Pregnancy Weight Gain May Cause Health Risks

In a study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, it was found that women that gain an excessive amount of weight while pregnant put their newborns and themselves at risk during and after the birth. Mothers that take “eating for two” literally and consume twice as much as when they were not pregnant tend to gain too much weight during their pregnancy, making it more difficult to drop the weight after the baby is born. Women that put on more than 40 pounds during their pregnancy are more likely to give birth to a larger baby, which can result in the need for a cesarean section, or tearing and bleeding if the baby is delivered vaginally. Larger babies also run the risk of breaking their collar bone during the delivery. In addition to the problems that may occur during the birth, larger babies are also prone to obesity and type 2 diabetes later on in life.

The study, which was conducted by researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, looked at the weight of the mother and the baby at birth. Of the 41,540 pregnancies and births examined in Washington, Oregon and Hawaii, 20% of women that gained over 40 pounds during their pregnancy gave birth to larger babies, while less than 12% of women that gained less than 40 pounds had larger babies. The study also tested the mother for gestational diabetes, which increases a mother’s risk of having a bigger baby. About 29.3% of the pregnant women that gained more than 40 pounds and had gestational diabetes gave birth to heavier babies, compared with the 9.3% of women that gained less than 40 pounds and did not have gestational diabetes.

Revisions are currently being made to guidelines set in the early 1990s by the Institute of Medicine for pregnant women. The guidelines recommend that underweight women with a BMI (body mass index) below 19.8 gain 28 to 40 pounds during pregnancy, normal weight women with a BMI of 19.8 to 26.0 gain 25 to 35 pounds, and overweight women with a BMI above 26.0 gain 15 to 25 pounds. Gaining too little weight while pregnant may also result in health problems for the mother and child, so staying within a healthy range is important. Doctors should discuss weight gain with pregnant patients in order to keep them within a healthy range.

Though the mother’s weight may cause complications when giving birth, the doctors or nurses that provided care or performed the delivery may be to blame if problems occur. If you or a loved one has medical malpractice questions in New York, please contact the malpractice lawyers of Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, serving clients in Nassau and Suffolk Counties and Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, Staten Island and Westchester County.

Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net