In the March edition of Redbook Magazine, there’s an article that all expecting moms should read. It’s about pregobesity: a term coined by the magazine’s writer to define a growing number of women who gain more weight during pregnancy than they’re able to loose before becoming pregnant again, meaning that they may enter pregnancy overweight, or even obese.
While the article is more of an easy read than the latest in scholarship, it brings to light the importance of paying attention to your weight during and between pregnancies.
Without a doubt, pregnant women have to gain weight for a healthy pregnancy. But for many women, being pregnant is a free pass to eat whatever they desire, whenever they want. As much fun as it is to eat whatever a girl desires, in an age of easily available high calorie food, constantly fulfilling these desires can lead to big weight gains for women, and this weight can be difficult to loose after baby comes along.
If a woman becomes pregnant again before loosing her initial pregnancy weight, she can enter pregnancy at higher weight and higher risk for a variety of health concerns.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), babies of obese mothers are at higher risk for:
- Birth defects, such as neural tube defects
- Macrosomia, larger than normal infant, which increases the risk of C-section
- Preterm Birth
- Still Birth
Additionally, if you’re obese, your doctor may have difficulty performing routine tests, such as ultrasounds, that are important in ensuring the health of your baby.
An obese mother’s risk for the following increases when obese during pregnancy:
- Hypertension
- Preeclampsia
- Gestational diabetes
And the risk of conditions like type-2 diabetes and heart disease follow women after pregnancy if they’re unable to shed the additional weight they’ve gained during their childbearing years. With more than one half of pregnant American women overweight or obese, these risks can become very real.
Redbook defines three factors of concern in their coined epidemic of pregobesity:
- The weight of a woman at the onset of her pregnancy
- The amount of weight she gains during pregnancy
- Her ability to shed her pregnancy weight before becoming pregnant again.
The ACOG recommends that women who enter a pregnancy overweight can gain as few as 15 pounds and still have a healthy pregnancy; they should gain no more than 25 pounds total. Women who are obese need to gain only 11 additional pounds and ought to gain no more than 20 pounds.
If you’re entering your pregnancy overweight, talk to your doctor or midwife about ways that you can start to manage your weight gain early in pregnancy. If you’re concerned, don’t wait until your third trimester to start measures to manage your weight.
Regardless of your weight, you should always aim to eat the most nutritious food during pregnancy for the beneficial development of your baby. Foods high in protein, plentiful amounts of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy are all good choices for expecting mothers.
The expert doctors and midwives at Florida’s All About Women, are here to help you through the joys and challenges of pregnancy, including properly managing your weight and nutrition. You can learn more about other pregnancy concerns and considerations by visiting our Knowledge Center.
And if you need to schedule a prenatal, preconception or general pregnancy checkup, contact us at our Gainesville or Lake City office today.
