All mothers-to-be should be weighed regularly during pregnancy to help combat the many dangers to women’s and babies’ health from maternal obesity, a group of medical experts is urging.
The National Obesity Forum (NOF) – an influential group of doctors and nurses specialising in weight problems – wants ministers to introduce the change because excessive weight gain among expectant mothers is becoming such a serious problem.
“A pregnant woman should have her weight monitored regularly during pregnancy at all antenatal appointments with midwives, GPs and obstetricians, because every risk of pregnancy, both to the mother and to the baby, is increased with maternal obesity,” Dr David Haslam, the NOF’s chairman, told the Observer.
“Obesity in pregnant women can lead to all sorts of problems, including the death of the mother, or the death of the baby through stillbirth or the baby having fetal abnormalities, or the woman suffering pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes, or needing a Caesarean section because either she or the baby is too big,” he added.
Piling on the pounds in pregnancy beyond the recommended amount can be dangerous, Haslam said. “The risk of rapid weight gain in pregnancy is that every single complication of pregnancy gets worse for both the mother and the baby. The benefits of regular weighing of women would be enormous. It would create awareness of the problem and lead to measures being put in place to reduce the risk.” For example, if a pregnant woman was gaining excess weight, a dietician could start giving her advice on her diet and level of physical activity, said Haslam, who is a GP and also a hospital doctor specialising in obesity medicine at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital in Bedfordshire. Read more…
