So much for all that talk about big babies. After five decades of steadily growing birth weights, US babies appear to be entering the world smaller than before.
A new study published in the current issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology found that babies born between 1990 and 2005 weighed an average of 1.83 oz less than those born the previous decade. The study also found that the average length of pregnancy decreased by 2.4 days during the same timeframe. Though the average American newborn is still well-above the 5 pound 5 ounce weight that gives doctors cause for concern, researchers consider such an unexplained trend important. No typical factors, such as maternal age, smoking, and hypertension, were found to be causes for the decline.
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I'm pretty sure it's because more people have scheduled C sections now and induced labor.
1I agree, how could they not take into account that less people go into labor on their own now? Being "overdue" is now cause for induction without any other medical indicators.
2How are they getting this average? I'd think that the fact that premature and even *very* premature babies can survive now drags the average toward smaller.
3could it be that more of the smart & responsible people have stopped having children and the drug addicts and lower class individuals are still popping them out like crazy? Probably. drug addicted babies are gonna be smaller.
4"I'd think that the fact that premature and even *very* premature babies can survive now drags the average toward smaller."
Very true. What was considered a miscarriage up through the 80s is now a premature birth due to medical advances.
5It's definitely the preemies and early c-sections causing this. I can tell you it's not my babies (7lbs 13oz and 8lbs 6oz).
6I'm fairly certain a respected journal such as this is talking about weight in relation to gestational age therefore discounting lower weight due to prematurity and the increased rate of induction. Interesting finding.
7I don't have as much faith as that, "respected journals" use totally groundless studies all the time. While the micropremies may have been adjusted, I have no doubt that inductions and c-sections simply for "being full term" were included in the average pregnancy length decreasing.
8I believe the causes would include an exponential increase in multiple births due to fertility treatments, and mothers with health issues, who before would be unable to carry children, are now able to reap the benefits of medical advances.
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