Is it normal to measure big during pregnancy

This test uses sound waves to create a picture of your baby and the inside of your body. It is a more accurate method of estimating the size of your baby, but it's still not exact. Weight gain during pregnancy. This can also affect your baby's size. Gaining a lot of weight during pregnancy may cause your baby to be bigger than normal. Babies are weighed within the first few hours after birth.

The weight is compared with the baby's gestational age and recorded in the medical record. If ultrasound exams during pregnancy show that your baby is very large, your healthcare provider may recommend early delivery. You may need a planned cesarean section. After birth, a baby who is large for gestational age will be carefully checked for any injuries that happened during birth.

Your baby may have blood glucose testing for at least the first 12 hours to check for low blood sugar. Babies who are large for gestational age are at higher risk for a breathing problem called respiratory distress syndrome.

They also may be at risk of breathing meconium into the lungs around the time of birth. Birth injuries such as a broken collar bone or damaged nerves in the arm brachial plexus are more common in babies who are very large for gestational age.

These babies also may need to stay in neonatal intensive care because of breathing problems, low blood sugar hypoglycemia , or both. The risk for problems increases as the birth weight increases. The risks are highest for babies who weight more than 9 pounds 15 ounces 4, grams. LGA babies are more likely to have an excessive amount of red blood cells polycythemia. As these red blood cells break down, their livers may not be able to handle the increased about of bilirubin needing to be conjugated.

This may result in high levels of bilirubin in the blood resulting in jaundice. Regular prenatal care is important in all pregnancies. Join BabyCentre. Sign up to receive free emails and track your baby's development. Track my baby. Most popular in Pregnancy. See all in Community. See all in Getting Pregnant. See all in Pregnancy. See all in Preschooler. See all in Life as a Parent. See all in Video.

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