BABIES are being born bigger than ever - and experts are worried that the rising number of caesarean births will skyrocket.
While medicos have been divided over the cause of the higher birthweights, many believe it could be due to the high number of obese pregnant women.
The average Australian baby born in 2005 had a birthweight of 3.65kg – about 300g heavier than in 1995, according to the latest available data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
University of Adelaide obstetrics expert Gus Dekker said the increase was linked to the rising number of caesareans being performed.
If the average Australian birthweight continued to grow at its current rate, babies born in 2036 would be weigh 4.5kg – the weight which research has suggested would lead to increased risks of stillbirth and infant death.
Professor Dekker said the increases were “worrying”.
“(Heavier babies being born) is an international trend, particularly noticeable in the Western world, and I would assume it’s associated with the mothers’ weights,” Professor Dekker said.
The AIHW has also said more than 30 per cent of women who gave birth in 2005 had caesareans, compared to 19.5 per cent in 1996.
Professor Dekker said despite the large amount on data on the health risks of growth restriction of the womb, more information was needed to find out the dangers for “over-fat” babies.
AIHW perinatal expert Elizabeth Sullivan said despite little research into the weights of expectant mothers in Australia, it was possible that obesity during pregnancy could be a factor in deciding to have a caesarean birth.
“There’s no information on indications of c-sections at a national level,” Dr Sullivan said.
“You really need the height and the weight of the mother… the literature suggests that heavier women have heavier babies.”
Professor Dekker said his research suggested the risk of stillbirth in obese women was four times higher than in those of a “normal” weight.
“The baby’s larger… there’s a cushion of fat in the lower pelvis that can obstruct birth – there’s several factors at play,” he said.
In a study published in last month’s edition of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Canadian researchers concluded that a birthweight of more than 4.5kg had a high risk of the baby being stillborn.
“Birthweight greater than 4500g, and especially greater than 5000g, is associated with increased risks of perinatal and infant mortality and morbidity,” the researchers said.
In April, US researchers claimed that babies born through elective caesarean operations were also more than twice as likely to die as those born vaginally.
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