Here are two stories about being born Small for Gestational Age (SGA). In the first, Gabriele, now 16, shares his own experience. In the second, Megan talks about her daughter Emerence, who was born SGA at just 37 weeks.
If a baby is born Small for Gestational Age (SGA), it means they are smaller than they should be in length, weight or head circumference. Approximately 8.6 to 9.6% of all newborns are born SGA. The condition can be caused by several different factors ranging from environmental to genetic. Most babies with the condition will catch up to a normal length and/or weight by 2 years of age. However, there are some cases in which they do not catch up and require additional treatment.
Gabriele’s story
Football has been part of Gabriele’s life since he joined his local team at the age of four. He remembers how his health and care shaped family life when he was younger. Evenings had to be planned around it, meals out sometimes ended early, and holidays meant packing a cool bag and asking hotels for a fridge. The harder part came later. At middle school he noticed he was smaller than his football teammates, and for a long time he struggled with his self-confidence.
His brother helped him through it, and gave him the nickname “little warrior”. Nowadays, Gabriele can see how much the experience has shaped who he is. Meeting other young people with similar conditions helped too, because they could share what they had been through.
He hopes other young people might recognise themselves in his story. You can watch it below.
Megan and Emerence’s story
Megan’s story is told from a parent’s perspective.
In the interview, Megan discusses the emotional distress one endures when one’s child is born SGA and is not developing at the same rate as others her age. She also explains the difficulties getting diagnosed correctly with SGA, as it is often not taken as seriously as something named as a “syndrome”.
Megan emphasises that it is essential to have regular height and weight measurements done early (ideally from birth) in order to monitor a child’s growth rate & health accurately. Both, the mother and daughter, advocate strongly for early diagnosis in children as it’s key to receiving the correct care for any growth disorder. You can watch their full story below.
Calculate your child’s growth
It is important to keep track of your child’s growth in order to identify if there is a problem early on. We recommend measuring your child every 6 months, which is now easier with our simple to use growth calculator.
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