It has been observed that in the past few years the prevalence of overweight and obesity in women of childbearing age has drastically increased. Most of the complications like birth defect, infant and childhood obesity etc are associated with the obesity of women at child bearing age, reveals a new article published in the journal Nursing for Women's Health. Merrie Rebecca Walters, RN, and Julie Smith Taylor, PhD, RNC, WHNP-BC, reviewed the potential consequences of maternal obesity. Results show that obese women are more likely to have an infant with a neural tube defect, heart defects, or multiple anomalies than women with a normal BMI. Obesity in pregnancy not only increases risk of infants but also the mothers have a greater chance of getting gestational diabetes, hypertension, and also preeclampsia, induction of labour, caesarean delivery, and postpartum haemorrhage.

     Childhood obesity of infants is related to their mother’s obesity in childbearing age, and sadly the risk may extend into their adolescence, with the risk of obesity during adulthood being greater among obese children. But the researchers also found a solution to break this vicious cycle of obesity. Research has shown that mothers who breastfeed have a significantly higher weight loss than mothers who formula feed from 1 to 12 months postpartum. Also, breastfeeding may be beneficial in reducing excessive weight gain in infants, therefore reducing the risk of future childhood obesity and type2 diabetes.