Physical characteristics of newborn babies after vaginal delivery: a 25-year study from Vienna.

This retrospective analysis evaluated whether the gestational age, mean birth weight, length and shoulder width of vaginally delivered newborns have increased during the last 25 years in Vienna, Austria. Women who have given birth at the University of Vienna Medical School Hospital were divided into four age groups: under 20 years, 20-24 years, 25-29 years, and 30 years of age or over. Patient data collected between 1976 to 2000 were grouped into five periods: 1976-1979, 1980-1984, 1985-1989, 1990-1994, and 1995-2000. A highly significant increase of all four parameters was observed for all age groups between 1976 and 2000. The changes were most marked in the 25-29 year age group.