Gestational weight gain

[1] The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations for gestational weight gain are based on body mass index (BMI) of women prior to pregnancy.

[4] Only a little over a quarter of women have adequate GWG, meaning that their weight gain during pregnancy falls within the IOM recommended range.

[4][5][6][7] Having a higher BMI pre-pregnancy may leave one at a greater risk for excessive gestational weight gain and ultimately for cardio-metabolic diseases prenatally and postpartum.

[7] Some women of low socioeconomic status claim that they feel pressure to eat more during pregnancy out of the fear that they are not providing their babies with enough food.

[13] Regardless of a relation to food security, having a low income might also predispose women to excess gestational weight gain, yet the reasoning is unclear.

[4][10] This suggests that a greater household income does not necessarily provide protection against excess gestational weight gain.

[9] The information regarding how race/ethnicity affects experience of excess gestational weight gain can be related to poverty levels, and the data available is limited and variable.