By Marielle Adam, for Choupidou
The mental burden of numbers
Although carrying a child is a universal experience, pregnancy raises many questions and concerns. Premature birth is frightening, and the ideal birth weight is a source of questioning. Numerical indicators are ubiquitous in modern medicine. It has also become common to inform one's entourage of a child's weight as quickly as their first name.
Weight, Gestational Age, percentile: these concepts, used daily by healthcare professionals, can seem complex. Here are some keys to decoding this information and communicating more calmly about your baby's development.
GA and GW: understanding the medical reference frame
Gestational Age (GA) is the number of weeks since the first day of your last period. It is often confused with Gestational Weeks (GW), which correspond to the actual age of the fetus since conception.
In France, medical professionals and administration primarily use GA as the unit of measurement. This is therefore the data you will need to provide to your doctor or midwife to discuss your pregnancy. Thus, a child is considered full-term when the birth occurs between 37 GA and 41 GA.
The Percentile: statistics for better support
The Percentile calculation is based on GA. These are statistics used to monitor the progression of pregnancy by comparing it to others at an equivalent time. To better understand, let's take the example of a weight at the 80th percentile (P80) at birth. If 100 representative babies are born at the same stage of pregnancy: 79 babies would be lighter. 20 babies would be heavier. P50, on the other hand, corresponds to the median, meaning that half of the children (50%) are below this measurement, and the other half are above. This is the central reference value. This information, it should be remembered, is valid for children at the same point in the growth cycle.
From P90 to P10, the information collected by ultrasound is within the norm. The risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth are lower according to French criteria. It is only at the end of the first trimester that the dating ultrasound specifies the actual Gestational Age. The date of the last period and the duration of the fertilization cycle become more precise because all fetuses develop uniformly at the beginning of growth. The Crown-Rump Length, abbreviated CRL, measures the distance between the head and the buttocks during this examination. This is one of the reliable markers that allows for precise scheduling of medical follow-ups and administrative formalities.
It is crucial to remember that numbers are tools in the service of care. Statistics should not be an additional source of anxiety. A detected risk factor is above all the certainty of individualized support. Curves and markers are not predictions but indicators for the benefit of health.
When prematurity or other difficulties require a child's hospitalization at the Bordeaux University Hospital, Choupidou supports families and caregivers with an application that has been designed in close collaboration with health professionals to maintain the essential emotional bond for the child and their loved ones.
