Nova Scotia Women’s Gestational Weight Gain Goals

The current guidelines for optimal gestational weight gain are based on pre-pregnancy BMI categories and were published in 2009 by the Institute of Medicine. Although a significant association exists between guideline-discordant gestational weight gain and adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes, less than one-third of pregnant women gain weight within the recommended amounts. This study aimed to explore: a) the relationship between women’s gestational weight gain goals and the recommended gestational weight gain for their pre-pregnancy BMI category; b) the relationship between women’s gestational weight gain goals and their actual gestational weight gain, provided they delivered ≥ 37 weeks’ gestation; c) the relationship between women’s actual and recommended gestational weight gain, provided they delivered ≥ 37 weeks’ gestation; d) women’s beliefs pertaining to gestational weight gain using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. This was a prospective cohort study of pregnant women receiving prenatal care at the Dalhousie Family Medicine clinics in Halifax, Canada. Women with a singleton pregnancy receiving prenatal care at the Dalhousie University Family Medicine clinics were recruited to participate in the study between September 1, 2016 and March 1, 2017. Participants completed a two-page questionnaire and their actual gestational weight gain was extracted from their prenatal records in the electronic medical record.