Preemie Weight and Length Chart

Any infant born earlier than 37 weeks gestation is considered a premature baby. For many health care professionals infants born before 26 weeks gestation have a much higher rate of complications. At 26 weeks they have a 95% chance of survival and their handicap risk rate is at 40%. However, it has been noted that babies born as early as 24 weeks gestation have a good chance of survival with a 60% survival rate and the chances of handicaps is 60%. Although many health care professionals differ in opinions some say that babies born as early as 23 weeks gestation can survive with the survival rate increasing 3-4 % per additional day of gestation between 23 and 24 weeks.

This article will give a perspective on a preemie and unborn, weight and length chart starting at 23 weeks gestation. Keep in mind after premature infants are born they usually catch up with their chronological age relatively fast. Not to mention just because babies are small doesn't mean they are not healthy and thriving appropriately.

23 Weeks - 1.1 lb. 11.4"

24 Weeks - 1.3 lb. 12"

25 Weeks - 1.45 lb. 13.5"

26 Weeks - 1.65 lb. 14"

27 Weeks - 1.9 lb. 14.5"

28 Weeks - 2.2 lb. 14.8"

29 Weeks - 2.5 lb. 15"

30 Weeks - 2.9 lb. 15.5"

31 Weeks - 3.3 lb. 16"

32 Weeks - 3.75 lb. 16.5"

33 Weeks - 4.2 lb. 17"

34 Weeks - 4.7 lb. 17.5"

35 Weeks - 5.25 lb. 18"

36 Weeks - 5.75 lb. 18.5"

37 Weeks - 6.3 lb. 19"

38 Weeks - 6.8 lb. 19.5"

39 Weeks - 7.25 lb. 20"

40 Weeks - 7.6 lb. 20.2"

41 Weeks - 7.9 lb. 20.4"

42 Weeks - 8.1 lb. 20.6"

43 Weeks - 8.2 lb. 20.8"

As you can see there starts to be a pattern that you can continue on to keep a graph of what weight and length your baby should be, however it should be noted that all babies grow differently both in the womb and after being born.

One of my daughters was born 6 weeks early and this graph is a little on the light side compared to her birth weight because she was at approximately 33 weeks gestation and was a little over 5 lbs. and 18" in length.

My son was approximately 35 weeks gestation and weighed 5.13 lbs and 19" in length.

So as you can see birth weights can vary from this chart and you should take that in consideration when charting weight and length of premature infants. If you have any questions about whether your infant is developing and thriving appropriately you should ask your pediatrician. Given time most preemies do fine and catch up appropriately to any development tasks that they should be doing.

I should also note that I have two other children that were both full term births, with one being 6.6 lb. 19.5" and the other 6.11 lb. and 20". There are some medical professionals that say genetics play a part in what our babies will weigh and how long they will be and if you have multiple pregnancies this can be documented. I would guess that I am a prime example of that theory.

Another point worth mentioning is that babies heads are measured during the growth process. This measuring starts during gestation and continues after giving birth. The head circumference (the distance around the largest part of the head) can provide clues about brain development. If the head is bigger or smaller than most other kids, or the head circumference stops increasing or increases quickly it may indicate a medical problem.

References for this article were gathered from Web MD, American Academy of Pediatrics, Kids Health and Preemie Parenting.