Hyderabad: A six-kg male child was delivered on Saturday at Niloufer Hospital making him the first heavyweight child to be born at the hospital. It was the third baby for Shabana and Mohammed Wasim whose previous two children — a boy and a girl — were born with normal weight.
Ms Shabana Wasim, 29, was diagnosed as diabetic in the first two months of pregnancy. Dr M. Satyavathi, senior gynecologist, said, “Gestational diabetes is the major cause for such a heavyweight baby. Due to the increased blood sugar levels of the mother the child’s weight in the womb increased. Research has shown that mothers with glucose intolerance have larger incidence of heavyweight babies. How the weight of the foetus can be controlled without affecting its growth is a big challenge.” Ms Wasim was on insulin therapy and sugar management at the Osmania General Hospital. Regular screening was carried out to check the growth of the foetus. In the last scan before the birth the team found that the baby was more than 5 kg.
It was then decided that she would require a C-section because of the growing weight of the baby. Gestational diabetes is mostly seen in women after 25 years of age.
Dr Lalu Prasad, senior pediatrician at Niloufer hospital, said, “The baby’s body parts are normal. Larger weight doesn’t mean that the baby has a huge stomach. The weight has been distributed in the arms and legs. The baby is also tall at 21 inches. The first initiation of breast feeding has been done. If it is found that is not sufficient than supplementary milk will be advised.”
Doctors are going to observe the baby for the next 72 hours. Blood and urine profile will be checked for anomalies. A senior doctor said, “The baby’s blood count and urine profile will be tested, and the baby would be checked for neurological deficiencies which are found to occur in large babies.”
The sheer weight of the child gives the impression that he may require more food but doctors said that will not be the case. Dr Lalu Prasad explained, “Growth of the child now will be like any other normal baby. In the womb, the weight increased due to the mother’s high glucose levels. It will not be the same outside.”
