Obese women have an emergency caesarean section much more often, and the babies are in poorer health.
The authors of the study analyzed the question of how the weight of expectant mothers affects pregnancy, childbirth and babies on the basis of data from 15,404 deliveries between 2009 and 2019. The expectant mothers were on average 30 years old.
The result: as the weight of the mother-to-be increased, so did the birth weight of the baby: from an average of 3.247 kilograms for underweight women to 3.430 kilograms for women of normal weight. Overweight increased birth weight and obesity. The frequency of oversized newborns (heavier than four kilograms) increased by up to 88 percent. The condition of the babies also deteriorated significantly.
The conclusion of the experts: “The problem must be brought under control. Now it is up to politicians to take effective measures to combat overweight and obesity.” They propose, for example, stricter advertising guidelines, price rules such as a “sugar tax” and more awareness-raising in schools.
