Gaining too much weight during pregnancy makes it difficult to lose weight after pregnancy and it can reduce the birth weight of your child. A baby with a low birth weight is known to have a higher risk of infant mortality, brain developmental issues, and learning disabilities. An infant's birth weight is most influenced by gestational age. According to a study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the birth weight of a child is also influenced by the mother's weight prior to pregnancy and the weight gain during pregnancy. Interestingly the results they found from their study may seem counter intuitive to some, yet they provide insight for postpartum weight loss.
The scientific study classified three groups of women according to their postpartum weight as a percentage of their height. The groups of women were classified as having a lower than average pre-pregnancy weight, an average pre-pregnancy weight, and a higher than average weight prior to pregnancy. Interestingly, all three groups experienced a similar reduction in weight immediately following childbirth of 15.0 pounds on average. This weight loss was independent of the infant birth weight and therefore suggests that the total increase in pregnancy weight is indicative of the mother's nutritional diet during her pregnancy.
With regards to nutrient consumption, some consider the fetus to be a sort of biological parasite that leeches off the mother to develop and grow. Some mothers feel the fetus draining them of all energy and nutrients. This would suggest that in women with a low pre-pregnancy weight the fetus will directly benefit from the mother's pregnancy weight gain and the fetus of an obese mother would therefore grow the largest.
Intuitively this makes sense. During the pregnancy many women feel that they need to eat for two people. Everyone wants a strong healthy baby and eating more during the pregnancy is the best way to achieve this, right? Unfortunately, our intuition is misguided and this is simply not the case. To make matters worse, excessive eating throughout your pregnancy makes it difficult to lose weight after pregnancy.
Let us consider that there are two sources of energy and two sources of energy expenditure. Energy comes from the pre-pregnancy fat deposits and the energy acquired from the foods eaten during pregnancy. This energy is consumed by the needs of the mother and the growth and development of the unborn baby. The study found that the lowest birth weights occurred with the most underweight and obese women. In addition, women with a low pre-pregnancy weight gained the most weight while the obese mothers gained the least weight as a percentage of their height. Therefore, in both cases, the increased nutritional energy was being used by the mothers and not the baby.
How is this possible?
Nature divides the nutritional energy from the pregnancy diet between the mother and the child. It seems that nature tends to put the greatest energy expenditure in the area with the least biological risk, the mother. All those extra calories are being used by the mother and not the baby. For underweight women, nature favors increasing the mother's weight over the fetal birth rate. Obese women require higher energy expenditures to maintain their increased weight leading to less energy for the fetus. This causes the fetus to be born with a lower birth rate.
Therefore, not only is excessive eating during your pregnancy unnecessary but it can harm your baby by leading to a reduced birth weight. The best scenario for you and your baby is to be at your optimal weight prior to conception and to eat sensibly to gain the recommended weight throughout the pregnancy. You will increase your chances to have a healthy baby and it will help you to lose the weight after pregnancy.
References: Luke, B., and Petrie, R. Intrauterine growth: correlation of infant weight and maternal postpartum weight. Am. J Clin. Nutr. 33: 2311-2317, 1980.
Victoria De Leon had a difficult time to lose weight after pregnancy after the birth of her first child. She also suffered from postpartum anxiety and had a difficult time focusing on my health and well being. Victoria enjoys writing articles and has developed a resource helping women to lose weight after pregnancy.
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