What is fetal malnutrition?

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Up to 10-20% of children born with a weight less than 2.5 kg have fetal malnutrition. Children who are malnourished from the womb, regardless of their degree, are harmed in their long-term development.

1. What is fetal malnutrition?

If the baby is born at full term but the birth weight is less than 2.5 kg, the baby is likely to be malnourished in the womb. Experts divide into 3 levels of malnutrition:
Mild: Children with normal length and weight lose less than children with corresponding weight and gestational age. Medium type: Children with reduced length and weight, normal head circumference. Heavy type: Children whose head circumference, length and weight all decrease. Children with normal head circumference were the mildest type of malnutrition. When developing in the fetal period, the cell division is relatively complete, the cell volume is normal, so the problem of nourishment is not very difficult. If the child survives the infancy and is properly nourished, the child will later develop relatively normally mentally and physically.
If the baby has a small head circumference at birth, it is a sign of a marked decrease in the number of cells in the organs, mainly brain cells right in the fetus. With moderate levels, children can survive the neonatal period, but at birth these babies often suffer from asphyxia, pneumonia, bleeding, and low blood sugar. These children will not develop normally, sometimes have mental retardation, growth retardation and even neurological sequelae. If severe, the baby can die in infancy due to asphyxiation, pneumonia, aspiration of amniotic fluid and severe infection.

2. How to detect fetal malnutrition?

Pregnant women can detect fetal malnutrition early through examinations.
Based on parameters such as uterine height, waist circumference, doctors can diagnose whether the size of the abdomen is commensurate with the age of the fetus.
Besides, the mother's weight gain during pregnancy can also help identify if the fetus is malnourished or not. In cases where the fetus is growing well, pregnant women usually gain from 10 to 12 kg.

3. Causes of fetal malnutrition

There are many causes of premature birth as well as delayed growth in the uterus. These factors can all lead to fetal growth retardation, the main source of which is placental nutrition disorders, in addition, placental damage and hemodynamic disturbances will interfere with the transport of nutrients. nutrition to nourish the fetus, making the child unable to grow up.
Here are some causes that can affect the development of the fetus:
Causes from the mother: The mother has chronic diseases such as heart disease, kidney disease, anemia,... the elderly cases of childbirth having too many children, or giving birth too much... can be the cause of fetal malnutrition.
Infections in the mother: If the mother has infections, especially viruses in the first 3 months of pregnancy, the fetus is prone to growth retardation. The phenomenon of fetal malnutrition can occur from the 20th week. At this time, the virus in the mother's body easily penetrates the placenta and directly affects the fetus, stopping the growth of cells. cell. These cases also easily lead to the possibility of causing a malformation of the fetus. Therefore, this is a risk of fetal malnutrition in utero that should be paid close attention.
In addition, it has been found that mothers who weigh less than 40kg and are less than 1.4m tall can give birth to a full-term baby, but the weight is usually less than 2,500kg.
Diseases from the placenta: Mainly damage to the placenta, causing hemodynamic disturbances and leading to placental failure. The diseased placenta manifests itself in many forms such as: having many small vascular occlusions, the placenta has no blood vessels, or embolism, the placenta is calcified in areas or has fibrosis in endocrine diseases, and is toxic to the fetus. prolonged pregnancy. If the placenta is fibrosis, the placenta will be degraded, making the physiological exchange between the mother and the child impaired, leading to the fetus not developing. In case of chronic failure, the fetus may die in the womb, or die near the due date. In addition, cases of placental malformations also impede maternal circulation.
Mother's nutrition Poor mother's diet can lead to low birth weight babies. The nutritional disorder of the mother, especially the lack of protein, will make the fetus grow slowly. The mother's slow weight gain in the last 3 months of pregnancy, or slow weight gain from the 20th week is the cause of low birth weight.

All nutrients in the mother's plasma cross the placental membrane to nourish the baby, except for some substances that are hindered, destroyed, mutated, or some antibodies do not cross the placenta. Therefore, the child's ability to prevent disease will also be poor, especially those who are already weak from the time they are in the womb. In addition, the deficiency of metallic elements such as iron, copper, manganese, and magnesium in the mother's diet also causes adverse effects on the fetus. If the mother has a healthy and complete diet and the fetus is still growing slowly, then attention must be paid to the obstruction of the transport of substances from the mother to the baby and certainly the placenta is not normal. Therefore, during pregnancy, the mother needs to have an adequate and balanced diet and to have a full antenatal check-up to early detect and treat diseases that have an impact. As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health System, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering medical team Top doctors in Pediatrics: including leading experts, highly qualified (professor, associate professor, doctorate, master), experienced, worked in big hospitals like Bach Mai Hospital Mai, 108.. The doctors are all well-trained, professional, have a mind - range, and are knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

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