children s health issues
Small for Gestational Age (SGA) Newborns
Causes of SGA Newborns
Most newborns who are moderately small for gestational age are healthy babies who just happen to be on the smaller side. However, some are small because their growth in the womb was restricted by various factors. Growth restriction is when a baby in the womb (a fetus) does not grow as expected. Growth restriction can be classified as Symmetric: The newborn is proportionately small, that is, its weight, length, and head size are similarly low or small. Asymmetric: Weight, length, or head size are not equally affected (for example, head size may continue to grow as expected, but weight or length may be lower than expected). In symmetric growth restriction, the cause probably occurred early in the pregnancy when it would affect all of the cells in the newborn's body. Asymmetric growth restriction probably results from problems that occur later in pregnancy because some tissues develop sooner than others and not all would be affected equally. Not all infants whose growth was restricted in the womb are small for gestational age. Risk factors for growth restriction include those involving the mother's underlying health, and those involving the pregnancy and/or the fetus. The risk of having a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) baby is increased for mothers who are very young or very old or who have had other babies who were SGA. Medical disorders in the mother that increase the risk of having an SGA baby include High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy (hypertension) Long-standing Diabetes During Pregnancy None Kidney Disorders During Pregnancy None Heart Disease During Pregnancy or lung disease Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus) None Severe Anemia During Pregnancy None Sickle Cell Disease None Abnormalities of the uterus, for example, a uterus that has two parts (bicornuate uterus) Having Multiple Births , for example, twins or triplets (Twins grow at the same rate as single fetuses until about 32 weeks. After that, twins grow more slowly and may be SGA at birth. For triplets, slower growth begins at about 28 weeks.) Use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies to conceive the pregnancy Preeclampsia and Eclampsia None Early separation of the placenta ( Placental Abruption ) Use of Alcohol or Use of certain drugs such as Amphetamines , Severe malnutrition Overview of Birth Defects that involve the Certain infections in the fetus, including Zika Virus Infection , Overview of Chromosome and Gene Disorders , such as 