A British health institute has declared that, “Overweight mothers who become pregnant again before returning to their original weight put themselves and their babies at risk of a raft of serious complications.”  And a new set of guidelines from the World Health Organisation warns “that mothers risk becoming obese through cumulative weight gain over a series of pregnancies unless they slim down after each birth.”

In other words, you better follow suit with celebs and get on the treadmill before you leave the hospital.

Well, not exactly, but that’s how the Telegraph makes it sound.  There are a lot of mixed messages in their reporting, sure to confuse fat women (who are clearly distracted by chocolate cake at all times).  They say that ”overweight women (a)re vulnerable to almost every complication in the book during pregnancy,” such as gestational diabetes.  Our babies are likely to grow too large in the womb – or too small.  I was slightly overweight when I got pregnant, and (thankfully) I didn’t have a single complication.

These guidelines were written, no doubt, in response to a study of British families showing that obese mothers “are far more likely to have obese children.”  But research has proven that a comprehensive multiple vitamin taken during pregnancy can curb obesity risk.  Not that a pill should be seen as a cure-all or an excuse to be fat, but I think it’s unlikely that all obese women will be able to establish a “normal” weight before having children. 

Experts say that “women who are classed as overweight or obese after pregnancy should be offered a structured weight-loss programme or referred to a dietitian after giving birth,” but that ”women should not be pressured into losing weight before they feel ready and are coping with the demands of motherhood comfortably.”  They recommend that women ignore their hunger pains during pregnancy until the third trimester, when they should add only a “small cereal bar or two bananas” to their diet.

Interesting… I don’t remember being overly hungry in the third trimester.  In fact, I remember feeling pretty full, given that there was a full-sized baby in my uterus pressing on my other organs.  But I recall being voracious in my first trimester, and craving all sorts of delicious, healthy foods in my second, cooking for myself for like the first time, ever.  I remember instinctively being drawn to only high-quality foods my entire pregnancy, and everything went just fine.  It seems foolish to me to tell women they should ignore their bodies in favor of trying to be thin – especially if they never have been.  And while I wish I’d lost more weight soon after my daughter was born, I understand why women feel overwhelmed at the prospect of returning to their pre-pregnancy size before giving birth a second time.  It seems insane to work so hard to achieve that kind of weight loss, only to put it all right back on again.

I don’t doubt that losing some weight after pregnancy is good for you, and will likely make it easier to lose weight after subsequent pregnancies – I mean, one look at Heidi Klum will tell you she must be doing something right.  But it seems a bit thinist to suggest that a few extra pounds will put pregnant mothers at severe risk.  These guidelines certainly are as pertinent in the land of burgers and fries as they are in the land of fish and chips, but break it to me nicely, Britain.  Otherwise I’ll have to take refuge in a slice of chocolate cake.

Photo: spaceodissey via Flickr

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