Word: gaine
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Times have changed. Today, nearly two-thirds of American women of childbearing age are overweight, and one-third qualify as obese. An abundance of research suggests that weight gain before and during pregnancy increases the risk of several serious health complications for both mother and child, including diabetes, hypertension and birth defects...
...most women - including those who are underweight, normal weight or even overweight at conception - the guidelines remain unchanged from the original 1990 standards: women with a healthy body mass index, or BMI (a ratio of height and weight used to define obesity), of 18 to 25 are advised to gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. Overweight women with a BMI of 25 to 29.5 should gain less, up to 25 pounds; underweight women, with BMIs below 18.5, should gain more, up to 40 pounds...
...recommendations include new, specific guidelines for obese women, including those who have a BMI of 30 or higher at conception. These mothers-to-be are advised to limit their weight gain to 11 to 20 pounds. The standards also suggest for the first time that pregnant women may safely exercise up to 30 minutes a day throughout their entire pregnancy, barring any complications...
Failing to adhere to the IOM's recommendations could increase health risks for both mother and child, Rasmussen says. Women who do not gain enough weight during pregnancy face an increased risk of stunted fetal growth and preterm delivery. But more commonly, women put on too many extra pounds: approximately 40% of normal-weight and 60% of overweight women gained excessive weight during pregnancy, according to a study published in March by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; one-fourth of obese women gained more than 35 pounds, the recommended limit for women of healthy weight. (Watch TIME...
Studies have linked obesity and rapid weight gain during pregnancy to a higher risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension in the mother. And because most women fail to shed all their pregnancy fat, the additional weight can lead to an increased risk of postpartum obesity, along with elevated risks of heart disease and stroke. Babies delivered by obese women tend to be born bigger, earlier and by Cesarean section. And many studies suggest that a mother's gestational obesity predicts later weight problems in her offspring. One recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School found that among nearly...