There's another reason why moms should be wary of extreme weathers or unusually hot or cold temperatures especially if they are pregnant. A new study revealed that climate change can affect baby weight and extreme conditions can increase the risk for low birth weight.
Researchers looked into 220,000 babies born from 2002 to 2008 and studied the weather data in the regions of 19 hospitals from the east and west of the United States. They calculated temperatures against the pregnancy terms while considering weather differences among the different locations.
Researchers learned that pregnant mothers exposed to extremely hot or cold weather, especially in the third pregnancy trimester, were 18 to 31 percent likely to give birth to babies with low birth weight. Pregnant moms exposed to extreme weathers for the entire duration fo the pregnancy, on the other hand, were at risk of having babies with low birth weight at 2.5 percent, Live Science reported.
It's unclear, however, why extreme weather affected the baby's weight. Based on previous studies done by the same group of researchers, unusually hot or cold weather apparently triggered oxidative stress and caused inflammation in the body. Extreme weather also affected blood flow in pregnant moms, thus the baby in the womb received fewer nutrients and oxygen which stunted their development, according to Healio.
"Until we can learn more, it makes sense to reduce the amount of time that pregnant women are exposed to extreme hot or cold weather," senior study author Dr. Pauline Mendola said, according to the National Institutes of Health. The findings of the study are expected to be published in the journal Environmental Research in April.
Babies with low birth weight might become susceptible to infection, delay in development and other health problems like heart or kidney diseases. Pregnant moms are encouraged to consider avoiding prolonged exposure to extreme weather conditions.
