Obesity and Pregnancy

"Eat for two when you are pregnant" is the statement all pregnant women hear time and again. It sounds cute, but guess what? It turns out to be misguided advice and totally incorrect. When you are pregnant you only need to consume a maximum of 500 calories more than you would if you were not pregnant. What you do need to do is balance your foods and make sure you are eating properly.

Another fact not generally know is that it is more difficult for women to get pregnant when they are obese, and if pregnancy does occur, the risk of complications throughout your pregnancy and then after the birth are increased.

A steady but very gradual weight gain is recommended during pregnancy; statistics show that weight gain early on in pregnancy is an indicator as to how much weight will remain after the pregnancy. Serious complications for you and your baby are possible if you are obese- why put yourself through that? Loose the weight and gain the security.

Recent research shows that women who gain more than the recommended amount during pregnancy and who fail to lose this weight within six months after giving birth are at much higher risk of being obese nearly 10 years later. This is a scary proposition as lots of women gain far too much weight in pregnancy, and to see that it is more likely to make women obese even ten years later really gives a new perspective about weight gain.

Obesity and pregnancy aren’t always linked but in some extreme cases some woman never go back to their figure that they had pre-pregnancy, instead continuing to put on weight due to the stress and problems that becoming a new mother involve.

After birth many women have a desire to get back into shape and do all that they can to get there, whereas some woman lose interest in looks and figure and don’t do anything about their weight except add to it. Forget vanity, this is not good for you as this leads to obesity and a lot more health problems that if you were within your average weight for your age and height.

Combining pregnancy and obesity causes problems for everyone involoved; your unborn baby, you and your family. Take the steps to ensure if you are planning a pregnancy that you loose some weight first or if you are pregnant try to maintain your weight so you do not add to any complications during childbirth.