Low birthweight in newborns Low birthweight is a term used to
describe babies who are born weighing less than 3 pounds, 4
ounces. - The average newborn weighs about 7.6 pounds - About
7.6 percent of all newborns in the United States have low
birthweight. - The overall rate of these very small babies is
increasing, primarily because of the increase in multiple birth
babies, who tend to be born earlier and weigh less. More than
half of multiple birth babies have low birthweight. How Boston
Children's Hospital approaches low birthweight The Infant
Follow-Up Program is designed for infants born very prematurely,
who weigh less than 3.3 lbs and are at high risk for development
and motor delays and other problems resulting from prematurity.
Our program follows children from the time of discharge until
they reach age 3 to 4. The multi-disciplinary Infant Follow-Up
team includes pediatricians, neonatologists, pediatric
psychologists, physical therapists, social workers and if
needed, pediatric neurologists.