If the birth weight of the baby is below 2500g, it is considered a low-birth-weight child. The reason is because the rate of growth of the fetus in the mother’s body is slightly different in each stage of pregnancy. During the later stages of pregnancy, the growth rate is significantly faster to achieve normal birth weight range. However, some pregnant women can still feel the fetus growing slowly, which ultimately results in a low-birth-weight child.
Premature birth and intrauterine malnutrition are some causes of low birth weight. In addition, smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy can also lead to low birth weight infants and poor health status of the low-birth-weight child. For normal birth children, the neurodevelopmental, kidney and lung maturation is completed in the third trimester. In other words, low-birth-weight infants are susceptible to infectious diseases and kidney dysplasia.
In order to prevent the occurrence of low-birth-weight child, the environment and nutrition is essential to improve fetal survival. First of all, you should stop smoking and alcohol intake. Secondly, try to strengthen your nutrition during pregnancy to relieve intrauterine growth retardation. Here are some guidelines to the general dietary regime for three meals a day in order to ensure the nutrition of pregnant women after the second trimester. In the afternoon between meals, in addition to snacks, you also need to have a high intake of quality protein food such as eggs, milk, fish and so on. A good intake of vitamins is just as essential. Fresh fruits and vegetables are good in supplying vitamins. Calcium, iron, zinc and iodine intake from seaweed and other seafood are also just as important.
Generally, during the later stages of pregnancy, a weekly weight gain of less than 0.4kg should be taken note of by paying special attention to the diet and nutritional intake.
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