Patterns of gestational weight gain in healthy, low-risk pregnant women without co-morbidities

• Published in: Midwifery 2013-05, Vol.29 (5), p.535-541
• Main Authors: Daemers, Darie O.A., Wijnen, Hennie A.A., van Limbeek, Evelien B.M., Budé, Luc M., de Vries, Raymond G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Body Mass Index; Female; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Interventions; Midwifery - methods; Midwifery - statistics & numerical data; Netherlands - epidemiology; Nursing; Obesity; Obesity - complications; Obesity - diagnosis; Obesity - epidemiology; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - diagnosis; Pregnancy Complications - epidemiology; Pregnancy Complications - prevention & control; Pregnancy Outcome - epidemiology; Pregnant Women; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Socioeconomic Factors; Weight Gain; Women
• ISSN: 0266-6138; 1532-3099
• DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2012.04.012

little is known of the impact of gestational weight gain (GWG) in relation to Body Mass Index (BMI) classification on perinatal outcomes in healthy pregnant women without co-morbidities. As a first step, the prevalence of obesity and the distribution of GWG in relation to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2009 guidelines for GWG were examined. data from a prospective cohort study of – a priori – low risk, pregnant women from five midwife-led practices (n=1449) were analysed. Weight was measured at 12, 24 and 36 weeks. at 12 weeks, 1.4% of the women were underweight, 53.8% had a normal weight, 29.6% were overweight, and 15.1% were obese according to the WHO classification of BMI. In our study population, 60% of the women did not meet the IOM recommendations: 33.4% had insufficient GWG and 26.7% gained too much weight. Although BMI was negatively correlated to total GWG (p