Overweight during your pregnancy increases pregnancy risks to you and your baby.

There have been many studies which demonstrate that obesity during pregnancy is associated with serious pregnancy-related complications, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy. Problems include high blood pressure, gestational diabetes which occurs in a woman who develops diabetes during her pregnancy, and Caesarean deliveries.

Too much weight can also cause other unpleasant pregnancy health concerns, including: backache, leg pain; varicose veins and excessive fatigue.

Excessive weight gain may also cause problems for the baby. Technically, an overweight baby is one who weighs more than 4500 gm, or 9.9 lbs. Large babies make vaginal deliveries more difficult, increasing the risk for cesarean section. Overweight babies may have an increased risk for health problems later in life, such as obesity; adult rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.

Nutritional support can therefore be very important during your pregnancy to help you lose excessive weight and to support the health of you and your baby.

To find out more about Nutritional support during or before your pregnancy, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.

Smoking and missing meals during pregnancy triples the risk of childhood obesity

Japanese researchers observed 1000 children born to smoking and non-smoking mothers. The researchers revealed that children born to smoking mothers were nearly 3 times more at a risk of developing obesity later in their lives, possibly as a result of the damaging effects nicotine has to the baby’s brain says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy.

There are many ways nutritional therapy can help support you while giving up smoking, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown. As smoking can upset your blood sugar balance (which can also impact on weight gain), one of the first things I look at, are ways to regulate your blood sugar. Many foods can also upset your blood sugar levels, as well as other stimulants such as coffee, tea, alcohol and chocolate. There are also a number of supplements that may help reduce your craving for nicotine.

An additional result of the study also revealed that mothers who skipped their breakfast during pregnancy made their children nearly 2½ times more vulnerable to developing obesity in their latter stage of life. This may result in babies developing blood sugar imbalances in utero, which affects their ability to regulate insulin which can contribute to weight gain, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown.

Furthermore, depriving yourself of food which in turn deprives the fetus of nutrition is a contributing factor of intrauterine growth retardation. Improper nutrition and food supply to the growing fetus has also been linked with poor nutritional habits in the future which can lead to overweight problems and obesity in children.

To find out more about Nutritional support during or before your pregnancy, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.

How much weight should I put on during my pregnancy?

You may be worried about gaining weight during pregnancy, or you may have started the pregnancy with more weight than you would have liked says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy..

However, under no circumstances should you diet while you are pregnant as you may deprive yourself and your baby of important nutrients, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown. Further, your body may start to detoxify (losing toxins stored in fat throughout your body) and these toxins may pass through your baby before being excreted.

If you eat a healthy, nutritious diet you will not put on any more weight than is necessary – so avoid the temptation to ‘pig-out’ as it will be harder to lose weight once your baby is born. As a rule of thumb, a healthy weight gain during pregnancy is considered to be no more than 33lb (15kg) and also not less than 11lb (5kg). Women who are underweight prior to pregnancy should gain a little more, and overweight women, a little less.

Women who do not gain enough weight have an increased risk for delivering babies with low birth weight (less than 2500 gm, or 5.52 pounds).

And babies who are underweight are at risk for physical and psychological childhood disorders, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown:
· They are more likely to experience asthma, respiratory tract infections, and ear infections.
· Babies who are born weighing less than 1000 gm (2.2 lbs), are at greater risk for cerebral palsy (a neurological abnormality).
· They are more likely to score low on intelligence tests and are more likely to have delayed development.

Conversely though, gaining too much weight can also be a problem. It can make pregnancy an unpleasant experience, causing
· Backache;
· Leg pain;
· Varicose veins; and
· Fatigue.

It may also lead to hypertension and diabetes. Excess weight may also be difficult to lose after delivery.

Excessive weight gain may also cause problems for the baby. Technically, an overweight baby is one who weighs more than 4500 gm, or 9.9 lbs. Large babies make vaginal deliveries more difficult, increasing the risk for cesarean section. Overweight babies may have an increased risk for health problems later in life, such as
· Obesity;
· Adult rheumatoid arthritis; and
· Diabetes.

To find out more about Nutritional support during or before your pregnancy, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.