Doctors to give more info help to overweight mums-to-be and new mums, to lose weight between pregnancies
Obese mums-to-be are more likely to suffer pregnancy complications
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued guidelines to health professionals to help advise the growing number of mums-to-be and new mums who are overweight or obese.
Overweight and obese mums-to-be are at a higher risk of a number of pregnancy complications including low birth weight, premature birth, stillbirth and gestational diabetes. The NICE guidelines aim to help health professionals give weight management advice to women who are planning a pregnancy or have given birth within the last two years.
Oft-repeated advice that mums-to-be shouldn’t “eat for two” has been stressed again and NICE also insisted women should not try to lose weight during pregnancy or go on crash diets after giving birth.
Easier said than done when celebrities drop their pregnancy pounds with apparent ease whilst claiming not to have tried! Stunning shots of Colleen Rooney recently appeared accompanying her claims that her baby weight “just fell off.”
“I put weight on and thought, ‘Oh no, am I ever going to go back to the way I was?’ Colleen said, “But when you have the baby that all goes out the window because your focus is on looking after them,” she added, echoing advice from experts.
“Losing weight gradually can actually help women maintain a healthy weight in the long-term,” said Professor Mike Kelly, from NICE.
Women who are trying to conceive should be encouraged to get to a healthy weight up to six months before pregnancy, and new mums should be helped lose baby weight from their first child before they go on to have a second, the guidelines say.
If you’re pregnant, keep active with some of our safe pregnancy exercise ideas and maintain a balanced diet. If you have any worries about the safety of activities, check with your midwife and remember not to over-do it!
