Weight Guidelines for Pregnant Women may be way to High for Severely Obese Moms-to-Be

A recommended amount of weight is predetermined by U.S. guidelines for pregnant women. The amount of recommended weigh gain is the same for all women despite their weight when they became pregnant.

New Weight Guidelines Needed

As a result of a study done at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y. strongly suggests that the current weigh gain be reevaluated for severely obese women. The study included 73,977 women who gave birth to a single child. Four percent of the women were underweight; 48 percent normal weight; 24 percent overweight; 13 percent obese; 6 percent severely obese; and 5 percent morbidly obese.

The Findings

Women (in all the weight categories) who gained more than the recommended amount of weight in the second and third trimester were at a higher risk to have a large baby. More so the severely overweight women were also at a higher risk for premature delivery, induced labor, gestational diabetes and c-sections.

Conclusion

The findings of the study were released at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine were researchers asked the weight recommendations be reevaluated for the safety of both the obese mother and child.

Source: http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/hsn/weightguidelinesmaybehighforseverelyo...