causes of low birth weight in babies

Pregnant and worried that you may have a baby with low birth weight? There are various reasons as to why you may get an underweight baby. Good thing is that there are ways in which you can reduce the risks of low birth weight. Your baby is considered to be having low birth weight if they way less than 2.5 Kgs.

But what causes low birth weight? Let’s see that, shall we?

1. Preterm birth

Baby in incubator(Verywell Family) Pulse Live Kenya

We already gave you some reasons as to why you may have a preterm birth. And according to WHO, preterm birth is considered to be the leading cause of deaths of children under five years. If the baby is born prematurely, there are higher chances of having a low birth weight. In addition, low birth weight contributes to 60-80% of neonatal deaths (death between within the first 28 days of life). Scary, right?

2. Multiple pregnancies

A set of twins (Illustration) ece-auto-gen

Carrying more than one baby is a blessing that also comes with its risks; one of it being low birth weight. The babies compete for nutrients and by the time of birth, they may end up having a low birth weight. The risk increases depending on the number of babies you are expecting.

3. Smoking

Whether you like it or not, you need to quit smoking as soon as you realize that you are expectant. Not unless you want to ruin your baby’s life, smoking increases the risk of preterm birth hence delivering an underweight baby.

4. Alcohol

Alcohol (courtesy) ece-auto-gen

With pregnancy, even a glass of wine can never be a good idea. Just like smoking, alcohol hinders the supply of oxygen thus slowing down the growth of the fetus.

5. Infections during pregnancy

Your immunity is put test during pregnancy because it’s usually weaker than normal. As such, you can easily get infections. The infection or medication may in return affect the baby’s weight.

6. Diet

pregnant woman eating(supamamas) Pulse Live Kenya

For healthy fetus development, you must feet it with the right nutrients by taking a healthy diet. An imbalanced diet will in most cases affect the baby’s weight during birth.

7. Placental issues

The placenta is like the life support machine for the fetus. So if it malfunctions, the fetus will not receive nutrients from the mother and this affects its health and weight.