Macrosomia is a term that describes a baby who is born much larger than the healthy size for their gestational age. It may cause some labor complications for your newborn baby.
Macrosomia
👶What is macrosomia?
Macrosomia is used to describe a newborn👶 who is much larger than the healthy size for their gestational age. Historically, a baby who weighs more than 4000 grams (8 pounds, 13 ounces) or more than 4500 grams (9 pounds, 15 ounces) is considered macrosomic.⚖️
Macrosomia can cause a difficult delivery and increase the risks for a cesarean delivery and birth injury to the baby.😟 Macrosomic babies are also prone to health problems and complications after birth.
👶Causes of macrosomia
Genetic factors and maternal conditions are two primary reasons that can cause a fetal macrosomia.👩 If you are obese, tall or over 35 years old, you are more likely to have a macrosomic baby. Gaining too much weight while pregnant, having had a previous baby with macrosomia, having diabetes before pregnancy or developing it during pregnancy are also contributing factors to macrosomia.🤰
Symptoms of macrosomia
👶Large fundal height
It’s hard to detect and diagnose macrosomia during pregnancy. Measuring the height of the fundus from the top of your uterus to the pubic one is one way to determine how large the baby is.👶 A larger than expected fundal height could be a sign of macrosomia.⚠️
👶Excessive amniotic fluid
The amount of amniotic fluid indicates the baby’s urine output.🧻 Too much amniotic fluid suggests that the baby is producing excess urine. A large baby does produce more urine.👶
Maternal complications
👶Labor problems
If your baby is macrosomic, it’s likely that the baby gets stuck in the birth canal due to shoulder dystocia. It's a serious complication in which the baby’s shoulder gets caught behind your pubic bone. Hence, the doctor👩⚕️ might need to use forceps or a vacuum device during delivery to help the baby come out. Sometimes a C-section is needed.🏥
👶Genital tract lacerations
Your macrosomic baby👶 is so big that the baby can injure the birth canal on the way out. The immensity of the baby can tear vaginal tissues and the muscles between the vagina and the anus.😟
👶Bleeding after delivery
Fetal macrosomia induces serious bleeding🩸 since your uterus cannot contract like it’s supposed to do after you give birth. Excess bleeding after delivery can result in a big drop in your blood pressure and result in complications such as postpartum hemorrhage.☹️
👶Uterine rupture
If you have had a prior cesarean delivery or major uterine surgery, fetal macrosomia can tear your uterus along the scar line from previous surgeries.😰 This complication could be life-threatening and require C-section surgery.
Newborn complications
👶Abnormal blood sugar
A baby diagnosed with fetal macrosomia may have lower blood sugar than normal.🩸 Cases of having high blood sugar are relatively rare.
👶Childhood obesity
The risk of obesity increases as your baby’s weight increases. The baby is also prone to other metabolic syndrome during childhood such as increased blood pressure, excess body fat, high cholesterol levels, or heart diseases.❤️