Normal Fetal Weight

Doctors use fetal weight as a sign of the baby's health. A normal fetal weight indicates that the fetus and the placenta are healthy. A normal fetal weight is also a sign that your body is handling the pregnancy well and passing nutrition on to the fetus appropriately.

  1. Methods

    • Doctors from the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics state that the best method to measure fetal weight is ultrasound. In this method the ultrasound technician measures things like the baby's head size, abdominal circumference, and femur length. The ultrasound program then runs these numbers through its system to estimate the baby's weight.

    First Trimester

    • According to pediatrician and author of "The Pregnancy Book" Dr. William Sears, the normal fetal weight is ½ to 1 oz. by the end of the first trimester.

    Second Trimester

    • Your baby will begin to gain weight at a much faster rate during the second trimester. At the end of the fourth month she will weigh around 4 oz. At the end of the fifth month the normal fetal weight is ¾ lb. and at the end of the sixth month it is 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs.

    Third Trimester

    • The normal fetal weight at the end of the seventh month is 2 to 2 1/2 lbs. as the baby goes through a growth spurt. By the end of the eighth month the baby will reach 3 to 4 lbs. At the end of the ninth month the baby will weigh around 6 to 7 ½ lbs.

    Complications

    • The American Pregnancy Association states that intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is a condition in which the estimated weight of the fetus is under the 10th percentile for its gestational age. If IUGR is diagnosed during pregnancy, your doctors will closely monitor the baby and may decide to induce labor early.

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