![]() ![]() ![]() (Of course, keep taking them while you’re pregnant, too!) “In addition to a well-balanced diet, I encourage my patients to begin taking prenatal vitamins and additional folic acid prior to getting pregnant,” says Lipeles. “The most important steps a can take to avoid all the mentioned risks are diet and exercise.”Īnd don’t forget to stick with your prenatal vitamins. “Well-controlled weight gain during pregnancy is key,” says Jamie Lipeles, DO, founder of Marina OB/GYN in Marina Del Rey, California. If losing weight pre-baby wasn’t in the cards and you’re already “on the nest,” healthy food choices and increased activity are still best bets for maintaining a healthy weight - and, therefore, a healthier pregnancy. Ross encourages working with your doctor and/or a dietitian to get into your best pregnancy shape through diet and exercise. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Ross, MD, an OB-GYN and women’s health expert at Providence St. “It’s best to plan at least 6 months ahead of actually getting pregnant so you can be your healthiest self before carrying your most vulnerable passenger,” says Sherry A. Your first - and best - line of defense? Start early. Thankfully, there are steps women of size can take to reduce the chances of landing with weight-related complications. Learning the risks of pregnancy for yourself and baby may feel a bit overwhelming. Related: Pregnancy stretches for your back, hips, and legs Since these health risks aren’t insignificant, it’s important to discuss them with your doctor before getting pregnant, if possible. ![]() Research has established, too, that extra weight makes you more likely to have preeclampsia - a fancy word for high blood pressure in pregnancy that can cause swelling and damage vital organs like the liver and kidneys.įinally, getting pregnant may simply mean you’ll have more aches and pains, like the all-too-common back pain that tends to crop up as pregnancy progresses. The ACOG states that “The higher the woman’s BMI, the greater the risk of stillbirth” and notes that women with obesity have an increased risk of miscarriage. Rates of miscarriage and stillbirth also go up with higher maternal weight. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), having gestational diabetes also ups your risk of a cesarean delivery. The connection between overweight and gestational diabetes is real: Research from 2010 found that nearly half of all gestational diabetes cases could be attributed to overweight and obesity. This preggo-specific condition causes high blood sugar that needs to be controlled through diet or medications (and usually goes away after the bun is released from your proverbial oven). Possibly the most well-known risk in a higher-weight pregnancy is that of developing gestational diabetes. But your health matters, too, and it can be adversely affected by weight-related complications. As you approach a pregnancy in a higher weight category, your focus (understandably) may be on the health of your growing baby. ![]()
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