All mothers gain a lot of weight during pregnancy, but there are consequences if they exceed the kilos, for the mother and the baby.
And this statement is now even more accurate: a new and comprehensive study that has analyzed more than half a million births in New York City has concluded that Women who gain more weight than recommended during pregnancy may be more likely to suffer serious complications during childbirth, even if they were thin before pregnancy.
In particular, women who gained more than nine kilos above the recommended weight, suffered heart failure, severe high blood pressure or were in need of transfusion or ventilation during childbirth, the researchers explained in an article published in the Obstetrics & Gynecology newspaper .
Weight gain according to BMI
Dr. Marissa Platner, author of the Emory Healthcare study and the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta (USA), explains why this research:
"We have seen a great increase in maternal mortality in the United States and by observing the risk factors that can be modified, the mother's weight gain is one of those that can be controlled during pregnancy."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC), these are the kilos that every woman should increase in pregnancy, according to her BMI (Body Mass Index), a relationship between weight and height:
Women in the normal BMI range of 18.5-24.9 may increase from 12 to 16 kilos during pregnancy.
With a BMI below 18.5 they should gain between 12.5 and 18 kilos.
If they were overweight before pregnancy: they cannot gain more than 6 to 11 kilos, with a BMI between 25 and 29.9, and only 5 to 9 kilos, with a BMI over 30.
In Babies and more Pregnancy weight: how much it is recommended to gain and how to control itHowever, the researchers of this new study say that "Almost half of all pregnant women in the US earn more than recommended, especially if they are overweight or obese before pregnancy.".
For that reason, they warn, It is very important to optimize nutrition, diet and exercise before and during pregnancy.
A broad sample and compelling results
The researchers analyzed 515,148 single births in New York City, between 2008 and 2012, which included information on weight before pregnancy and weight gain during pregnancy, as well as serious complications related to childbirth.
About a quarter of women increased less than recommended and a third remained within the proper weight. But another third increased up to 8.5 kilos more than recommended and even eight percent exceeded it by more than nine kilos.
In Babies and more Mother's obesity brings complications in pregnancy and childbirthIn general, the two groups of mothers with weight gain above the recommended range, regardless of whether they were overweight or not before pregnancy, had more complications during childbirth, such as heart failure and need for ventilation.
That is the difference that the research makes: that the increase in problems affected all women who had gained more weight than recommended during pregnancy, since "Many doctors and women focus on weight gain only in overweight or obese groups, but the risks should not be overlooked, just because they are thin before pregnancy."
Although that does not mean that the rates of serious complications were higher for women with BMI of obesity before pregnancy.
Take care of yourself before and after pregnancy
It seems that the best way to prevent the possible risks of excessive weight gain during pregnancy is to inform future mothers of the consequences and establish healthy eating and exercise guidelines, even before the urine test is positive.
This is also the opinion of the director of the study, which states that the mother needs to eat about 250 calories a day, although the important thing is to follow a good diet: not how much you eat, but what you should eat.
That is, those calories must come from highly nutritious foods, which provide the baby with all the nutrients it needs to develop and not from empty-calorie foods.
A lifestyle that must continue beyond pregnancy.
Photos | iStock
