Pregnancy Pounds – Your Weight Affects Children Years Later

When a pregnant woman steps on the scale, the number she sees could affect her child’s cardiovascular health years down the road. Women who weighed more before they became pregnant also tended to have kids with more body fat.

Researchers investigated whether women’s pregnancy weight is linked to heart-related concerns in their children. They followed thousands of women and their children, who returned at the age of 9 for a checkup.

Women who gained an excessive amount of weight during pregnancy were more likely to have kids with a higher body mass index, bigger waist circumference, higher blood pressure, higher levels of inflammatory chemicals, and lower “good” HDL cholesterol. Also, women who weighed more before they became pregnant tended to have kids with more body fat and heart-related risk factors.

How much weight should women should gain during pregnancy? Women who start out underweight should gain 28 to 40 pounds, including about a pound each week during the second and third trimester. Women with a normal weight should aim for 25 to 35 pounds total, including a pound weekly in the later trimesters. Women who are overweight should gain 15 to 25 pounds total, including about a half-pound weekly during later trimesters.