M. Thame et al., RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATERNAL NUTRITIONAL-STATUS AND INFANTS WEIGHT AND BODY PROPORTIONS AT BIRTH, European journal of clinical nutrition, 51(3), 1997, pp. 134-138
Objectives: To examine maternal nutritional status and its relationshi
p to infant weight and body proportions. Design: Retrospective study o
f births from January-December 1990. Setting: University Hospital of t
he West Indies, Jamaica. Subjects: Records for 2394 live, singleton bi
rths, between 200-305 d gestation. Main outcome measures: Birth weight
, crown heel length, head circumference, ponderal index, head circumfe
rence:length ratio, placental weight, placental:birth weight ratio. Re
sults: Mothers who were lighter had babies who had lower birth weight,
were shorter, had smaller heads and had a higher HC:L ratio. Shorter
and thinner women had babies who had lower birth weights, were shorter
, had smaller heads and lighter placentas. Thinner women also had babi
es with a lower placental:birth weight ratio, and their BMI's were not
linearly related to ponderal index and HC:L ratio. Women whose first
trimester Hb levels were <9.5 g/dl had babies with the lowest birth we
ight, crown heel length, placental weight and ponderal index. These me
asurements increased as the Hb levels rose to 12.5 g/dl but then fell
at Hb levels >12.5 g/dl. In the second and third trimester Hb levels w
ere negatively associated with birth weight, crown heel length, head c
ircumference, placenta weight and ponderal index. Conclusions: The dat
a support the hypothesis that poor maternal nutrition is associated wi
th foetal growth restraint. Poor maternal nutrition as indicated by lo
w weight, height, and BMI are associated with smaller, shorter babies
with smaller heads. Haemoglobin levels >12.5 g/dl in pregnancy are ass
ociated with lighter, shorter, thinner babies, with smaller heads.