How overweight do you have to be before it starts affecting pregnancy, labour and birth?
A Your body mass index (or BMI) is worked out from your weight and your height. When you first see the midwife at the start of your pregnancy, your BMI will be written into your handheld notes. A normal BMI is 19-25, a BMI of 25-30 is reckoned to be overweight and someone with a BMI of 30-35 is defined as being obese, while a BMI of over 35 is defined as morbidly obese (which means the obesity is serious and likely to cause illness). There’s an increase in risk to the mum and potentially to her baby if she has a BMI of over 30, and the higher the BMI, the higher the risk. Q I have always been overweight. Will this mean my antenatal care is different? A Yes, you may well be offered slightly different care but the exact differences will depend on your BMI, any other medical conditions you have and what happened during any previous pregnancies. Most hospitals have guidelines on this, and you can ask your midwife or doctor what they are. In our hospital, for example, all women with a BMI o
