Morbidities associated with infants who are large for gestational age include which of the following?

• A. Birth Trauma
• B. Hypoglycemia
• C. Respiratory Distress Syndrome
• D. Polycythemia

Answer: (A)

Large for gestational age babies are most likely to experience birth trauma because their size makes vaginal delivery more difficult, increasing the risk of shoulder dystocia, brachial plexus injury, and clavicle fracture during passage through the birth canal. This delivery-related complication is the most direct and common morbidity linked to macrosomia. While infants of diabetic mothers can develop hypoglycemia after birth due to high insulin levels, and they may also have respiratory distress or polycythemia from intrauterine factors, those issues arise from metabolic or oxygenation factors rather than the delivery process itself. The defining risk with being large for gestational age is the potential for birth trauma during delivery.