Having a healthy baby is a dream come true for every future mother. If you are planning to have a child in the next few moths or a year, one thing that you should seriously consider is your bodyweight.
Two analyses from 2010, done respectively in Germany and in Canada confirmed that during pregnancy the heavier mother's weight is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension and rate of caesarean section for the mother and risk of preterm birth for the infant.
The research in Canada pooled the data from 84 studies that included more than 1 million women. The analysis confirmed that overweight and obese women have an increased risk of premature birth. Compared to normal weight women, the risk was about 15%, 50% and 80% higher, respectively, among overweight, obese, and very obese women.
The German study concluded that obesity during pregnancy is a clinical problem and that weight reduction before pregnancy is recommended to prevent the above mentioned complications.
Our Tip:
Few months before pregnancy check your body weight. Determine your Body Mass Index (BMI) to see are you overweight or obese. BMI is a universally accepted method but it does have some limitations. BMI is not a good indicator of excess body fat and could not predict health but it will give you a basic idea about your weight. According to the World Health Organization a BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight, from 18.5 to 24.9 normal, from 25 to 29.9 overweight and above 30 obese.
Reference:
Risks of pregnancy and birth in obese primiparous women: an analysis of German perinatal statistics.
Overweight and obesity in mothers and risk of preterm birth and low birth weight infants: systematic review and meta-analyses.
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