The medical term called fetal macrosomia applies to infants that at birth weigh more than 8 pounds and 13 ounces, which equals 4,000 grams. The health risks for pregnant women increase substantially whenever fetal macrosomia produces a baby that weighs more than 9 pounds and 15 ounces. Larger than average babies can cause health complications for both the infant and the pregnant mother, with some of the health complications causing life threatening medical issues.

How Common is it?

A study released by the United States National Library of Medicine reported that out of 20,000 birth deliveries, 1,800 of the birth deliveries produced a newborn that weighed at least 8 pounds and 13 ounces. Thus, the rate of fetal macrosomia is considered to be around 9% of all births. Between 2007 and 2011, researchers from the US National Library of Medicine studied more than 200,000 pregnant women to get a better understanding of the fairly rare birth delivery problem. According to research performed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the incidence of much larger than average babies is a little less than 10% of all deliveries.

Symptoms

Obstetricians must closely monitor fetal weight during the full term of a pregnancy. During a prenatal appointment, your doctor should measure the fundal height, which is the length between the top end of the uterus and the bottom of the pubic bone. A larger than average fundal height might indicate a larger than average baby. An excessive level of amniotic fluid, which is the fluid the envelopes an infant for protection during pregnancy, also might reveal the presence of macrosomia. The level of amniotic fluid mirrors the amount of urine produced by a newborn inside of the womb. Larger than average babies produce more urine.

Causes

What causes the development of much larger than average size infants? Maternal diabetes creates much more nutrients than a fetus needs to sustain vibrant health. Too many nutrients lead to rapid physical development. Obese pregnant women need to pay more attention to the contraction of maternal diabetes. Women who have previously delivered one or more children larger than average, should also be concerned about fetal macrosomia. Pregnant women over 35 years of age are at a higher risk of delivering much larger than normal children.

Medical Provider Negligence

Some cases of this health issue involve medical provider negligence in the form of an inaccurate diagnosis or lack of a diagnosis. Medical care provider negligence might represent the legal grounds for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Ohio law allows plaintiffs four years to file medical malpractice lawsuits. If you do not file a timely lawsuit within the four years of the statute of limitations, you lose your right to sue a medical provider for negligence. If you discover a serious health complication after the third year, but before the start of the fourth year, you have a full year to file a lawsuit. Health care professionals measure infants at birth, but the adverse health symptoms of delivering a much larger than average child might not appear until sometime after birth.