Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation

Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation (IUGR), also known as SGA (Small for Gestational Age) is a phrase used to describe when a baby does not appear to show sufficient growth for the number of months in the pregnancy.

This is identified through proper and regular prenatal care. From month to month, the midwife or care provider should monitor, not just the mother’s weight gain, but the changing measurements of her abdomen, her expanding belly, from the public bone to the top of the uterus, known as the “fundus.” A good rule of thumb is that the number of centimeters should roughly correspond to the number of weeks along in the pregnancy.

In addition to taking measurements, the care provider will palpate the abdomen, particularly in later months, to gain an actual feel for the size of the baby. However it is quite common in some settings for a doctor to rely solely on ultrasounds to determine the size and growth of the baby.

“I have had mothers who had experienced previous pregnancies under the care of a Doctor tell me that they were never touched throughout their entire pregnancy,” Deborah Flowers, CPM.

While ultrasounds can reveal a lot about the size and development of the baby, this loss of personal touch is a reminder of how modern medicine can lose the human connection that plays such an important role in the birth experience, often providing information that total reliance on technology cannot.

Other measurements, such as the circumference of the head, can serve as additional indicators relating to proper development. Both ultrasound and personal touch can reveal if the head is proportional to the body size.

A Healthy Diet

While there may be many reasons for IUGR to occur, one of the most important to address and remedy is the diet of the mother. If the mother is not eating a good and healthy diet, this will have a direct effect on the growth of the baby.

There may be other factors that can affect growth and the weight of the developing baby, such as:

  • Stress
  • Extended or severe morning sickness
  • Pregnancies less than a year apart
  • Breastfeeding an older child while pregnant
  • Multiple earlier miscarriages

Get More Calories

You may find it helpful to monitor your diet more closely and know how many calories you are consuming day to day. By increasing your average daily caloric intake by 200 calories per day, you can turn around SGA and increase your developing baby’s weight gain.

One recommendation is to eat something every two hours while you are awake.

Sodium substitutes do not help you retain water, which may be desirable, but it can also reduce the fluids flowing to your baby. It may even be helpful to add a little extra salt back into your diet. Just don’t over do it.

One step you can take is to have your blood tested for nutritional deficiencies. This will help identify if there are problems with your diet and the food you eat.

Be Aware of Drugs

You should know that drugs like diuretics, anorexiants, vasodilators can actually cause hypovolemia, a condition caused by a lack of blood flow to the placenta. This in turn can lead to IUGR and SGA. Be sure to tell your midwife or birth care provider if your doctor has prescribed any of these for any reason and especially if they are treatment for something not related to your pregnancy.

Get More Rest

While it is important to get enough sleep, there are other and perhaps even better ways to take it easy as you go about your day.

One of the very best things to do is to sit in a recliner with your feet up. As opposed to lying flat, which spreads out the blood, this causes the blood (blood=nutrients) to pool in the uterus, allowing it to get to the baby as easily as possible.  It may even be recommended that you to be upright for no more than 30 min at a time, then taking a break to recline.

Remember that getting up and being active, getting your heart rate up, things that are normally good for pregnancy, may not be what is called for at this time. Your goal is to have your body at rest and allow it to focus solely on keeping your little one healthy; so NO extra stress on your body.

A Small Baby Is Not Always a Cause for Concern.

Even though a developing baby may measure on the low end  of “normal,” this does not necessarily mean there is a problem or cause for concern. Some babies are petite and measure on the low end of normal throughout the entire pregnancy and very possibly will remain a small person all of their life. It is also true that some babies are small at the time of delivery and then gain after they are born.

Mother’s,  listen to your inner voice. What is your gut feeling?  Go for a walk and find a quiet space. Tune into what your baby is telling you.

 

 

Comments are closed