Neonatology 

Average weight of a term fetus is 3.4 kilograms. And a weight of up to 4 kg is considered normal. From 4 kilograms up we are talking about a macrosom fetus, a fetus that is greater than normal. Approximately 5-10% of newborns are macrosom, without influencing their health in a negative way.

Your doctor may suspect a future macrosomia if the womb is too big in relation to the stage of pregnancy. But before birth is hard to say if and how big the baby will be, even if using ultrasound. Only after birth, the scales will be given a clear verdict.

A number of factors contribute to the size and weight. Often, the only factor to blame for macrosomia is genetically - great parents, great kids. Among the factors that may be controlled, the most important is pregnant mother's high blood sugar due to either mellitus diabetes or gestational diabetes. But macrosom kids can also have obese mothers, especially if they take a lot of weight during pregnancy or those with over carried pregnancy. Child sex counts also- the boys are bigger, in general, than girls, but also brother/sister's size at birth, if they exist. Mothers who already have a macrosom born child have a good chance to repeat the situation in another future pregnancy.

However, mothers who have these risk factors should not worry. It is possible that the baby be born at a normal weight, as well as a mother who does not have any risk factor may give birth to a macrosom baby.

Why are the babies born macrosom when parents have average height, mother is not obese and has not high blood sugar, no one knows. Great variations in birth weight could not be explained. Macrosomia can put problems at birth. The greater the fetus, the greater the risks of a difficult birth.

The mother may suffer perineal tears, hemorrhage, and coccyx injuries. Shoulder dystocia can also be present, which means that the baby remains with a shoulder caught behind the mother's pubic bone and cannot go on. It is a rare and serious complication of childbirth that requires immediate resolution, otherwise the child may be seriously affected.

Macrosomia also means more chances of cesarean section. Although it is difficult to determine the weight of the fetus before birth, the doctor may decide to do a cesarean section to mothers with excessive belly, just to avoid complications.

If the birth is difficult or complicated neonatal problems will be related to those complications. For example, shoulder dystocia can lead to fracture of the clavicle, which should heal without any problems. Otherwise, macrosomia is not associated with serious health problems.

Problems could be slightly higher if the mother gave birth vaginally. Depending on perineal injuries (episiotomy or spontaneous tears) recovery could take more or less, but mothers who follow medical advice should not have long term problems.