A descriptive study to assess the difference between estimated fetal weight using Johnsons formula and the actual birth weight of newborn babies born to women availing maternity services in a tertiary care hospital, Haryana

Abstract

Introduction: Knowledge about weight of the fetus in-utero is important for the health care professionals to decide upon the antepartum as well as intrapartum initiatives and thereby reducing fetal complications. Johnson’s formula is one of the important and easiest methods of clinical estimation of fetal weight. The aim of the study was to assess the difference between estimated fetal weight calculated by Johnson’s formula and actual birth weight of newborns, to associate and correlate selected maternal and fetal variables with the estimated fetal weight and actual birth weight. Methods: The study sample was 110 term pregnant women in labour and their just born babies. Research approach - quantitative non-experimental descriptive. Tool - data sheet. Data analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Result: The difference between estimated fetal weight and Actual birth weight had a mean of 774.9 and SD ± 403.21. Study revealed that the estimated fetal weight using Johnson’s formula had a difference in comparison with the actual birth weight of babies (371.69 to 1178.1).Discussion: Obstetric Score (OS) Mean 1.59 SD ± 0.76, Period of Gestation (POG) Mean 39 SD ± 1.2. Pre-delivery Weight Mean 64.5 SD ± 9.839. Post-delivery Weight Mean 61.4 SD ± 9.28. Estimated fetal weights (EFW) range 2945 to 4340gms. (Mean 3800.7 SD ± 295.9), Actual birth weight (ABW) range 2120gms to 4145gms (Mean 3025.8 SD± 388.5). Placental Weight Mean 516 SD ± 112.7. Chi square test revealed that there was no association between obstetric score, period of gestation and estimated fetal weight. Similarly Fisher’s exact test revealed that there was no association between obstetric score, period of gestation and actual birth weight.