It is not good to eat for two during pregnancy. However, many women indulge in their diet a bit more. As a result, few women do not follow medical recommendations for weight gain. 47% of pregnant women get too fat and 21% not enough, according to an American study published in the specialized journal Obstetric and Gynecology. Only 31% gain reasonable weight, within the limits of the recommendations.
Pr Andrea Sharma, epidemiologist in Atlanta, United States, followed 100 to 250 pregnant women in each of the 28 countries chosen for the study, between 2010 and 2011. The results are considered worrying by the scientist: “Take too much weight has consequences for both the health of the mother and that of the child, ”she explains to Le Figaro. When the mother struggles to shed the extra pounds taken during pregnancy, her excess weight “can contribute to the development or worsening of obesity in her”.
In the mother, complications that can occur as a result of excessive weight gain include risk of overweight and obesity, risk of diabetes, risk of kidney and liver failure, risk of stroke.
In children, too, excess weight during pregnancy would entail risks such as a risk of prematurity or a risk of autism.
The ideal weight gain
Conversely a insufficient weight gain in pregnant women can also be harmful to the baby by increasing the risk of overweight.
So what is the right weight gain? It all depends on the woman’s body mass index (BMI) before her pregnancy. For normal BMIs between 18.5 and 25, the ideal weight gain is between eleven and sixteen kilograms.
To limit the weight gain during pregnancy, it is important to continue to eat a balanced diet and not to abuse fatty (cold meats, pastries) and sweet products, but also to continue physical activities (walking, swimming, yoga). In case of snack craving, it is advisable to favor fruit, plain yogurt and whole grains rather than sweet foods such as cakes.
>> Read also: Pregnancy and obesity: nutritional advice that works
