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Related Experiment Videos

Association between maternal weight gain and birth weight.

Line Rode1, Hanne K Hegaard, Hanne Kjaergaard

  • 1Ultrasound Clinic 4002, Department of Fetal Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hvidovre Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. linerode@dadlnet.dk

Obstetrics and Gynecology
|June 2, 2007
PubMed
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Maternal weight gain impacts infant birth weight. Underweight women may benefit from exceeding recommended weight gain, while normal-weight women face risks with gains below or above guidelines.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Public Health Nutrition

Background:

  • Maternal weight gain is a critical factor influencing fetal growth and birth outcomes.
  • Existing guidelines, such as those from the American Institute of Medicine (IOM), aim to optimize maternal weight gain during pregnancy.
  • Variations in maternal body mass index (BMI) may influence the relationship between weight gain and birth weight extremes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between maternal weight gain and the risks of delivering infants with low birth weight (<3,000 g) or macrosomia (≥4,000 g).
  • To evaluate these associations across different pre-pregnancy maternal BMI categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese.
  • To assess the applicability of IOM weight gain recommendations in a Danish population.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 2,248 women with singleton, term pregnancies in Denmark.
  • Logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between maternal weight gain and the odds of low or high birth weight.
  • The study stratified analyses by pre-pregnancy BMI categories.

Main Results:

  • An inverse relationship was observed between maternal weight gain and the incidence of low birth weight (<3,000 g).
  • Higher maternal weight gain was associated with increased risk of macrosomia (≥4,000 g) in underweight and normal-weight women.
  • Underweight women gaining more than IOM recommendations had a lower risk of low birth weight (OR 0.3) and a slightly increased risk of macrosomia (OR 1.7). Normal-weight women had increased risk of low birth weight if gain was below recommendations (OR 2.4) and macrosomia if gain exceeded recommendations (OR 1.9).

Conclusions:

  • The IOM weight gain recommendations provide a useful framework for Danish pregnant women.
  • Current upper recommended weight gain limits for underweight women may need adjustment to potentially improve birth outcomes.
  • Tailoring weight gain advice based on pre-pregnancy BMI is crucial for optimizing infant birth weight.