IUGR has various causes. Most of the causes of IUGR are beyond your control. Usually, nothing the mother did causes IUGR in her baby. But if you smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or abuse drugs, you can cause IUGR in your baby. Just like there are different sizes of infants, children and adults, there are also different sizes of babies in the uterus.
Small babies tend to run in families.
The parents or other children in the family may have been small when they were born, too. During your pregnancy, your doctor will do tests to find out if your baby is growing normally. The main test for checking a baby's growth in the uterus is an ultrasound. When the ultrasound exam is done, your doctor will measure the size of your baby's head, abdomen and legs. These measurements will tell you and your doctor if your baby is growing normally.