According to an article in the April 2000 issue of "Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology," the health and well-being of the mother are extremely important, and if compromised, can contribute to poor fetal outcomes such growth retardation,...
Identifying Russell-Silver syndrome (RSS) can be challenging because there is great variety in how the condition presents. Your child may display numerous symptoms, or he may have only a few. If your child is a textbook case, he may have a small,...
Low birth weight in infants can be caused by premature birth or interuterine growth restriction. IUGR is a term used to describe an infant that is small for gestational age. Premature birth and IUGR can occur as a result of many different...
There are various kinds of abnormalities that can happen to a fetus. Some of them are preventable and some are not. Alcohol and certain drugs can cause abnormalities in various organs that are still developing and can interfere with fetal growth....
Premature births have been increasing steadily over the past two decades. One out of eight babies is born prematurely in the United States, according to the March of Dimes. Some of these babies may require a special formula. Other babies are born...
In 1984 the Surgeon General mandated that cigarette packages carry the following warning; "Smoking by pregnant women may result in fetal injury, premature birth and low birthweight." When a woman finds out that she is pregnant the first thing she...
Tuberculosis is the leading infectious disease worldwide in women of childbearing age, according to an article in the Global Library of Women's Medicine by Edward Newton, M.D. He says one-third of the world's population shows evidence of infection...
Babies born at a healthy weight have a lower risk for health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, low birthweight babies are at a greater risk for developing problems such as neurodevelopmental handicaps or...
Because it is caused by a complex set of genetic abnormalities, there is no known way to prevent Russell-Silver syndrome from occurring. There are some steps, however, that you can take to minimize the effects of the disorder on your child and...
Hypoglycemia---blood sugar (blood glucose) less than 30 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) in the first 24 hours of life---occurs most frequently in newborn infants of diabetic mothers, babies who are small for gestational age (SGA) and premature...
According to the Cleveland Clinic, nearly 20 percent of women are prescribed bedrest during pregnancy. Bedrest can take many forms -- from simply limiting your activity to being confined to bed all day every day. Bed rest is usually recommended to...
Technically, radiation encompasses a broad range of phenomena, many of which are not harmful to living organisms. Radio waves, microwaves and visible light are all forms of radiation but have no biological consequences of exposure. Some forms of...
The human growth hormone is made by the pituitary gland, which also produces other hormones and is located at the base of the brain. Human growth hormone is needed by the body for growth. For children, size charts can be used to monitor growth. A...
Low blood sugar, also called hypoglycemia, is a condition that occurs when the amount of sugar in a patient's blood is lower than normal. Blood sugar levels less than 70 mg/dL are considered to be dangerously low and may cause damage to the...
Smoking can have devastating consequences for a pregnancy. From miscarriage to growth restriction to birth defects, smoking during pregnancy increases the risk for many poor outcomes. The more a woman smokes, the higher the risks. Being aware of...
Crystal methamphetamine (meth) is a stimulant drug manufactured with noxious chemicals, such as drain cleaner, battery acid and anhydrous ammonia. Methamphetamine's toxic make-up can have dire consequences when taken during pregnancy. The March of...
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar levels, is not uncommon in newborns, affecting 2 out of 1,000 babies, the Medical University of South Carolina reports. Many newborns have transient hypoglycemia after birth. There are many causes of neonatal...
A report published in 2006 in the "International Journal of Obesity" shows a correlation between low birth rate and an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. Prenatal malnutrition occurs when the growing fetus does not receive...
Women who abuse drugs during pregnancy face increased risks for many different problems for both themselves and their babies. Four of the most common complications associated with substance abuse are miscarriage, fetal growth restriction, preterm...
Nutrition is a relatively new and rapidly evolving science. The latest research may seem confusing to you and even conflicting at times. Nutrients provide energy, regulate your body functions and form structural components of your body. Your...
If you have recently discovered that you are pregnant, you may be worrying about how to protect your growing baby and what you can do to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Trans fats are one food you should reduce or eliminate from your diet because they...
From birth to early childhood, parents worry about many health and medical issues worry their children could catch. Things like colds, chicken pox and allergies are common. But some infections can stay dormant in the body and not show signs unless...
Differences in patterns of growth relate to genetics, nutrition, hormones and environmental influences. The average birth weight of North American infants falls between 7 and 7 ½ pounds, according to Mary Mitchell in "Nutrition Across the...
Vitamins and minerals are vital for proper fetal development and One-A-Day Prenatal Vitamins are one choice for supplementing your daily diet. To create an optimal environment for your baby's development, the American Pregnancy Association urges...
An estimated 10 percent of pregnant women in the United States light up during pregnancy--this despite the fact tobacco smoke contains carbon monoxide, benzene, cyanide, ammonia, nitrosamines, vinyl chloride, radioactive particles and other...
Patterns of growth differ in the first year of life. The weight and length of a nine-month-old baby are influenced by birth weight, nutrition, hormones, genetics, environmental influences and overall health, according to Mary Mitchell in...
Newborns come in a variety of sizes, but babies whose weight falls below the 10 percentile for gestational age are classified as having intrauterine growth retardation, or IUGR. Around 5 percent of all newborns have IUGR, according to doctors with...
Pregnancy complications can be devastating to a woman who wants to have a baby. Whether she is suffering from infertility, has experienced recurrent miscarriages or is at risk of a serious pregnancy-related condition such as preeclampsia, she may...
Babies born with IUGR -- intrauterine growth restriction or retardation -- have more complications both at birth and later in life. IUGR has numerous causes, most related to less than optimal delivery of nutrients to the fetus; a fetus whose...
