A premature infant is typically defined as weighing less than how many pounds?

• A. 5.5 pounds
• B. 4.5 pounds
• C. 6.0 pounds
• D. 7.0 pounds

Answer: (A)

Low birth weight is the idea here: infants born weighing less than about 2,500 grams, which is roughly five and a half pounds. This threshold helps identify babies at higher risk for issues like trouble maintaining body heat, hypoglycemia, and respiratory problems. Premature birth means being born before 37 weeks gestation, and many premature babies weigh less than this cutoff, though gestational age and weight are separate measurements. In this question, the commonly used weight cutoff is five and a half pounds, so babies weighing less than that are categorized as low birth weight. Weighing significantly more than that (around six or seven pounds) would not meet the low birth weight definition.