Nursery World - Obesity campaigners call for pregnant women to be weighed

Pregnant women should be weighed each trimester to help tackle childhood obesity, say medical experts.

Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum told Nursery World, 'Pregnant women, particularly those who are overweight or obese, should be weighed and their BMI (body mass index) checked regularly. There should be clear guidelines for weight put on in each trimester, to protect both the mother and their unborn child.'

He said that if a pregnant woman is weighed regularly, her baby could be monitored and problems with childhood obesity could be identified and tackled earlier.

Mr Fry said that in American health programmes, obese pregnant women are weighed at each antenatal visit. Guidelines recommend that healthy women gain 25 to 35lbs while pregnant and obese women gain 11 to 20lbs in order to minimise risks and deliver a healthy baby.

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