Background: Fetal malnutrition (FM) is a clinical condition resulting from failure of the fetus to acquire adequate amounts of subcutaneous fat and muscle mass during its intrauterine life, with short and long term implications. Aim of the work: As the diagnosis of FM is essentially clinical, the aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of FM using the Clinical Assessment of Nutritional Status (CANS) score & comparing the results with the classic anthropometric parameters and investigate FM impacts on early neonatal morbidities. subjects and methods: This is a cross-sectional study of full-term and preterm infants that was done between January 2023 and January 2024 (n = 385) at Alhussein neonatal intensive care unit & gynecology and obstetric department  Early neonatal morbidities e.g hypoglycemia , polycythemia , Neonatal sepsis, RDS, feeding intolerance and hyperbilirubinemia were detected within the first week of life for the studied population who required NICU admission. The CANS score was evaluated for all infants enrolled in the study within 48 hours of birth. Moreover the standard anthropometric measure e.g. Body mass index (BMI), Ponderal Index (PI), and Mid-Upper-Arm Circumference/Head Circumference ratio (MUAC/HC) were calculated &both results were compared . Results: the FM cutoff values of CANS score <25, BMI <11.2 kg/m², PI <2.2 g/cm³ and MUAC/HC < 0.27. that show significant difference between CANS & standard method in assessment of FM . the prevalence rate of FM for the studied population was Using the CANS score 36.4%, BMI 31.4%  , MUAC/HC 23.4%  and PI 22.3% Conclusions: The CANS score allows a better identification of nutritional status of infants than using the standard anthropometric parameters. Key words: Fetal Malnutrition, Clinical Assessment of Nutritional Status score, Anthropometric Parameters.