More Mums-to-be Too Overweight In Torbay

More and more women in Torbay are too overweight to go through pregnancy without any problems.

A third of people are classed as overweight and a quarter obese, and in pregnancy, every possible risk of things like miscarriage, diabetes, baby-abnormalities and difficulties in labour are heightened the heavier the mum.

Additionally, maternal obesity is now a major and growing risk factor for maternal death.

Although maternal deaths are very rare, out of the 300 in the UK last year, more than half of the women who died were either overweight or obese and more than 15% were extremely obese.

Click here to listen to Gurpreet Pandher who's a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Torbay Hospital talk about the risks of being overweight and pregnant.

Overweight mums-to-be also need a lot more care in pregnancy, partly because the risks of having a baby (to both baby and mum) are bigger, but also things like scans, tests and investigations often need to be repeated or more need to be done compared to a pregnant woman with a healthy weight.

Ultrasound for example if more effective the closer it is to what you want to see. So, the more fat layers there are, the less clear the picture is of the baby so any problems can be masked or hidden, and regular observations can become less accurate.

Click here to hear to have this explained by Gurpreet Pandher.

And listen to Gurpreet here tell Heart about the amount of extra pressure the issue is putting on Torbay's maternity services.

Related Links:

NHS Guide to Pregnancy

NHS - The pregnancy care planner

NHS Devon

Torbay Care Trust

South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries

The Miscarriage Association