An abnormal condition of the pregnant mother, leading to the birth of a gigantic baby is known as Macrosomia in the medical terminology. In such a condition, newborn babies weigh more than 4.5kilograms or more than 9 pounds and 15 ounces. However not all big babies are considered to be macrosomic. Medical researches reveal that almost 5 to 10 percent of the newborn population is seen to be affected by Macrosomia. There could be several reasons behind this abnormalcy, and in the direst of conditions macrosomia can lead to fatal consequences. In most cases, it has been seen that mothers carrying macrosomic babies have to undergo c-section in order to deliver the newborn.
Causes for Macrosomia: There are several factors responsible for fetal macrosomia. One of the main reasons could be gestational diabetes of the pregnant mother, which could be sub-classed under type A, B, and C diabetes mellitus. In such a case, the mother is subjected to medication and other forms of treatment,so that case of macrosomia can be prevented. Apart from this, there could also be genetic causes behind macrosomic birth. It has been medically proved that Hispanic women tend to to give birth to macrosomic babies, as in comparison to her other counterparts.
Diagnosis of Macrosomia:It is extremely difficult to diagnose macrosomia before the birth of the new born. In fact prenatal diagnosis of macrosomia have been found to be not only difficult but most often fallacious too. The medical tests confirming macrosomia can be done only post delivery. As a result there is not much to be done, during pregnancy period. Fetal macrosomia can be dealt successfully only in 10% of deliveries.
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Effects of Macrosomia: The condition of macrosomia affects both the newborn and the mother. In case of macrosomia, the mother cannot undergo a normal delivery, because that might lead to the damage of her cervix and also cause damage to the baby' s brain development. It has also been seen that giving birth to macrosomic babies might also lead Postpartum hemorrhage which could even lead to death. It has been accounted that, almost 3.1% of the total population of mothers suffer from such a consequence. However, in some cases, blood transfusions can prevent the death of the mother.
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Macrosomia is equally dangerous for the newborn. It could lead to shoulder dystocia or even birth trauma, leaving a lasting scar on the baby's brain development. It has also been noticed that macrosomic babies often meet with untimely death, at the time when they are in the mother's placenta.
Browse through our pages on pregnancyxl.com to know in details about the various facets of Obstetrical Complications, and other important aspects of pregnancy.
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