The recommendations on weight gain in pregnancy they vary greatly from one doctor to another, from one country to another and, in general, as is logical, from one woman to another. The tables of recommendations are reviewed periodically and there are also new studies that address this issue.
One of these investigations suggests that obese and overweight women who get too little or lose weight could be putting the baby's health at risk. What happens then with the babies of these women?
The United States Institute of Medicine recommends obese women who only lose 5 to 9 kilograms, and care is given to those women who wish to gain less weight. But what happens to obese women who follow or do not follow those recommendations?
This study aims to shed light on the matter. It has been carried out by specialists from the MetroHealth Reproductive Health Center (Cleveland, United States), although they warn that further research is necessary.
It has been published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology with the title "Inadequate weight gain in overweight and obese pregnant women: what is the effect on fetal growth?": 'Inadequate weight gain in pregnant women who are overweight and obese: what is the effect on fetal growth?'
The investigation included data from 1241 full-term pregnancies, of a single fetus, of overweight or obese women. 85% of women gained more than 5 kilograms during pregnancy while 15% gained less weight.
The data confirm what seems obvious: babies of mothers who gained less weight were smaller at birth. Also, the babies of the 46 women who lost weight during pregnancy were small for gestational age and had low values of lean and fat mass, low birth weight and lower body fat percentage.
We do not know if those lower percentiles put the baby's health at risk, if one needed an incubator or had any other effect on the health of the little ones. In principle, if there are no more complications, a small baby with adequate food and attention will soon "recover" his weight.
On the other hand, there are the babies that are born bigger, more "fat" when the weight that has gained in the mother's womb has been greater, cases that not only would put the baby's health at risk but there could be risks in childbirth.
In short, the question with which we titled this article remains in the air: Should women lose weight with obesity during pregnancy? According to the data, it seems risky since the baby may be too small. But it seems advisable that they do not gain excess weight and not only for the health of the baby, but also for the woman's.
