New evidence published in the September issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that the amount of weight a woman gains during pregnancy affects the health of her newborn. In the study information about weight gain and birth outcome of more than 20,000 single live births was analyzed.
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco were interested in the relationship between maternal weight gain and neonatal health. In 2005 the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Institutes of Medicine (IOM) claimed that too many women were gaining inappropriate amounts of weight during pregnancy and speculated on possible negative effects.
According to the IOM women should gain weight amounts that coorespond to their pre-pregnancy weight. Women underweight at onset should gain the most, 28-40 pounds. Women of normal weight should gain between 25-35 pounds, and women who are overweight should gain only 15-25 pounds. Obese women, as determined by BMI, should gain 15 pounds.
In the San Francisco study 43.3 percent of women had weight gain above the IOM guidelines, while 20.1 percent had weight gain below the guidelines. When only weight gain, and not BMI was taken into account, 29 percent of women gained more than 39.6 pounds and 4.8 percent gained less than 15.4 pounds.
Women with weight above the recommendations of the IOM had poorer neonatal outcome compared to women who gained appropriate weight amounts. Complications in newborns such as poor Apgar scores, hypoglycemia, and meconium aspiration were associated with excess weight gain. High weight gain was also associated with large for gestational age (LGA) babies.
Women who gained less than the appropriate amount had an increased risk for small for gestational age (SGA) babies.
The authors recommend that healthcare providers and public health be more aware of inadequate weight gain during pregnancy because of the serious risks to the newborn. Dietary counseling should focus on healthy food choices and prevention of excessive weight gain.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on September 27, 2006 02:04 PM
