Women who are obese could potentially limit their weight gain during pregnancy by attending weekly group support meetings, getting advice about their diet, and keeping food and exercise journals.
Results of a recent study show women who limit their weight gain during pregnancy are less likely to have babies who will later become obese, Kaiser Permanente reported. Rapid weight gain during pregnancy has been linked to "preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, an increased rate of C-sections, birthing injuries and weight retention after pregnancy."
"Most interventions to limit weight gain among obese women during pregnancy have failed, but our study shows that with regular contact and support, these women can limit the amount of weight they gain, which will also reduce the risk of complications during and after pregnancy," said author Kim Vesco, MD, MPH, a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist and clinical investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon.
Past research suggests women who are obese gain between 11 and 20 pounds during pregnancy.
"Most women in our intervention did gain some weight, but they gained and retained significantly less than women who did not participate in the intervention," said Dr. Vesco. "Even with support, it's difficult to limit weight gain during pregnancy, so women who are overweight or obese should aim for the lower end of the weight-gain range recommended by the Institute of Medicine, and they should seek support and nutritional advice to help meet their goals."
To make their findings the researchers looked at 114 obese women. Half of the participants in an intensive weight management program that included "weekly group meetings, weigh-ins, personalized caloric goals, and food and exercise diaries." The other women were placed in a usual care group consisting of one meeting with a dietician,
By 34 weeks of pregnancy the women who had participated in the intensive program gained about 11 pounds compared the average of 18 pounds in the non-intensive group. Two weeks after delivery the participants in the intervention program weighed about six pounds less than they did at the start of the study. Women in both groups had the same number of birthing and delivery complication but only nine percent of the participants had large-for gestational babies compared with 26 percent in the control group.
The Healthy Moms study was published in Obesity.
