Health professionals are dealing with "an epidemic of obesity" among pregnant women as weight gain across the wider population continues to rise, experts said.
About half of women of childbearing age are either overweight (with a BMI of 25-29.9) or obese (with a BMI of 30 or above) and approximately 16% of women in England are obese from the start of pregnancy, according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice).
The organisation launched new public health guidance on Tuesday on weight management before, during and after pregnancy, in the face of growing evidence concerning female obesity and the related risks it poses for both the mother and baby.
Professor Lucilla Poston, director of maternal and foetal research at King's College London, said: "These guidelines are incredibly timely, we have an epidemic of obesity amongst our pregnant population.
"At St Thomas's recently we looked at our stats and there has been an exponential increase in obesity amongst our women attending ante-natal clinics, such that now 40% of the women are overweight or obese, and in the UK the best statistics we have suggests between 15% and 20% of pregnant women are coming into pregnancy with a BMI which is less than ideal."
She added that obese women were at increased risk of "almost every complication in the book in pregnancy".
Commenting on Nice's new guidance, Louise Silverton, deputy general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "There is a real need to address the issue of obesity, and this draft guidance shows this is particularly important for pregnant women.
"The growing volume of evidence shows that the health of a mother with obesity is further compromised by the pregnancy, also impacting the health of her unborn baby. Midwives are ideally placed to assist women in developing healthy lifestyles during pregnancy and during the postnatal period."
"As a result of the increase in obesity among pregnant women, midwives are, (on top of the continuing baby boom) dealing with more complex births. These women need to see a midwife as early as possible in their pregnancy. They need more time to spend with a midwife to help and advise them as well as involving the wider healthcare team."
Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the NCT (National Childbirth Trust), said: "Thousands of women attend NCT courses each year and we know from listening to them that weight management and weight loss during and after pregnancy is a concerning issue."
What do you think about this? I know a lot of women do overdo it a bit when pregnant with the whole 'eating for two' idea, but at the same time, don't we have enough to think about without worrying too much about weight when pregnant? I know that my midwife weighed me at the beginning and even though I was overweight said not to worry about it, or really about how much I was gaining. She didn't weigh me at all after that. I did try to keep an eye on how much I was gaining, but by the end I just gave up as I was fighting a losing battle!
