Weight gain during pregnancy in relation to somatic types of women

: The paper presents findings on weekly weight gain in pregnant women as related to constitutional make-ups. Normal and apparently normal pregnant women who were followed up at an antenatal clinic from 7-8 to 40-41 week's gestation have been assigned at the beginning of pregnancy to three weight groups: normal body weight, excessive body weight due to increased fat deposition and deficient body weight. Anthropometric measurements at 7-8, 25-26 and 36-37 weeks showed that weight gain and fat accretion were highest in pregnancies with an initial deficient body weight and lowest in pregnant women with adiposity. Correlation analysis suggested that there was a relationship between the maternal body weight, gestational weight gain and neonatal birthweights. Since women with initial deficient body weights have a wider range of weight gain, as compared with other somatic types, dietary restriction counselling should be cautious and adequate.