Most pregnant women do not have the knowledge on how weight that is gained during pregnancy is actually healthy. This is according to a study conducted in New Zealand which was published in the New Zealand Medical Journal. It involved more than 600 pregnant women who were asked what they thought their BMI and corresponding healthy weight gain during the course of their pregnancy were.
According to a News Hub report, the pregnant women were asked during their 12th week of pregnancy scan if they believed that they were underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. Scoop reported that two-thirds of the pregnant women surveyed were able to correctly determine to which BMI category they fell under. Only 31 percent or one-third of the pregnant women surveyed could correctly identify the heathy weight gain for their BMI category.
"This misperception may lead to an under-or-over estimation of healthy weight gain during pregnancy, which may in turn lead to increased risk of poor health outcomes," said co-author Dr. Helen Paterson, as quoted in the report. Patterson added that pregnant women who gain more weight than necessary are at risk for high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and children who are overweight and obese.
A report from Stuff said that most of the pregnant women who failed to identify the healthy weight gain proper for their BMI were overweight or obese pregnant women. These pregnant women thought that their BMI was close to normal.
Paterson was quoted in the report as saying that pregnant women should be informed about healthy weight gain during their pregnancy. Paterson also believed that pregnant women should also be urged to monitor their weight together with a medical professional.
Professor Leslie McCowan, head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the Auckland University School of Medicine, agreed with Paterson. "We know that gaining excess weight during pregnancy is a risk factor for mothers and also for their babies," McCowan said, as per the report.
