Growth Charts Flashcards
1
Q
How should Babies be weighed?
A
- without any clothes or nappy
- children older than two can be weighed in vest and pants but no shoes, footwear and dolls or teddies
- only class III clinical electronic scales in metric setting should be used
2
Q
How to measure head circumference?
A
- should be measured using a narrow plastic or disposable paper tape
- measurement should be taken where the head circumference is widest
3
Q
How to measure length
A
- measure length before the age of 2 if concenrent
- measure without nappy or footwear
4
Q
How to measure height?
A
- measured from two years of age using a rigid rule with T piece
- ensure heels, bottom. bacl and head are touching the apparatus with eyes and ears at 90o
5
Q
How to plot the growth chart?
A
- record measurement and date in ink, plot in pencil
- use dot
- age errors are commonest source of plotting mistakes, use a calender or date wheel to calculate age
- age in weeks for first 6-12 months
- clendar months thereafter
- count forward from the date of birth to current moth using date of birth
6
Q
What do the centiles show?
A
- optimum range of weights and heights
- describes the percentage expected to be below that line
- 50% below 50th
- 91% below the 91st
- 1 in 250 below 0.4th
- half of all children should be between 25th-75th centile
7
Q
Centile terminology
A
- if the [pint is exactly on the centile line or within 1/4 of a space of the centile line, the child is described as being on that centile e.g. 91st centile
- if not they should be described as being between centile x and Y e.g. between the 75th -91st centile
8
Q
Plotting in the first two weeks
A
- birth weight centiles still based on UK 1990 data
- WHO charts start from 2 weeks
- no centile lines between birth (0weeks) and 2 weeks
- allows for weight loss and regain before 2 weeks
9
Q
What is a term infant described as in weeks? and where is it plotted in the graph?
A
- 37 weeks or more at age 0 weeks
10
Q
Calculating percentage weight loss
A
Weight change
= currrent weight - birth weight
percentage weight loss
= weight loss / birth weight x100%
11
Q
Assessing neonatal weight loss
A
- most babies lose some weight after birth
- 80% will have regained this by 2 weeks of age
- fewer than 5% of babies lose more than 10%
- only 1 in 50 are 10% lighter at 2 weeks
- a baby 10% or more below birth weight at or before 2 weeks needs careful assessment for:
- feeding problems
- unrecognised illness
12
Q
Plotting on the pre-term section
A
- for infants born 32-36 weeks gestation
- up till EDD (term) plus 2 weeks
- for infants <32 weeks or any nenonate needing close monitoring use new low birth weight chart
- after EDD plus two weeks move over to 0-1 chart with gestational correction
13
Q
What is gestational correction
A
- adjust the plot of a measurement to account for number of weeks a baby was born early
- number of weeks early = 40 weeks minus gestational afe
- should not be used for term infants 37 weeks
- should be continued for 2 years
- 1 year for infants born 32-36 weeks
14
Q
Plotting with gestational correction
A
- plot emasurement at actual afe
- draw a line back the number of weeks the baby was early and mark this with an arrow
15
Q
Causes of a heavy child
A
- over feeding
- diabetic mother
- endocrine
