A Study of Weight and Girth Variations during Pregnancy and Postpartum in Underweight, Normal and overweight Women

Many women gain large amount of weight during pregnancy and they do not loose it afterwards. Women with various BMI shows different response to weight changes during pregnancy and postpartum. But such study has not been fully explored. This study examines the various girths and weight changes during pregnancy and postpartum. 63 women were investigated at about 8th week, 22nd week, 35th week and 8th week postpartum. Maternal fat weight and waist: hip ratio was calculated by using girth measured at first visit and postpartum. Paired t-test and ANOVA test were used to do the statistical analysis. Weight gain during pregnancy was 10.32Kg. (SD 2.3, p<0.001). A significant increase in weight 2.051kg (SD1.7, p<0.001) was seen from 8th week of pregnancy and 8th week postpartum. Maximum girth increase was found in abdominal and hip region. Based on BMI in early pregnancy, subjects were divided into underweight, normal weight and overweight. Overweight group shows maximum weight retention and fat gain during this period. In conclusion, overweight women are more prone to develop obesity in postpartum period.