On September 17, Russia saw its largest baby ever, weighing in at 17.1 pounds. My twins were full term, born at exactly 40 weeks, and their weight was a combined 14 pounds. I can tell you that I cannot fathom another 3 pounds of baby. To top it off, that’s not the largest baby ever born. The Guiness Book of World Records shows the largest baby ever born weighing in at a whopping 29.23 pounds. That baby died just a few hours after birth due to respiratory complications. The largest living baby ever born weighed 22.5 pounds.
Aside from thinking of that poor mother carrying around that much baby, large babies often are accompanied by serious health problems. Little Nadezhda (the 17 pound infant born in Russia earlier this month) is no exception.
LGA and What Causes It
LGA (large for gestational age) is a term used to describe babies whose birth weight is higher than the 90th percentile. (Meaning that the baby ways more than 90% of the babies born at the same gestational age.) Most LGA babies are born full term but preemies may also be labeled as LGA.
The vast majority of LGA babies are born to mothers with gestational diabetes. However, genetics and diet during pregnancy also play a part.
Why Are LGA Babies a Concern
One obvious concern is that an LGA baby is associated with a difficult delivery. Most LGA babies are born via cesarean. However, because most LGA babies are born to mothers with diabetes, health problems in the baby are often related to glucose regulation.
Difficulties include hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) after birth, respiratory distress, increased incidence of birth defects, and hyperbilirubinemia (jaundice).
The important thing to remember is that LGA babies can generally be prevented by proper diet during pregnancy, and a careful watch on sugar intake.
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