Q: I am pregnant and have completed 36 full weeks and 2 days. I had an appointment with the doctor who said the baby is around 7 to 7.5 pounds. I am concerned if the baby is overweight or normal and would it cause any problems? I have gained close to 30 pounds from the start of my pregnancy and presently my weight is 172 pounds and my height is 5 2. This is my first pregnancy. Please do reply back at the earliest.

A:The normal gestational period upon which the due date is based is 40 weeks. Looks like you are 36 weeks. If you have not had any problems with diabetes etc. with this pregnancy, and everything else looks normal, I would not worry about the baby’s weight. Follow your OB doctor’s advice. Did this weight come about by an ultrasound or was it an estimate based on the exam. Sometimes the exams are not as accurate as an ultrasound. Let you doctor decide if you need and ultrasound to determine the weight of the baby.