The notion of 'eating for two' during pregnancy is now long outdated. However, some mothers-to-be still see pregnancy as a chance to relax their eating habits and consume as much as they like, believing they’ll lose the extra weight once their baby is born.

But according to research, excessive weight gain in pregnancy increases the mother’s risk of lifelong obesity.


The long-term study at the Bristol University, UK, discovered that women who gained an excessive amount of weight during their pregnancy, were three times more likely to be obese several years after giving birth.

The study monitored the health of 3,877 women who gave birth 16 years previously. This included women of varying weights ranging from underweight through to those who were obese. Factors taken into account were the women’s waist circumference, social class, sex of the child, lifestyle habits such as smoking and physical activity, method of delivery and whether or not the mother breastfed.

The results found that mothers whose weight was normal or underweight before pregnancy and who gained the recommended amount of weight during gestation, had a lower risk of developing obesity problems. However, mothers who were previously overweight or obese at the beginning of their pregnancy and also gained an excessive amount of weight, were more likely to be obese well over a decade later.

During the study, the average amount of weight gained by pregnant mothers of a normal weight was 28.4 pounds. This was well within the American Pregnancy Association (APA) guidelines who recommend a weight gain of between 25-35 pounds. On the other hand, the overweight and the obese women gained an average of 26.2 pounds and 22.3 pounds respectively. However, this was somewhat greater than the 15-25 pounds weight gain recommended for overweight women and the 11-20 pounds recommended for obese women.

Study leader, Dr Abigail Fraser said: "Our findings suggest that regular monitoring of weight in pregnancy may need to be reconsidered because it provides a window of opportunity to prevent health problems later in life."

Complications which can affect the mother as a result of being overweight or obese during pregnancy include an increased risk of developing diabetes and pre-eclampsia. Additionally, some babies born to obese mothers are also at risk of suffering from obesity in later life. Furthermore, mothers who remain obese are more likely to suffer long-term health effects such as heart disease as a direct result of their weight.

The results from this study which are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, show that women who are already overweight or obese when they become pregnant, tend to gain more than the recommended amount of weight for their size. Additionally, these women are three times more likely to be overweight or obese later on in life.

As such, it’s important that pregnant mothers seek dietary advice on managing their weight gain during their pregnancy. Doing this can help both mother and baby avoid the possible long-term health implications which may arise as a result of being overweight or obese during pregnancy.