Slim Baby: When Is It Worrying?
Normally, it is positively valued that newborns have a high weight or rounded shapes. It is associated with better health. However, it’s not always like that.
It may be the case of a thin baby who is perfectly well and achieves optimal later development. We are going to tell you when you should start worrying about your weight.
The first thing to keep in mind is that there are tables that show the average weight of children at birth and also in the early stages of their life. This makes comparison much easier, as it is possible to tell when a particular subject is too far from the mean.
Is my baby very thin?
Before worrying about the nutritional status or the specific weight of your baby, it is important to know how it is within the percentile weight tables.
As long as it is close to average, its weight should not be a cause for concern. However, when it approaches the extremes, other parameters will have to be taken into account.
It is important to know that the states of malnutrition are reflected in the thinness of the baby and in certain problems when it comes to developing normally.
Fortunately, kids get a lot of tests to see if something is not working properly. In the event that you move away from average weight, you will undergo a serum analysis where information about your nutritional profile can be obtained. Here it will be ruled out that the situation is worrying.
When is an underweight baby considered?
The standards state that a baby is considered low weight when at birth it fails to beat 2.5 kilograms. If it is below 1.5 kilograms, it is a very low weight situation.
The most common cause of this problem is premature delivery, as stated in a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology . Also a low concentration in the mother’s vitamin B12 levels could be related.
If a scenario like this occurs, the pediatrician will probably take measures or recommend certain strategies to increase the weight of the baby, and thus stop being excessively thin. Otherwise, you could experience growth problems that affect your health in the medium term.
Common reasons why the baby is thin
We are going to explain the reasons that can lead to a baby being thin. One of them is that it was a premature birth, as already mentioned previously.
Smoking or using drugs during pregnancy
There is evidence that affirms that the consumption of alcohol or drugs during pregnancy can negatively affect the development of the fetus. This not only manifests itself from a functional or neurological point of view, but it can also cause low birth weight; that is, the birth of a thin baby.
Having a pregnancy from the age of 35
The optimal population group for pregnancy is made up of women between 17 and 35 years of age. Leaving it, both due to young age and over 35, can be considered a risk factor for the baby to have a low weight.
According to research published in the European Journal of Pediatrics , thin babies are more common when mothers are older than a certain age.
Infections during pregnancy
If infections with microorganisms are experienced during pregnancy, although these do not cause apparent harm to the fetus, they can lead to a low birth weight. In this situation, it will be necessary to carry out additional tests on the baby to verify that there is no involvement in the vital organs.
How does a baby’s body change during growth?
It must be taken into account that during the early stages of life the body undergoes a large number of changes to adapt to increasing functional needs. In this sense, organs begin to increase in size, in the same way as muscle tissue.
Cellular reproduction occurs at a high rate, so energy demands are increasing. At this time, the caloric balance must always be positive to, in this way, allow the formation of tissue. It is totally normal to experience a significant weight gain after each week.
When is it necessary to consult a doctor?
If, in addition to being born a thin baby, there is no significant increase in size and weight after each week, you should consult your doctor. Other reasons will be that the child refuses to eat or it costs too much, that he has functional motor problems or that he presents frequent vomiting and diarrhea.
Also, if there is too much swelling in the belly, it should be consulted, since this could be a symptom of protein malnutrition, something that can negatively impact development.
Importance of diet in the development of the child
It must be taken into account that the contribution of nutrients will be key to ensure that the baby grows properly. It does not matter that he was a thin baby in the beginning: if he is given a good diet, the thinness will disappear over time naturally.
It is clear that the best food during the first year of life is breast milk. This provides all the nutrients that the child needs, in addition to the immunoglobulins necessary for the proper functioning of the immune system.
From 6 months, however, it is important to start with complementary feeding. Thus, nutritional needs will be met and the caloric intake increased, so that the baby develops properly.
Skinny baby, not always a red flag
As we have seen, the fact that the baby is thin at first does not have to be dangerous for his health. As long as it is feeding properly and experiencing steady growth, there should be no problem.
However, sometimes there is a very low birth weight and there is no increase in it over the weeks. Apart from a series of risk factors that can determine this condition, it is necessary to explore whether there are dysfunctions at the organic level that limit the use of nutrients or their absorption.
