By 2010, half of all UK mums-to-be could be above ideal weight and a fifth obese. And women from deprived areas run the greatest risk and are twice as likely to be obese at the start of pregnancy.A team from Teesside wrote in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology wrote that it was a "serious public health time bomb" and a problem that had not been fully appreciated until now. Researchers from the North East Public Health Observatory studied nearly 37,000 women at a local maternity unit over 15 years and found that maternal obesity had risen from 9.9% in 1990 to 16% in 2004. If this trend continues, by 2010, 22% of pregnant women will be obese, putting a strain on maternity services, researcher Nicola Heslehurst and colleagues warn.
Being overweight during pregnancy is a big health risk for both mother and baby. Obese mums-to-be are more likely miscarry, experience pre-eclampsia and dangerous blood clots or need a Caesarean section to deliver the baby, which is likely to be larger itself.
It has been revealed that obesity is a feature of a shocking 35% of maternal deaths.Babies of obese mothers also face a higher death risk.Professor Phil Steer, editor-in-chief of BJOG, agreed saying: "This is a serious public health time bomb and of major anxiety to healthcare professionals and providers.
Gail Johnson of the Royal College of Midwives said: "Socially excluded groups already face challenges in maintaining health and obesity may make health gains harder to achieve. We would encourage women who are concerned about weight gain to talk to their midwife to identify what help and advice is available and to take the issue seriously."
January 2007
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