Friday, July 2, 2010

Don't Put That in Your Mouth!

A new study was released earlier this month addressing too much weight gain during pregnancy. The study, done in Britain, addresses women who gain too much in the first trimester, and/or throughout the remainder of the pregnancy. I sometimes am asked why weight is so important during pregnancy, or a mom makes a flippant remark about losing it all with breastfeeding. There can be ramifications to inadequate weight gain as well as gaining too much.



It seems there are some links between risk factors in the offspring when momma gains too much weight. Having been there and done that x3, I certainly was guilty of gaining too much (40, 30, 25 pounds). I wish someone had told me why less weight gain was important. I wonder if providers sometimes avoid the weight issue altogether. Perhaps like taking a sexual history, it can make one uncomfortable to delve into a private personal area. Maybe providers are afraid of offending women. But the reality is that we do not do justice by the women we provide care for by avoiding this topic.



The subject matter requires more research before changes in weight gain guidelines are changed. If you would like to see the abstract, click here.

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