Maternity Wards Make Way for Obese Mothers
Categories: Just for moms, Pregnancy & birth, Health & safety, Eating & nutrition
According to a recent survey of hospitals in the UK, obesity among pregnant women has become more than a health issue for these moms and their unborn children. It has also become a logistical problem in that some women get so large that they cannot fit through standard maternity ward doorways. Of 33 birthing centers surveyed, 30 confirmed that they have had to widen their doorways.
Clinical director of obstetrics at University College of London, Jo Modder, says she has witnessed hospital staff struggling to fit an obese mother through a delivery-room door,. "It's not by much, only a couple of inches. But it causes problems and it's not very dignified for patients," she said.
Maternity ward doors are not only being widened to allow larger women to fit through them, but also to accommodate the new, larger maternity beds they require.
According to the UK's Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH), a pregnant woman is considered obese if she has a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 35 or weighs more than 100 kg (200 pounds).
Obviously, obesity during pregnancy can lead to problems a lot more serious than tight doorways. Carrying too much weight can cause significant health issues including diabetes and heart problems and can increase the risk of miscarriage. In recognition of that, some hospitals are going beyond door-widening and considering obesity clinics specifically for pregnant women.
Clinical director of obstetrics at University College of London, Jo Modder, says she has witnessed hospital staff struggling to fit an obese mother through a delivery-room door,. "It's not by much, only a couple of inches. But it causes problems and it's not very dignified for patients," she said.
Maternity ward doors are not only being widened to allow larger women to fit through them, but also to accommodate the new, larger maternity beds they require.
According to the UK's Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH), a pregnant woman is considered obese if she has a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 35 or weighs more than 100 kg (200 pounds).
Obviously, obesity during pregnancy can lead to problems a lot more serious than tight doorways. Carrying too much weight can cause significant health issues including diabetes and heart problems and can increase the risk of miscarriage. In recognition of that, some hospitals are going beyond door-widening and considering obesity clinics specifically for pregnant women.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Melissa 1-12-2009 @ 6:47PM
"Maternity wards make way for obese mothers"
The title of this article was a kind of offensive. Couldn't you have worded it a little better?
Reply
Blossie 1-12-2009 @ 8:11PM
I think I bigger problem is if the woman continue with their morbid obesity who is going to be around to take care of their children.
Where I work it is no uncommon to see woman 350 to 400 pounds giving birth. This obesity epidemic is a major problem.
ame s 1-12-2009 @ 11:28PM
Obese women give birth, just like the rest of us. Obese men are hospitalized, but they weren't mentioned, were they? Perhaps they have their own doorways.
I weighed130 when I got pregnant with each of my children. I weighed in at 173 and 196 when I delivered. Pregnant women gain weight. Shame on us. Or something.
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ninainindia 1-13-2009 @ 3:24AM
130lbs is not obese though is it? Also depends on length of course.
If I read Blossie posts about regularly seeing 350 to 400 pounds people, I am shocked I didn't even know people like that existed outside of Jerry Springer shows. It can't be healthy, for mother or child.
Sabrina 1-13-2009 @ 2:04PM
I started my pergnancies at 171lbs and 185lbs respectively, and ended them at 216lbs and 207lbs respectively. I had NO trouble fitting through a doorway at all. Having a BMI of over 35 *is* an indicator of obesity, but being over 200lbs isn't. That doesn't even begin to take into account height, which is a large factor! If I was 5 foot tall instead of 5'9" tall 200+lbs would be much worse. The CEMACH needs to re-think that stance on pregnant women over 200lbs. If I had been treated as obese during my pregnancies (I was overweight, and treated that way, which was tough enough), I probably would have spent the entire time depressed from people constantly telling me I was fat!
And before anyone says it, no I am no longer over 200lbs. I'm not even over 150lbs any more, so no...I'm not taking it as a personal jab at obese women in general.
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RS 1-13-2009 @ 4:45PM
I am obese, and I am pregnant. I've never had a problem fitting through any doorway or onto any bed. This story makes me wonder just how narrow the doorways in British hospitals are, anyway?
I'm not proud of my weight or my body, but I do find it infuriating that the same doctors that never said a word about my weight before I got pregnant are all over me now for being heavy. I happen to have lost weight this pregnancy (with three weeks to go, I'm down 5 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight), and one of the doctors at my practice congratulates me every time he sees me for not having gained weight. Another told me I'm not supposed to gain any weight, which is flat-out wrong according to every single bit of research I've ever done (and trust me, I did a lot). I'm also subjected to repeated and dire warnings that my baby will probably be too big for me to give birth without a c-section, even though my first child weighed less than 6.5 pounds at birth (and she was full term).
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mamaloo 1-14-2009 @ 11:22AM
I think journalists are failing to make the difference between people who maintain healthy lifestyles and those who maintain unhealthy lifestyles.
Being obese is not in and of itself a health risk for pregnancy. Poor eating and exercise choices are.
As a women who was 236 lbs (247 lbs at delivery), 5'10" eating a variety of whole foods and getting out walking, doing yoga and playing regularly, I never had the slightest inkling of GD or HBP and any related conditions.
And I could get through any door.
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AH 1-30-2009 @ 5:50PM
I am currently 5 months pregnant and have a perfectly healthy pregnancy even weighing in at 250 lbs when I conceived (and you better believe my hubby loves every inch of my body!!). Yup- 250. Now mind you when I was nearly anorexic, I was a whopping 163 lbs, and that was skin and bones on my frame. My whole family is big, but we have no history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or any other "fat" person disease. My OBGYN has no quams about my weight, and as long as I continue to eat a range of healthy foods, and take my prenatal vit, I should be fine.
I actually lost 15 lbs in the 1st trimester, and gained back about 5 back so far, so all is going well.
Screw these people that label people "obese" without considering anything in our lives aside from our weight to height ratio. It's a faulty system. I can run, climb stairs, coach my kids soccer games, I dance, sew, play the Wii, hike, swim, bike, and even walk through doorways, you name it- I could do it.
IMHO: Journalists are idiots.
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