If a pregnant woman works out and stays physically fit, most people assume she'll deliver a lean tot. But then there are ladies who gain a lot of maternal weight during the expectant stage and still deliver a babe on the smaller side. Genetics, diet and many things factor in, but we're curious how much weight you gained during pregnancy and how big your baby was at birth?
Source: Flickr User Emery Co Photo
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.
My friend's father is an OB/GYN who delivered the largest baby on Georgia's records.
The infant weighed a whopping 17 pounds! Since its mama suffered from gestational diabetes, the child was much larger than typical babies.
How did your babe weigh in?
* Note, my friend's dad was not the woman's doctor – he happened to be on duty that night.
