Babies born to women who
are obese or overweight have increased risk of premature delivery since the
heavier the mother’s weight, the greater will be the risk. As per the study,
obesity is a well-established risk factor for a long list of pregnancy and the
birth complications such as preeclampsia, miscarriage, caesarean delivery and
gestational diabetes.
The studies that
examined the impact of the maternal body weight on early birth and the low
birth weight have been mixed with some finding on the increased risk for the
complications and others found no such risk. In few such studies, the maternal
obesity seemed to be protective against delivering the low birth weight baby. Researchers
in Canada have pooled data from 84 studies including more than a million women
in an effort to understand the relationship between the obesity or maternal
weight and early deliveries or the low birth weight deliveries.
As per the analysis,
obesity in women and overweight women have the higher risk to deliver prior to
32 weeks of gestation and also higher risk to induce delivery before 37 weeks. According
the study researcher of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Sarah D.
McDonald, “Babies who are born this early are much more likely to be sick and
they tend to spend much longer time in the nursery.
Obesity and Preterm Birth
According to the
analysis there was no difference in the overall risk of early delivery before
37 weeks related to the body weight. But after adjusting for bias, obesity and overweight
was related to a 30 percent increase in risk for early delivery.
As per McDonald, the
risk for a very early delivery before 32 weeks and the induced early delivery
before 37 weeks increases with the obesity and overweight maternal weight. Comparing
to the normal weight women, the risk for both the outcomes was about 15, 50 and
80 percent higher among the overweight, obese and highly obese women,
respectively.
According to her, it is
no surprise that the induced early deliveries are very common among the obese
women and those who are overweight since there for premature delivery and
pregnancy related complications are much greater. As per the initial analysis,
it was found a slight decrease in risk for delivering the low birth weight
babies among the obese women and those who are overweight. Once again, this
effect disappeared when the researchers have adjusted the bias.
Guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy
The Institute of
Medicine (IOM) revised the guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy after
considering the growing incidence of obesity among women of child bearing age
for the first time in 19 years. The public
health policy group also included the upper limit on how much weight a woman
who already carries extra pounds should gain calling on overweight women to
gain no more than 20 to 25 pounds with a single-birth pregnancy.
The old adage that a
pregnant woman is eating for two is just not true instead you should be eating
the right foods and the right amount of food to grow a healthy baby. You should
avoid eating twice as much as adult human needs. Additionally, you should also
limit the weight gain during pregnancy which has significant benefits to moms
as per the Medical Branch Chief of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine of
University of Texas, George Saade, MD.
He says doctors should
consider pregnancy as a significant teachable moment for counselling women
about maintaining a healthy weight. One of the most significant contributors to
the long term obesity during pregnancy is gaining a lot of weight during
pregnancy and then failing to lose it post delivery. Women should do all they
can for maintaining a healthy weight during their child bearing years and
beyond.
Being overweight or
obesity during pregnancy increases the preterm delivery as well as a number of
health risks both for mother as well as the child.
What can you do to protect yourself?
You should be in
constant contact with a prenatal physician, exercise regularly and stick to a
balanced diet as all these will make all the difference in the wellness of a
mother as well as her child.
Read more about :
0 nhận xét :
Post a Comment