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Big Babies In Oregon Show Diabetes and Obesity Is Not Always To Blame
Researchers are looking into why so many larger babies are being born in recent years.
It seems newborns are getting bigger every year in Oregon.
Last week, a 14-pound, two-ounce baby girl was born. In 2005, a baby boy and girl both were born at 14 pounds. In 2007, a baby girl weighed in at 15 pounds and almost 7 ounces.
The following year in 2008, the state set a record with three babies born weighing more than 14 pounds, including a 15-pound girl and another girl who came in less than an ounce short of 17 pounds. That girl is now the state’s largest baby on record.
In 2009, three more newborns were born at least 14 pounds and over; two more in 2010, two more. In the first few months of 2011, two babies were born over 14 pounds, including one 16-pound, 12-ounce girl.
What’s strange is that prior to 2004, no baby was born in the state that weighed 14 pounds or more, according to the state Center for Health Statistics and Vital Records.
But it’s not just Oregon. Bigger babies are being born all over our country.
High birth weight babies are labeled as such if they are more than about 9 pounds, 15 ounces.
Research had shown that obese and diabetic mothers are more likely to have large babies, and are also more likely to develop gestational diabetes while pregnant. In turn, the large babies have a higher risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke later in life. This has been well established and weight gain in pregnancy is more closely monitored for these very reasons.
What’s surprising however is that more normal weight, non-diabetic moms are having larger babies.
But while diabetes or obesity in the mother may increase the probability of having a large baby, healthy, normal-weight mothers have them, too. According to the Center for Health Statistics, only about half of the mothers in the last four years who had larger babies were overweight or obese. Only two of the largest babies since 1989 were born to mothers who had gestational diabetes.
That’s the part is stumping researchers. Some are exploring the idea that high-fat diets, overeating during pregnancy, and lack of exercise, even in normal weight women bring about larger babies. No explanation has been definitely locked down, however. Further research is needed.
What the numbers definitively show is that the old fashioned notion that only women with untreated gestational diabetes and those who are overweight have larger babies is unfounded.
Did you have a large baby without being overweight or diabetic? Does it bother you when people think you had untreated diabetes because your baby was large?
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10 Comments
[...] me not to drink the water in Oregon. Oregon is producing huge babies and it seems that diabetes and obesity may not be entirely [...]
Daily Link Round-Up - Baby Pictures and Baby Products for Moms and Kids - Tots and Giggles commented on Jun 09 11 at 3:02 pmAngela commented on Jun 09 11 at 12:47 amMy son was 9 1/2 lbs but he actually was a fairly lean baby, just very tall. That’s not surprising since my husband and I are both pretty tall as well but not overweight. To this day he generally measures in the 99th percentile for height but only the 60-70th percentile in weight. I think that in his case it had more to do with his genes than my eating habits.
Betsy commented on Jun 09 11 at 7:47 amOh wow! Some of those babies weigh as much as, or more than my 6 month old!
Katy E commented on Jun 09 11 at 9:22 amFirst son came at 36 weeks weighing 7lbs 3 oz (big for gestational age) and second son was born at 36 and 6 weighing 8lbs 11oz ( huge for gestational age). My dates were correct and I didn’t have gestational diabetes. I wasn’t overweight either.
daria commented on Jun 09 11 at 10:24 ammy son was 10 lbs 5 oz and it bothered me greatly when people assumed i had gestational diabetes. i attributed his size to family history (my husband was a nearly 10 pounder, as was his mother/uncle/brother/grandmother etc), since i ate extremely well during pregnancy and am not overweight. then i became pregnant with my daughter, never tested positive for gestational diabetes… until 36 weeks. my midwife decided to keep testing me throughout the pregnancy and the diabetes did not appear until very late in gestation. i controlled my diet very strictly, tested my blood sugar 4-5x a day, and had a 9 lb 1 oz baby girl. i’m not a doc, but i’m thinking gestational diabetes is likely far more complicated (based on my own case study) than simply testing once at mid-gestation.
ireene commented on Jun 09 11 at 10:25 amMy son was full term and weighed 9lbs 9oz. My normal weight is 120lbs and I’m 5’6. I’ve never had any trouble with diabetes, nor does anyone in my family. I eat lots of un-cooked greens and high protein and I rarely eat sugar. I worked out 3-5 days a week when I was pregnant with him. At five months pregnant I went on a 5 mi hike, half of which I carried my 22lb daughter on my back. I used a midwife, didn’t have any trouble with delivery and we were all shocked when my son was weighed. All that to say I don’t have a clue of how he got so big.
Ethel commented on Jun 09 11 at 3:51 pmYeah, I don’t see the statistics that compare Oregon with the rest of the country. Moreover, Oregon is one of the leaner states, ranking 38 (many ties for 38th place) for fattest state: http://calorielab.com/news/2010/06/28/fattest-states-2010/ – and Oregon is getting leaner. The is a very very weak story here, a few greatly macrosomatic babies does not a trend make.
Snarky Mama commented on Jun 09 11 at 8:20 pmMy second (and largest) baby weighed 9lbs, 7oz when he was born at 42 weeks. I was pretty proud of myself for getting that big guy out of my body–until we were leaving the hospital and someone stopped us (while I was still in the wheelchair) to ask if that “is the baby from the paper?” Turns out a 13+ pounder was born the same weekend as my son and the baby made the paper for its large size. Needless to say, I left the hospital thinking 9lb 7oz wasn’t so bad after all!
Snarky Mama commented on Jun 09 11 at 8:27 pmOh, but I do find it slightly annoying on posts discussing high baby birth weights come up and the boards fill up with comments like, “That’s what happens when you don’t get prenatal care.” Umm, no, some of us just make big babies. My first was 23 3/4″ long “at birth and nobody ever gets on my case for having a long baby, but my second (chunkier) baby gets me the “prenatal care is good” speech.
David commented on Aug 27 11 at 10:47 pmHave researchers been looking at the food or contraceptive methods (usually pills)? New generations are getting bigger, with more diseases. It must be caused by what we eat and drink.
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