What are four causes of low birth weight?

What are four causes of low birth weight?

They include:

• Infection during pregnancy.
• Not gaining enough weight during pregnancy.
• Previous pregnancy with a low-birth-weight baby.
• Smoking.
• Alcohol or drug use.
• Age less than 17 or more than 35 years.
• African-American background.

What are the effects of smoking during pregnancy?

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of health problems for developing babies, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and birth defects of the mouth and lip. Smoking during and after pregnancy also increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

What is the relationship between smoking and child birth weight?

Any smoking during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk for weight or body length at birth being below the 10th percentile. Mothers who quit smoking during the first trimester were at elevated but not statistically significant risk for giving birth to a child with a small head circumference.

Can smoking cigarettes cause Down syndrome?

For an overall risk assessment combining maternal age and biochemical and ultrasound markers, no significant changes for Down syndrome were found with smoking, but significant increases in average risk as well as in positive rates were found for trisomy 18 (p < 0.001).

Which disorder is commonly associated with very low birth weight babies?

This is called intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). It may happen because of problems with the placenta, the mother’s health, or birth defects. Most very low birth weight babies who have IUGR are also born early. They are usually very small and physically immature.

Why low birth weight is a problem?

Babies with a very low birth weight have a greater risk of developing problems. Their tiny bodies are not as strong as babies of normal weight. They may have a harder time eating, gaining weight, and fighting infection. They have very little body fat.