Hi, Is 4kg that big? My last little homebirthed darling was 4kg born. I was *so* proud. I knew she was big, plump and gorgeous by just looking at her. I wanted her weighed straight away so I could brag about how well I'd grown her and birthed her. Thankfully my wise midwives reassured me that she would be just as big in a few days when they weighed her - I didn't have to dirupt the first day by doing that.
Love, Barb ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jenny Cameron" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au> Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 12:12 AM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] big baby > Hello Belinda > Down Syndrome infants are usually smaller than average. If both she & her > husband are tall a 4kg+ baby would not be considered unusual. AFP is > affected by many factors and a woman's weight is one factor. This site might > be useful as it states that most elevated maternal AFP levels have no > identified cause. > http://www.dhmc.org/webpage.cfm?site_id=2&org_id=92&gsec_id=2016&sec_id=2016 &item_id=2045 > > > High Risk Obstetrics > Print this page > > > > Elevated Maternal Serum Alpha Feto Protein > Description > > > a.. Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) is a protein made by the fetal liver. > If there is a break in the skin of the fetus due to a birth defect, it is > found in very high levels in the amniotic cavity. > b.. AFP also crosses the placenta and goes into the mothers blood > stream. > c.. Women are tested during pregnancy to determine how much AFP is > in their blood. > d.. The level of AFP in a woman’s blood increases as pregnancy > progresses. > e.. To determine if a woman has a normal amount of AFP in her > blood, it is important to know the gestational age of the pregnancy. > f.. High amounts of AFP in the blood may indicate a birth defect > in the fetus which has caused a break in the skin. > g.. Several birth defects are associated with increased amounts of > AFP in the maternal blood stream: > h.. Neural tube defects > > a.. Neural tube defects are a family of conditions including > spina bifida and anencephaly. > b.. Spina Bifida occurs when there is an opening in the bony > part of the spine, causing the spinal cord to be exposed. > > a.. The severity of Spina Bifida depends on where the defects > is in the spine, and how big it is. They can range from conditions that are > very mild with very little effect to very severe conditions all depending on > the size and location of an opening in the spine. > b.. Small defects low in the spine may have little impact on a > child’s life. > c.. Children with large defects may not be able to walk, or > control their bowels and bladder. Some of these children have problems from > fluid build up in their brains (hydrocephaly). > d.. Surgery is almost always needed to close the opening in > the spinal cord. > > c.. Anencephaly is a lethal condition where the top of the skull > did not close over the brain and the brain did not develop. > > a.. There are no survivors of anencephaly. > b.. These fetuses lack most of the brain > > d.. There is an increased risk of chromosome abnormalities in > fetuses with neural tube defects. > e.. Other birth defects may also be present with neural tube > defects. > > i.. Gastroschesis is a defect in the skin that covers the abdomen. > Bowel comes out of the defect and sits in the amniotic cavity. There are > usually no other birth defects found. > > a.. Fetuses with gastroschesis often have problems with proper > growth(IUGR). This may neccessitate delivery of a baby early (preterm). > b.. These children need repair of the defect immediately after > delivery. > c.. In 90% of cases, children survive without any problems. > > j.. There may be other less common birth defects that may cause > elevated maternal AFP. > > Impact on Pregnancy > > > a.. Elevated maternal serum AFP may cause anxiety in parents. > b.. The first step in evaluating elevated maternal serum AFP is an > ultrasound > c.. The ultrasound will determine if the gestational age of the > fetus is correct. > d.. The ultrasound will also look for evidence of birth defects. > > a.. Less than 5% of fetuses will have a birth defect. > > e.. An amniocentesis is often offered to women to determine if the > level of AFP is also increased in the amniotic fluid. > > a.. If the amniotic fluid AFP is normal, there is very little > risk of the birth defects described above. > b.. If the amniotic fluid AFP is high, a birth defect is very > likely. Further ultrasound evaluation will be performed. > > f.. Most cases with elevated maternal AFP have no identified > cause. > g.. These pregnancies are at increased risk for slow growth, still > birth, placental abruption, and preeclampsia. > h.. An ultrasound is sometimes repeated at 32 weeks to see if the > fetus is growing well. > > a.. If growth is normal, further testing is usually not needed. > > Resources: > > > a.. Sidelines at 800-876-3151 or http://www.sidelines.org - for > full listings of Resources for High-Risk Parents > > > > > a.. Copyright © 2005 Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center > Cheers. > Jennifer Cameron FRCNA FACM > PO Box 1465 > Howard Springs NT 0835 > > 0419 528 717 > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Belinda Maier" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au> > Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 9:52 AM > Subject: [ozmidwifery] big baby > > > > Just looking for some ideas to help a woman in my antenatal class today . > > She has apparently got a 4.2 kg baby by ultrasound at 37weeks. She is very > > uncomfortable and now worried. The ultrasound was done because of > > increased > > fundal height 5cm in 1 week. The baby had no abnormalities although a high > > feta alpha protein early in pregnancy. The parents refused any further > > testing. Does anyone know if Downs syndrome could be a factor? also any > > tips > > I can pass on to her, I have discussed with her the probs with ultrasound > > weights, big babies, birth, she is very tall as is her husband, stressing > > about the size in labour affecting her labour ... I am pretty caught up in > > other stuff at the moment which means my pot is boiling over! I want to > > make > > sure I can help her. Thnaks > > Belinda > > > > -- > > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > > > -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
