INTRODUCTION Fetal undernutrition is a major public health problem in India. Fetal malnutrition or fetal undernutrition is defined as failure to acquire adequate quantum of fat and muscle mass during intrauterine growth. Poor maternal nutrition and placental insufficiency are the two main causes of fetal malnutrition Fetal undernutrition leads to morbidity in adulthood which in turn leads to fetal undernutrition of subsequent generation, it is a vicious cycle. CAN score is the gold standard method for identifying fetal undernutrition. OBJECTIVE To study the prevalence of fetal undernutrition in newborns babies born in VMMCH , Karaikal and maternal risk factors associated with it