Abstract
Background and Objectives: Maternal body mass index before pregnancy and gestational weight gain influence newborn birth weight. This study evaluated gestational weight gain during pregnancy and its impact on newborn birth weight.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Maternity Teaching Hospital in Erbil City, Kurdistan region, Iraq, from January 2023 to January 2024. One thousand women included in the study delivered at maternity hospital their weight (kg) and Body Mass Index (kg/m2). Socioeconomic status was recorded. The pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index was classified based on the World Health Organization Body Mass Index criteria, and the gestational weight gain was based on the Institute of Medicine standard.
Results: The mean weight of Pre-pregnancy for the sample size was 64.35±10.537 kg and Pre-labor was 80.60±12.332 kg, and this mean difference had a significant difference (P≤0.001). Out of 1000 women, 17.2% weight gain was 5-10 kg, 33.1% was 11-15 kg, 26.1% was 16-20 kg, 17.8% 21-25 kg and 5.8% > 26 kg weight gain during pregnancy. The mean±(SD) weight of the newborns at birth was 3.409±0.567 kg, and 122 (12.2%) newborns had macrosomia. There was a significant positive correlation between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI (R=0.1, P<0.04) and maternal gestational weight gain (R=0.2, P<0.01) and birth weight of their newborns.
Conclusion: Pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index and weight gain during pregnancy had a positive and significant relationship with newborn birth weight. Increased gestational Body Mass Index and weight gain during pregnancy were independent factors for increased birth weight.