USF nursing researchers try to curb pregnancy weight gain

Posted Sep 2, 2010 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Sep 2, 2010 at 01:12 PM

“I’m eating for two.”

How many times have you heard that from a pregnant woman trying to explain why she ordered extra bacon with her tall stack of pancakes?

Not good, researchers now say. Yes, underweight babies used to be a major problem. But today, more and more babies are being born to overweight mothers.

From Day One, those children are at risk of becoming obese and developing Type 2 diabetes.

Also, the mother who gains a lot of weight during pregnancy increases her risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

But how to change decades of conventional wisdom?

University of South Florida nursing researchers plan to try with a pilot project starting later this fall.

Cecilia Jevitt, a USF associate professor for midwifery and nursing, and Ph.D. student Jessica Brumley will bring women together for group prenatal care meetings that focus on diet and weight management.

Some women do need to add pounds during pregnancy if their weight is normal and they plan to breast feed, Jevitt said. But not if they’re already heavy.

How do you know if you’re weight is normal? Jevitt uses the BMI, body mass index, which accounts for both weight and height.

Women with normal BMIs should gain 25 to 35 pounds.

If they’re obese? Only 15 pounds.

So what does it really mean to eat for two?

It means adding about 300 calories a day for most of the pregnancy, Jevitt said.

That’s one peanut butter sandwich.