Low Birth Weight

Low birthweight is when a baby is born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces. Some babies with low birthweight are healthy, even though they’re small. But being low birthweight can cause serious health problems for some babies. A baby with low birthweight may have trouble eating, gaining weight and fighting off infections. Some low-birthweight babies may have long-term health problems, too. Babies with low birthweight look much smaller than other babies of normal birthweight. A low birthweight baby’s head may appear to be bigger than the rest of the body, and he or she often looks thin with little body fat.