The Journal Of Obstetrics And Gynecology Canada: The Baby

Joel Ray Dept: When a baby is born, the first questions the new parents are often asked is "Girl or boy?" Then, "How much did the baby weigh?", according to CBC. In Wednesday's issue of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Canada, Dr. Joel Ray and his team published new birth weight curves based on the ethnicity of the baby's parents. They used birth registry information for 760,000 live births in Ontario and some babies born to immigrant parents are incorrectly classified as underweight which could lead to unnecessary tests and stress but new birth weight charts could avoid the problem, Canadian doctors say. The answer from some parents of South Asian background is often different than that of other parents. But a lower weight could mean that doctors think the baby is at higher risk of developmental issues. That leads to more blood tests, longer hospital stays and closer followup when the baby isn't actually at risk because its weight is within the normal range for its ethnic group, researchers say. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.