QuickStats: Gestational Weight Gain* Among Women with Full-Term, Singleton Births, Compared with Recommendations — 48 States and the District of Columbia, 2015

Weekly / October 14, 2016 / 65(40);1121

The figure above is a bar chart showing gestational weight gain was within the recommended range for 32% of women giving birth to full-term, singleton infants in 2015, with 48% gaining more weight and 21% less weight than recommended. Approximately 44% of women who were underweight before pregnancy gained within the recommendations, compared with 39% of women who were normal weight, 26% of women who were overweight, and 24% of women with obesity before pregnancy. Weight gain above the recommendations was highest among women who were overweight (61%) or had obesity (55%) before pregnancy.

* Institute of Medicine recommendations are based on prepregnancy body mass index (BMI): 28–40 pounds for underweight women (BMI <18.5), 25–35 pounds for normal weight women (BMI = 18.5–24.9), 15–25 pounds for overweight women (BMI = 25.0–29.9), and 11–20 pounds for women with obesity (BMI ≥30.0).

Top

Gestational weight gain was within the recommended range for 32% of women giving birth to full-term, singleton infants in 2015, with 48% gaining more weight and 21% less weight than recommended. Approximately 44% of women who were underweight before pregnancy gained within the recommendations, compared with 39% of women who were normal weight, 26% of women who were overweight, and 24% of women with obesity before pregnancy. Weight gain above the recommendations was highest among women who were overweight (61%) or had obesity (55%) before pregnancy.

Source: National Vital Statistics System birth data. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/births.htm.

Top

Reported by: Amy M. Branum, PhD, ambranum@cdc.gov, 301-458-4731; Andrea J. Sharma, PhD; Nicholas P. Deputy, MPH.

Top

Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Gestational Weight Gain Among Women with Full-Term, Singleton Births, Compared with Recommendations — 48 States and the District of Columbia, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:1121. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6540a10 .