Obesity During Pregnancy and Neonatal Complications

Obesity During Pregnancy and Neonatal Complications

Introduction

Obesity during pregnancy is identified as the leading cause of maternal, fetal and neonatal complications. Numerous researches have proved that obese women are more susceptible to hormonal, respiratory, circulatory and digestive complications during the period of pregnancy. Also, cases of maternal death and cesarean deliveries are more common among obese women with nearly 80% of all cases associated with anesthesia. There are lots of fetal and maternal complications for which obesity is identified as the root cause. For example, among the most common complications are Macrosomia, hypoglycemia and hyperbilirubinemia, fetal macrossomy, prematurity, and prenatal death, congenital defects, birth and deaths. In addition, ultrasonographic evaluation is limited in obese pregnant women in spite of rapid innovations in technological equipments and this causes more complications in the diagnosis of fetal anomalies. This paper discusses the health risks of obesity for pregnant women with a special emphasis on neonatal complications such as Macrosomia, hypoglycemia and hyperbilirubinemia.

Thesis Statement

Numerous researches have identifies an underlying connection between obesity during the time of pregnancy and several neonatal complications.

Discussion

Obesity is a public health problem today. It is considered a chronic and epidemic, mainly due to a substantial rapid increase in its prevalence in decades in developed as well as developing countries. Obesity is also commonly associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity. For instance, in the United States in particular, there has been a major nutritional transition over the last three decades with a major spike in the popularity of fast foods and unhealthy food items over the period (Nitert et al., 2011, p. 96). Numerous researchers have characterized obesity as a disorder of nutritional status translated by an increase in adipose tissue, reflecting the positive energy balance. Other researchers suggest that obesity presents multiple provenance factors in the genetic, metabolic, environmental, social, and psychological etiology and these may either act together or in isolation. The World Health Organization (WHO) assesses obesity by drawing an associated between Body Mass Index (BMI) and health risks (Santulli et al., p. 1501). Hence, a BMI value that falls somewhere in between 25 and 29.9kg/m would indicate overweight whereas a number equal to or over the range indicate obesity.

Interestingly, the trend of obesity is not simply restricted to a particular region or specific ethnic group. Instead, its prevalence has increased in recent decades in many countries like South Africa, Latin America, North America, and several Pacific nations. According Schneider et al. (2011, p. 231) and Jarvie et al. (2010, p. 123-129), when they coexist, pregnancy and obesity can increase health risks. This way, obesity constitutes a major risk factor for the health of women, not only through the radical increase in weight but also for macrosomia of the newborn. On the other hand, Claesson et al. (2011, p. 48) and Beeckman et al. (2010, p. 90) explain that excessive weight gain is closely associated with increased tendency to retain postpartum weight. It also leads to a greater tendency for future ...