First Time Obese Mothers Face Higher Pregnancy Complications
Source: Telegraph Uk by Kate Devlin Date: 02/09/09
Researchers found that they were at high risk of premature birth, having an underweight baby or suffering pre-eclampsia, a condition which can be fatal.
Obesity
has previously been linked to a number of problems during pregnancy but
researchers wanted to know if these were more serious during a first
pregnancy.
The study, the findings of which were published in
the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, followed 385 obese
women having their first child in Britain and the Netherlands.
The
research found that almost four in 10 of the women, 39 per cent, had to
have a Caesarean section, a rate they claim is the highest ever
reported in the world.
Previous studies in obese women found that just one in five had to have the operation instead of a natural labour.
Obese
first-time mothers were also almost twice as likely to have a
underweight baby than women who were not obese, and a third more likely
to have an overweight baby, the study found.
They were six times
more likely than first-time mothers of healthy weight to develop
pre-eclampsia and twice as likely as other overweight women.
The risk of premature birth was also twice the national average.
Pre-eclampsia
is a potentially deadly syndrome in which blood pressure becomes raised
because of significant amounts of protein in the urine.
Because
of the complications the women spent longer on average in hospital
compared to other new mothers, an average of 4.6 days compared to a
national average of just three days.
The study was carried out
by Tommy's, the baby charity, the Wellcome Trust, and the National
Institute for Health Research (NIHR) comprehensive Biomedical Research
Centre at Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in partnership
with King's College London.
Lucilla Poston, who led the
research, said: "There are a number of findings which are very
surprising. The large proportion of small babies was particularly
unexpected as obesity is more often associated with the birth of
overweight babies.
"The high number of cases of pre-eclampsia
found in this group was very concerning, as this is a serious pregnancy
complication which, in extreme cases, can result in maternal and or
fetal death.
"We must now start to consider first-time pregnancy
as an additional problem in obese pregnant women, who we know are
already more likely than thinner women to have a complicated pregnancy."
Premature
births and small babies are at risk of suffering brain damage,
breathing difficulties, learning problems and infection.
Mervi
Jokinen, from the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Obesity is an issue
that is becoming increasingly prominent in maternity care and midwives
are aware of the complexities and potential problems that obesity
brings into pregnancy.
"We need to ensure that women get early
access to a midwife so that she can get lifestyle and weight management
advice as soon as possible, and that this continues throughout the
pregnancy and after the birth of the baby."
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