Born large for gestational age: not just bigger

A large-for-gestational-age (LGA) birthweight, defined as a birthweight above the 90th percentile, is associated with remarkable maternal and neonatal morbidity.1 LGA increases the risk of low neonatal Apgar score at 5 minutes, shoulder dystocia, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission. Maternal risks include higher cesarean delivery rates, postpartum hemorrhage, and third- and fourth-degree perineal lacerations. Recently, Bommarito et al2 identified and described trajectories of fetal growth among LGA births in the LIFECODES Fetal Growth Study based on prenatal ultrasound measurements of head circumference, abdominal circumference (AC), and femur length (FL).