An expert take on low birth weight babies

New Delhi, July 13 Low birth weight and premature births are the leading cause of mortality among newborns in India. But thanks to ongoing projects the incidence of low birth weight has reduced drastically in the last one decade.

The most common cause of low birth weight babies is premature delivery, when the baby doesn't get enough time to grow inside the womb of the mother. The second most common cause is when the baby stops growing inside the womb and no matter what the growth just stops. In this case we need to deliver the baby irrespective of the gestational age.

Talking about premature deliveries, there are several reasons as to why this happens. It can happen due to infections in the vagina of the mother like Group B Streptococcal infections or a recurrent urinary tract infection. These infections start the cascade of reactions which ultimately starts the premature delivery process.

It can also happen if the mouth of the uterus is so short that it cannot hold the weight of the pregnancy and with this pressure it just opens up.

Sometimes it can also happen due to the infection of the womb by the TORCH infections, named so due to Toxoplasmosis, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes.

It can also be caused due to some structural anomalies in the uterus like if there is a septum in the middle of the cavity of the uterus or if the cavity of uterus is divided into two parts due to which there is not enough space for the baby to grow inside the womb.

Too much amniotic fluid can also start the process of labor due to excessive pressure.

Sometimes the age of the mother also plays a role, a very young mother, like a teenager, has organs which might not be too well developed to hold the baby till term. Similarly if she is too old then the organs become too weak.

All these factors can lead to preterm delivery and hence low birth weight babies.

Coming to the next part when the baby stops growing inside the womb which is also known as fetal growth restriction, this can happen if the baby is unable to receive proper nutrition either due to the functional abnormality in the placenta