The relationship between maternal weight gain in pregnancy and newborn weight

Abstract

AimThis study investigated the impacts of different pre-pregnancy body mass indexes and gestational weight gain on the risk of delivering a high birth weight infant in China. MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted from 2013 to 2014 in the Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Jinan City, Shandong Province and 2415 women who had a singleton birth were included in the study. A logistic regression model and restricted cubic spline regression were used to analyse the association. FindingsThe risk of delivering a high birth weight infant increases when the mother’s pre-pregnancy body mass index exceeds 24kg/m2. Compared with women whose pre-pregnancy body mass index was 21kg/m2, the adjusted risk of delivering a high birth weight infant doubled when the mother’s pre-pregnancy body mass index was 29kg/m2, and nearly tripled when the mother’s pre-pregnancy body mass index was 31kg/m2. Compared with women who had a gestational weight gain of 12.0kg, women having a gestational weight gain of 20.0kg, 22.0kg, and 26.0kg had a 1.7-, 2.2-, and 3.5-fold increased risk of delivering a high birth weight infant. When the mother experiences a gestational weight gain greater than 27kg, the risk of delivering a high birth weight infant is at least 4-fold greater than that for a mother who has a gestational weight gain of 12.0kg. ConclusionsProposed strategies to raise public awareness of the risks to infants posed by high maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain are required. All clinical recommendations and measures are for all pregnant women, not just overweight and obese pregnant women.