No abstract

Background: Women with a raised body mass index (BMI) have an increased risk of pregnancyrelated complications and adverse outcomes compared to women with a healthy BMI. (CMACE 2010). Body mass index is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres. For most adults, an ideal BMI is in the 18.5 to 24.9 range; between 25 and 29.9 a person is in the overweight range and between 30 and 39.9 a person is in the "obese" range. For the purposes of this study, a raised BMI is 30 and above. There is evidence that midwives find the discussion of weight and diet and exercise difficult (Stotland et al. 2010). The findings of an Australian study (Schmied et al. 2011) supported this with participants (midwives and obstetricians) reporting difficulties in communication with pregnant obese women. Participants of this study also believed that there was a high level of intolerance of obese pregnant women among health professionals. There is concern that health professionals lack the skills and knowledge in how to communicate with obese women about their weight (Heslehurst et al. 2007; Schmied et al. 2011) and also how to get the balance right when discussing the risks of obesity with regard to the psychological impact on the women.

No abstract

No abstract