Rollercoaster weight changes can repeat with second pregnancy, especially among normal-weight women
Everyone knows that gaining excess weight during one pregnancy is bad, but clinicians rarely consider weight gains and losses from one pregnancy to the next — especially in normal-weight women.
But researchers from Marquette University and the University of Michigan School of Nursing found that among normal-weight women, fluctuating weight gain and loss in the first pregnancy is often repeated in subsequent pregnancies — and is associated with higher risk of several pregnancy-related complications.
“This study says two things,” said Olga Yakusheva, associate professor at the U-M School of Nursing and School of Public Health. “First, don’t just look at how much a woman weighs at the first prenatal visit; you have to know her recent pattern of weight gain and loss. Second, pregnancy weight counseling and management should be given equally to all women, not just the ones who are very overweight.”
