If you put on too much weight when you're pregnant, then it could lead to long-term obesity.
Women who gain more than the recommended weight during pregnancy have an increased risk of becoming obese and developing other obesity-related health problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, later in their lives.
These findings come from researchers working on the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)/Children of the 90s. Based at the University of Bristol, ALSPAC/Children of the 90s is a world-renowned, longterm health research project that enrolled more than 14,000 pregnant women in 1991 and 1992. The project has been following the health and development of the mothers and their children ever since.
It is essential for the development and growth of the fetus, for a pregnant woman to gain weight. However, the study, which looked at 3,877 women 16 years after they gave birth, found that the women who gained more than the recommended weight during pregnancy (according to 2009 Institute of Medicine guidelines) were three times more likely to be overweight or obese or to become apple shaped. At the same time, women who didn't gain too much weight in pregnancy were at lower risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing the associated health problems.
The study compared the women's pre-pregnancy weight with their BMI (body mass index), waist circumference and blood pressure 16 years' later and adjusted for age, sex of the child, social class, smoking, physical activity and diet in pregnancy, method of delivery, and whether the mother breastfed.
Dr Abigail Fraser, the report's main author, said:
'Our findings suggest that regular monitoring of weight in pregnancy may need to be reconsidered because it provides a window of opportunity to prevent health problems later in life.'
May 2011 | 
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