Low Birth Weight Babies
Low birth weight is a term used to describe babies born with weight less than 2500 grams. Babies with low birth weight are much smaller than those born with normal weight. They are very thin, with little fat and his head is bigger than the rest of the body. Low birth weight is the second leading cause of death during infancy, preceded by the birth defects. Through prevention and treatment of low birth weight may increase the number of babies who survive the first year of life.
CLASSIFICATION
Babies with low birth weights fall into two categories:
* Premature (or preterm) born before 37 weeks gestation and may or may not be of adequate size for gestational age. The increase in births before the end may in part reflect the increase in interventions and caesarean births over 35 years.
* Small for date (for gestational age) may be premature or not, but weigh less than 90% of infants of gestational age. Its small size is usually a result of inadequate prenatal nutrition, reducing fetal growth. It is very concerning multiple pregnancies.
RISK FACTORS
Who is able to produce a baby with low weight? Factors that increase the likelihood that a woman has a baby with low birth weight include:
1. Demographic and socioeconomic factors such as African American, age 17 or over 40, poverty, illiteracy or unmarried.
2. Medical factors prior to pregnancy, as previously not having children or having more than 4, being short or thin, and some have had low birth weight baby or abortion, to be born underweight or suffer from chronic hypertension and genitourinary abnormalities.
3. Behavioral factors and prenatal environment, for example, inadequate nutrition, inadequate prenatal nutrition, smoking, alcohol or other drugs, or exposure to high altitudes, or toxic stress.
4. Medical conditions associated with pregnancy such as vaginal bleeding, infection, high or low blood pressure, anemia, poor weight gain or having the last pregnancy in the previous 6 months. The safest interval between pregnancies is 18 to 23 months.
Many of these factors are interrelated. The high risk in the case of adolescent mothers may be due more to poor nutrition and inadequate prenatal care than their age, because adolescents are often poor. At least one fifth of all cases of low birth weight are related to smoking. If you join the weight of the mother get the combination that causes two thirds of cases. Women can reduce their chances of having a baby with low birth weight by eating well, not smoking or using drugs, eating little or no alcohol, and seeking proper medical attention.
TREATMENT AND RESULTS
Low birth weight babies are more vulnerable to infections and often their development is not enough to suck so they need to be fed intravenously. Nor have fat to generate heat and often suffer respiratory distress syndrome (hyaline membrane disease).
Babies with low birth weight are placed in an incubator (cot antiseptic, temperature controlled) and fed through tubes. To counter the lack of sensory incubator, it is recommended that hospital staff and parents to give baby a special treatment. The gentle massage appears to foster their growth, organizational behavior, weight gain, motor activity and the state of alert.
With regard to its long-term development, studies show that usually good because the follow-up support. Gender (men may have more difficulty), and other demographic factors such as parental income or education level of mothers and their marital status, seem to play an important role in whether children with low birth weight infants suffer or limitations of mind and language.
