MSN > Women > Health & Fitness

Low birth weight and intelligence

A baby carried to term, but weighing less than average, is enough to worry mothers: will their offspring develop normally in spite of this?

In any event, in terms of intelligence: yes! Babies with very low birth weights do not present any slow down in development at the age of 7 years old. That is what has been identified by a recent study in New Zealand. By analysing their performance in cognitive tests, the results were on par with those of babies born within the normal weight range.