A healthy birth weight may decrease risks of childhood illnesses and learning and developmental disorders. Without this advantage, babies are more susceptible to infant mortality, birth defects and other physical and mental difficulties throughout their lives. Infant mortality has decreased over the last decade, but the rate of low birth weight has increased. Low birth weight results from babies being born too soon or from not growing adequately during the pregnancy. It is predicted that low birth weight babies are almost 40 times more likely to die during their first four weeks of life than normal birth weight infants.
Preterm labor accounts for about two-thirds of low birth weight babies.
Low birth weight is associated with a higher incidence of mental retardation, learning disabilities, and other developmental problems. African American women tend to have more low birth weight infants and higher infant mortality than Caucasian women, even after accounting for various risk factors. African American women may have poorer health than other women because of health and nutrition habits through generations. Behavioral risk factors that contribute to low birth weight include inadequate diet, insufficient weight gain, cigarette smoking, use of illegal drugs and inadequate prenatal care. The best thing you can do physically to protect your baby from low birth weight is to tend carefully your own nutrition, health and fitness.