Did you know this about IVs during labor?

Did you know that prolonged use of IV fluids during labor could artificially inflate a baby's birth weight?

It is normal for babies to lose weight in the first days of life outside the womb. This weight loss is considered normal if the baby does not lose more than 7% of it's birth weight, and if the weight is regained by 2 weeks of age.

However, the use of IV fluids during labor can greatly influence birth weight. Many mothers are in birthing situations where several days worth of continuous IV fluids may be administered before the birth of the baby actually occurs. This huge influx of fluid can gather in the mother's tissues leading to severe swelling. And, since everything that is administered to the mother is transferred to the baby, he or she will have some fluid retention as well. It can take several days for this excess fluid to be flushed out of the baby's body, many hours after the birth weight would have been recorded and become the basis for all future weight comparisons.