Maternal body mass index change as a new optimal gestational weight gain predictor in overweight women

• Published in: Croatian medical journal 2019-12, Vol.60 (6), p.508-514
• Main Authors: Meštrović, Zoran, Roje, Damir, Relja, Ajka, Kosović, Indira, Aračić, Nađa, Vulić, Marko, Polašek, Ozren
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Birth Weight; Body Height; Body Mass Index; Case-Control Studies; Female; Fetal Macrosomia - etiology; Gestational Weight Gain; Humans; Ideal Body Weight; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Small for Gestational Age; Infants; Newborn infants; Obesity; Obstetrics; Overweight - complications; Overweight - physiopathology; Pregnancy; Pregnant women; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0353-9504; 1332-8166
• DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2019.60.508

To investigate the relationship between maternal pre-pregnancy body-mass index (BMI) and neonatal birth weight. The observational study included 2906 mothers and their neonates born from 2005 to 2011 at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Split University Hospital Center. Mothers with singleton term pregnancies who were overweight before pregnancy (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2) were compared with those with normal pre-pregnancy weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2). BMI change was assessed as a predictor of birth weight, categorized as small (SGA), appropriate (AGA), or large for gestational age (LGA). The rate of SGA infants was significantly lower (n=199; 6.8% vs n=1548; 9.2%) and the rate of LGA infants significantly greater among pre-pregnancy overweight mothers compared with normal-weight mothers (n=371; 12.8% vs n=1302; 7.8%; P