Pregnancy and weight gain

Saturday May 30, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- A “surge” in the number of overweight or obese women since the 1990s has prompted a change in guidelines for pregnant women. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. women of childbearing age are overweight or obese, states a report issued yesterday by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.

Because obesity in pregnancy can lead to serious health problems, the new guidelines advise obese women to limit the amount of weight gain.

Women are advised to calculate their body mass index (BMI) to determine the amount of weight to gain during pregnancy. Guidelines issued yesterday state that obese women (BMI over 30) should limit their weight gain to 11 to 20 pounds. To calculate BMI go to http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.

The report from the National Academies states that excess weight gain can cause Caesarean births for the mother and can cause the baby to be born pre-term or larger than normal with extra fat.

Studies published after the 1990 guidelines were issued showed that many women were either given no advice on weight gain or were advised to gain too much weight.

The correct advice is crucial, said Dr. Kathleen Rasmussen, professor of nutrition at Cornell University and chair of the report committee.

“This report gives women and health care providers an evidence-based answer to the question of how much weight women should gain during pregnancy,” said Rasmussen. “We call on health professionals to adopt these guidelines and help women follow them so that mothers and their children will have the best health care outcomes possible.”

The report states that healthy women at a normal weight for their height (BMI of 18.5 to 24.9) should gain 25 to 35 pounds. Underweight women (BMI less than 18.5) should gain 28 to 40 pounds and overweight women (BMI of 25 to 29.9) should gain 15 to 25 pounds.

To help women achieve a normal BMI, the report calls for increased diet and exercise and counseling programs.

(By Sheilah Downey, and edited by Heather Kelley)