As reported by Science Daily, a new study from the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica has found a connection between the weight of a pregnant woman and the weight of her newborn.
The study found that a newborn's birth weight increased in proportion to its mother's body mass index. Also, newborn birth weight rose correspondingly when the mother gained weight over the course of the pregnancy.
The Department of Pediatrics at Soerlandet Hospital and the University of Oslo, Norway, analyzed information gleaned from the Mother and Child Study initiated by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The study followed 58,383 pregnant women between 2000 and 2007.
The analysis found that an increase in one kilogram, or about 2.2 pounds, of pre-pregnancy BMI caused a corresponding increase of 22.4 grams, or .04 pounds, in birth weight. A ten kilogram, or 22 pound, weight gain during pregnancy led to an increased birth weight of 224 grams, or about half a pound.
Doctors commonly believe that a high birth weight is an indicator of obesity in adulthood.
