If a pregnant mother is small, it may be normal for her baby to be small. But when a developing fetus doesn’t grow at the expected rate inside the womb, intrauterine growth restriction may be identified. Depending on the cause of IUGR, the developing baby may be small all over, or his or her head may be normal in size while the rest of the body is small.

Fetal growth restriction is one of the leading causes of perinatal death, which is why fetal growth assessments at each prenatal visit are so important.