Excess weight during pregnancy is associated with several pregnancy and childbirth complications, including:
For the Mother:
- High blood pressure
- Preeclampsia
- Preterm birth
- Gestational diabetes
- Birth injury like a tear in the birth canal causing incontinence later in life
- Cesarean birth
For the baby:
- Birth defects, especially neural tube defects (NTDs)
- Large baby which increases the child’s risk of obesity and diabetes later in life
- Birth injury to the baby like a strain on or fracture to the arm