Summary
Optimal birth weight and outcome are influenced by maternal weight gain. Low gestational weight gain is associated with poor fetal growth and risk of preterm delivery. Excessive weight gain affects infant growth, body fatness in childhood, and the potential for postpartum weight retention and future obesity. Guidelines from the Institute of Medicine recommend that a woman with a normal body mass index (BMI) of 19.8 to 26 should gain 11.5–16kg (25 to 351b). Women with a lower-than-normal BMI should gain slightly more, and those with a BMI greater than 26 should gain 5.9–11.5 kg (13 to 251b). Ideally, weight gain recommendations should be individualized to promote the best outcomes while reducing risk for excessive postpartum weight retention and reducing the risk of later chronic disease for the child and adult.
Keywords
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Falciglia, G.A., Coppage, K.H. (2008). Optimal Weight Gain. In: Lammi-Keefe, C.J., Couch, S.C., Philipson, E.H. (eds) Handbook of Nutrition and Pregnancy. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-112-3_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-112-3_2
Publisher Name: Humana Press
Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-834-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-112-3
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)