Patterns of Weight Gain and Birth Weight Amongst Indian Women

Background: the timing of maternal weight change in pregnancymay be an important determinant of birth weight. theobjective of this study was to measure weight gain patternsfrom early pregnancy until delivery, and to examine the relationshipbetween prenatal weight gain and low birth weight.methods: a total of 500 pregnant women within 15-20 daysof conception, with confirmed pregnancies and belonging tothe middle and high socioeconomic families from mysorecity, india participated in the study. they were followed up forthe period of one-week after delivery, and their weight wasmonitored monthly throughout pregnancy.results: pre-pregnancy body mass index (8mi) and obesity in16.2% of pregnant women were less than 18.5% and 11.4%respectively. mean total pregnancy weight gain for all womenwas 8. 1(plus-minus)2.9 kg, whereas 85.2% did not meet the internationalrecommendations regarding weight gain for their 8m!. therate of weight gain was highest during the second trimester(3.6(plus-minus) 1.4 kg) and the total weight gain was associated withprogressively decreasing birth weight. a significant associationwas found between mid-upper arm circumference andmaternal weight at term, and birth weight.conclusion: according to institute of medical guidelines,low weight gains of the mother during pregnancy and mid upperann circumference below 19 ern are associated with increasingrisk of low birth weight