Effect of the behavior of maternal weight on the weight of the newborn

Abstract

Introduction The high prevalence of overweight and obesity in women of a childbearing age makes it necessary to investigate the impact that this factor and an excessive weight gain in pregnancy have on the weight at birth of the newborn. Objective: To evaluate the effect of maternal weight behavior in two groups, pregnant with a macrosomic newborn and a normal weight. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal study of repeated measures, to compare the weight gain at seven moments of the gestation in two groups of pregnant women, forty-eight with macrosomic newborn vs. forty-eight with a normal weight. The study was carried out in a second-level institution in AntioquiaColombia, based on the medical records of the prenatal control of the last five years. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between groups for the weight of the seven moments of the gestational period (p <0.001). Maternal gestational weight contributed to the variance of the newborn's weight, especially in the group of pregnant women with a macrosomic newborn. Conclusion: Maternal weight gain impacts birth weight, which means, the higher the maternal gestational weight, the higher the newborn's weight.