ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the incidence of low birth weight (LBW) –below 2500 g – and the consequences for health service and other public sector expenditure at a later date. Poor nutrition in late pregnancy affects fetal growth; but after birth babies can usually catch up, central nervous system and brain development are not affected, and head circumference will be average. Anyone undergoing fertility treatment should receive mandatory preconception advice. Educating other health workers on the importance of preconception nutrition is something that is done regularly at University College London Hospital. In The Health of the Nation, there was little attention given to poverty, but two-thirds of LBW babies are to mothers who are poor. Attention to diet during pregnancy can help increase birth weight and prevent the birth of weak babies who may have reduced immunity. More attention needs to be paid to the weight gain of the mother, particularly if she is underweight at the beginning of her pregnancy.
