Birth Weights Drop
Reported January 25, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A new study suggests babies are getting smaller in the U.S. Researchers found birth weights decreased by an average of 52 grams (1.83 ounces) between 1990 and 2005. They say the drop in weight was especially notable after 1995.
In contrast to previous research, birth weights plummeted even further in infants born to a subset of women considered to be at low risk for small babies. Mothers who were white, well-educated, married, didn’t smoke, received early prenatal care, and delivered vaginally with no complications had babies who weighed an average of 79 grams (2.78 ounces) less at birth during the study period.
Researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute’s Department of Population Medicine, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, conducted the study.
Study authors say there is no clear cause for the decline. However, cesarean deliveries may play a role.
“A logical conclusion might be that trends in obstetric management, such as greater use of cesarean delivery and induction of labor, might account for these decreases in birth weight and gestation length,” Emily Oken, Harvard Medical School assistant professor of population medicine was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: Obstetrics & Gynecology, February 2010