boys grow larger than girls. Such babies are born to women who have very little or low risk of having a huge baby. You will be considered low risk if you do not suffer from diabetes.
4. Delivery difficulties
It can be quite difficult to give birth to a big baby. You may experience blood loss, damage to the tailbone and perineal tearing. There are some chances of your baby developing a shoulder dystocia at birth. This happens when the shoulders of your baby get stuck after the head has been pushed out. Though it is a rare condition, it needs to be taken care of immediately. Even if this happens, you can still give birth vaginally. By changing to a comfortable position you can give birth without the need for any kind of intervention or episiotomy. According to a study, about 88 percent of women with large babies have given birth to them vaginally. If you are already past the date, your midwife may recommend an induced labor. This however, is not beneficial for both the mom and the child. There may be exceptions, in case of diabetes. Some midwives also recommend for a caesarean. But you have to understand the risks associated with it when compared to the vaginal birth and decide according to your comfort.
5. Macrosomic babies are healthy
Most of the macrosomic babies are fine and in good health after their birth. If your baby has suffered a shoulder dystocia at the time of birth, he may experience certain problems. It can result in damages in the nerves of the arm and shoulder or break the collar bone. Only about 16 percent of such babies suffer from shoulder dystocia and about 4 percent from nerve damage. These problems arise only if the baby required a lot of help to come out or due to the pressure of the strong contractions. These problems can be easily treated to cure your baby completely.
