Mother is carrying a big baby, what are the consequences?

Maybe you already know that babies who are born with low birth weight can increase the risk for various diseases when he grows up. Then, what about big babies or those who weigh more than normal?

What are the reasons that babies can be large?

Babies are said to be large or have excess body weight if their weight has reached more than 4000 grams. These babies are usually referred to as macrosomia. Things that cause the baby to be more than normal size, usually because the mother has gestational diabetes, the mother is obese, is overweight during pregnancy, or the baby was born at a very late birth.

Is it true that it's hard to give birth to a big baby?

The initial challenge when having a baby who is overweight in the womb is the birth process. Giving birth to a baby with normal weight is not easy, especially overweight babies. Of course, this is a problem in itself for the mother and the doctor who handles the birth, but it is still possible to give birth normally.

It takes longer to give birth to a big baby. The risk of experiencing more bleeding and more severe perineal injury can also occur during the birth process. If your baby weighs more than 4500 grams, your baby will develop shoulder dystocia during the birth process with a probability of 1/13.

Shoulder dystocia is a condition in which the shoulder gets stuck inside after the doctor manages to pull the head out. The likelihood of this happening is greater in babies who are bigger in weight. This is a rare situation, but very serious as it can result in serious injury or even death. Proper handling can get your baby out of your body safely, this will require some technique.

If a normal delivery feels very difficult and has many risks, you can give birth by caesarean section. For those of you who have diabetes while pregnant, you may be advised to give birth by caesarean section.

In addition, it is possible that your doctor will induce labor early after 38 weeks of pregnancy. However, inducing labor earlier does not show any benefit, according to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. It's best to discuss with your doctor and plan your delivery well before the day of birth.

Are there any health risks to large babies?

Difficulties during labor carry health risks to the baby. A baby's shoulder that gets stuck under the mother's pelvis during labor can cause nerve damage to the baby's shoulders, arms and neck. Nerve damage occurs in 2-16% of babies who have shoulder dystocia. This is more likely if your baby is very large.

However, it can also be caused by the pressure from a very strong contraction. If your baby has some nerve damage or the baby's collarbone is damaged due to labor, he can still fully recover.

Apart from nerve damage, difficulty in delivering a baby that is larger than normal can also result in the baby requiring breathing assistance after delivery and having thicker heart muscle abnormalities.

Other complications that can occur if your baby is too big are:

1. Lower blood sugar levels

Babies diagnosed with macrosomia are more likely to have blood sugar levels that are lower than normal. Large babies are usually born to a mother who has diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes).

Mothers with diabetes who have elevated blood sugar levels are more likely to have babies of more than normal size, because the main nutrient that controls the baby's growth is sugar. Excess blood sugar and insulin production can lead to overgrowth and storage of fat, thus making the baby bigger.

In the womb, these babies are used to high blood sugar levels, but when they are born, this baby's food source is cut off. As a result, large babies tend to have low blood sugar and need to be monitored after birth.

2. Obese babies

Research shows that the risk of obesity increases as the birth weight of the baby increases. Large or obese babies usually come from mothers who are also obese. Obese mothers have two or three times higher risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy compared to women who are not obese.

Obese mothers should avoid excessive weight gain during pregnancy in an effort to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes and deliver babies with larger than normal sizes.

3. Metabolic syndrome

If your baby is diagnosed with macrosomia, he or she is at risk of developing metabolic syndrome during childhood. Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions characterized by increased blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, excess body fat around the waist, or abnormal cholesterol levels. Metabolic syndrome can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

According to Dr. Kristin Atkins, a mother and baby specialist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says the best way for women to prevent large babies is to monitor what they eat and control diabetes if they are diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy.