Contents:
- Medical Video: Your Baby's Development from 9 to 12 months - Boys Town Pediatrics
- Factors that affect a baby's weight
- 1. Womb age
- 2. Gender
- 3. Maternal health conditions when pregnant
- 4. Maternal nutrition adequacy when pregnant
- 5. Baby's health condition at birth
- 6. Twins or not
- How to calculate the ideal baby weight
- Table of normal baby's length and weight development
- How to meet nutritional intake in the baby's first year
Medical Video: Your Baby's Development from 9 to 12 months - Boys Town Pediatrics
Baby's weight is an important factor for growth and development. If the baby's weight is lacking or even excessive, this can indicate a problem. So, what are the factors that affect the baby's weight, and what is the ideal weight for the baby in the first year of birth?
Factors that affect a baby's weight
Before knowing what the ideal baby weight is, it's good to know what factors can influence it. According to American Pregnancy, there are several factors that can affect the baby's weight and its development.
1. Womb age
Premature babies born too early before fullterm gestation (38 to 40 weeks) will have less weight compared to babies born on time.
2. Gender
Male babies generally have a greater weight than women. Baby boys also go through more rapid development of baby girls.
3. Maternal health conditions when pregnant
If the mother is often sick when pregnant, the baby's weight may be lower, even if it is born below the normal limit, compared to women who have a healthy condition.
4. Maternal nutrition adequacy when pregnant
Mothers who eat with adequate nutrition will have a baby is relatively heavier than mothers who are not fulfilled their nutrition.
5. Baby's health condition at birth
For example, a baby who experiences congenital or congenital pain when he is born will affect his birth weight.
6. Twins or not
Maternal nutrition will be shared with two babies so that it will affect the birth weight of both twins.
How to calculate the ideal baby weight
To find out how much a healthy baby's weight is, you can do it yourself at home using a baby scale and meter to measure his length and weight.
The next step is to compare the results of the numbers listed on the tool with a graph of the growth of the length and weight of a normal baby based on the age of the child. The growth chart below is a standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is also used as a reference for doctors in Indonesia.
Table of normal baby's length and weight development
Table of development of normal baby's length and weight
The table above is the measurement range between the 3rd and 97th percentiles of WHO growth standards for baby girls and boys. To find out whether your baby's weight is ideal or not, you can compare the results of measurements of weight and height, as well as your child's head circumference according to these international standards.
If the results are still within the range according to age, then the growth of your child is included in the normal category. If your baby's weight is outside the normal range, it's good to consult a doctor about your child's growth and development.
Apart from that, parents are advised to always routinely consult a pediatrician or take part in a posyandu activity that is usually done at the nearest health center to ensure the growth of your child has really followed the "path" of good development.
How to meet nutritional intake in the baby's first year
In order for your baby to grow well, you must always meet his nutritional needs. Give exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months. Exclusive breastfeeding is indeed the choice of every mother. However, exclusive breastfeeding since the baby is born until at least 6 months afterwards is an important action for the baby's growth and development.
After a 6 month old baby, the baby's nutritional needs will continue to grow and breast milk alone is not enough to meet the baby's nutritional needs. To meet the nutritional needs of a growing baby, you can provide solid foods containing balanced nutrition including carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats. Generally babies are given MPASI when they are 6 months old.
Do not forget to also complete immunizations and vitamins for your child to prevent various diseases later on.
