Pre-pregnancy obesity linked to infant growth

New York: Women who are obese even
before pregnancy may give birth to babies larger in size, a study says.

The findings show that infants born to
women with a pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) in the obese range -- more
than 40 -- are eight per cent larger during the first two years, than those
born to women with a healthy range of BMI -- 18.5-24.9.

The study, published in the journal
Childhood Obesity, also reported differences in the pace of infant growth and
the time to reach peak growth rate depending on the mothers’ pre-pregnancy BMI.

The researchers also revealed a link
between greater maternal weight gain during pregnancy and larger infant size.

“The study demonstrate that both
maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and gestational weight gain were associated with
infant weight trajectories in the first 24 months of life,” said Tom
Baranowski, Researcher, Baylor College of Medicine, in Texas, US.

However, the research also mentions
that gestational weight management programmes had no effect on the weight of
the child.

IANS