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WHAT IS LOW BIRTH WEIGHT?
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Low Birth Weight (LBW) is a condition in which a child weighs less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces (2,500 grams). A low birth weight can have important implications for immediate health, muscle strength, and childhood growth.
Because birth weight is an important indicator of general health, newborn babies receive the designation of LBW if they weigh 2,499 grams or less at birth, regardless of gestational age. In addition, there are also subcategories of low birth weight. Very low birth weight (VLBW) occurs when a newborn baby weighs less than 1500 grams (3 pounds 5 ounces), and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) occurs when a baby is born weighing fewer than 1000 grams (2 pounds 3 ounces).
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