List the complications experienced by low-birthweight infants

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A high-risk pregnancy is likely to produce an infant with low birthweight (LBW). Low-birthweight infants, defined as infants who weigh 5½ pounds or less, are classified according to their gestational age. Preterm infants are born before they are fully developed; they are often underweight and have trouble breathing because their lungs are immature. Preterm infants may be small, but if their size and weight are appropriate for their gestational age, they can catch up in growth given adequate nutrition support. In contrast, small-for-gestational-age infants have suffered growth failure in the uterus and do not catch up as well. For the most part, survival improves with increased gestational age and birthweight.

Low-birthweight infants are more likely to experience complications during delivery than normal-weight babies. They also have a statistically greater chance of having physical and mental birth defects, becoming ill, and dying early in life. Of infants who die before their first birthdays, about two-thirds were low-birth-weight newborns. Very-low-birthweight infants (3½ pounds or less) struggle not only for their immediate physical health and survival, but for their future cognitive development and abilities as well.

A strong association is seen between socioeconomic disadvantage and low birthweight. Low socioeconomic status impairs fetal development by causing stress and by limiting access to medical care and nutritious foods. Low socioeconomic status often accompanies teen pregnancies, smoking, and alcohol and drug abuse—all predictors of low birthweight.