Low Birth Weight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Low Birth Weight - Essay Example This paper focuses upon Low Birth Weight as a very serious issue with respect to newborns due to a number of complications that such babies face. These may include the tendency of such babies to be susceptible to infections as their immune system may not be very well developed. Serious health problems such as breathing difficulties, jaundice and heart problems are just a few of the factors that babies born having low birth weight may have to face. In some cases these babies may also suffer â€Å"from internal bleeding (bleeding in the brain), very thick blood (polycythaemia) or excessive red blood cells in the blood, low body temperature, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), intestinal problems, vision problems, etc.† The mortality weight of babies having low birth weights is also very high. Studies have shown that later on in life babies that have been born with low birth weight are very likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes and obesity. It is owing to all these important factors that the causes leading to low birth weight should be figured out and analyzed. Health experts have emphasized upon the well-being of the expectant mother’s health and welfare and have related it directly to the wellness of her expected child. In some situations it has been observed that though the baby may have been born at full time but still the weight of the baby is lower than the average weight of babies born at full term. With respect to the threats to the expected baby’s health one of the basic factors that is bought into consideration is the tendency of the expectant mother to smoke. ... Two of these factors that have been chosen for further research and study currently are: Does ethnic background of mother affect her baby? Does smoking by the expectant mother effect the baby? Previous studies in the same regard have shown interesting results. Many a researchers have looked up the statistics regarding this topic. Sala, Matheus and Lopes (2006) state in their titled ‘Influence of Ethnicity on the Human Term Placenta’ that the native mothers had more tendency to accommodate any capillary changes in the placentas of mothers-to-be for the growing baby as compared to mothers belonging to other ethnic backgrounds. Low Birth Weight Issue Low Birth Weight is often considered as a very serious issue with respect to newborns due to a number of complications that such babies face. These may include the tendency of such babies to be susceptible to infections as their immune system may not be very well developed. Serious health problems such as breathing difficulties , jaundice and heart problems are just a few of the factors that babies born having low birth weight may have to face. In some cases these babies may also suffer â€Å"from internal bleeding (bleeding in the brain), very thick blood (polycythaemia) or excessive red blood cells in the blood, low body temperature, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), intestinal problems, vision problems, etc.† (Buzzle, 2012). The mortality weight of babies having low birth weights is also very high. Studies have shown that later on in life babies that have been born with low birth weight are very likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes and obesity. It is owing to all these important factors that the causes leading to low birth weight should be figured out and analyzed. CURRENT DOMAIN OF