Elsevier

Women's Health Issues

Volume 26, Issue 1, January–February 2016, Pages 123-129
Women's Health Issues

Original article
The Role of Parity in Gestational Weight Gain and Postpartum Weight Retention

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2015.09.012Get rights and content

Abstract

Objectives

Parity, excessive gestational weight gain (GWG), and postpartum weight retention (PPWR) have been identified as risk factors for maternal obesity. The aim of this study was to explore whether GWG and PPWR at 6 and 12 months after birth differed for primiparous and multiparous Australian women.

Methods

One hundred thirty-eight Australian women provided weight measures in early to mid pregnancy (M = 16.7 weeks, SD = 2.3), late pregnancy (M = 37.7 weeks, SD = 2.4), 6 months postpartum (M = 6.1 months, SD = 1.4), and 12 months postpartum (M = 12.6 months, SD = 0.7). Height, parity, and demographic information were also collected. Prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), total GWG, incidence of excessive GWG, as well as change in BMI and BMI category from prepregnancy to 6 and 12 months postpartum were computed. Differences between primiparous and multiparous women were compared using analysis of covariance (controlling for age, prepregnancy BMI, and GWG) and χ2 test of independence.

Results

Seventy women (50.7%) were primiparous and 68 women (49.3%) were multiparous. Primiparous women were more likely to retain weight at 12 months postpartum than multiparous women (p = .021; Cohen's d = .24). This difference was not reflected when analyzing change in BMI categories from prepregnancy to the postpartum.

Conclusions

Evidence for the role of parity in PPWR is inconclusive. Future research should consider the temporal development of PPWR in primiparous and multiparous women, leading to tailored care in the postpartum period to help women return to a healthy prepregnancy weight.

Section snippets

Participants and Procedure

Pregnant women who were less than 18 weeks pregnant, over the age of 18 years, and carrying a singleton fetus were recruited via advertising on online pregnancy forums, parenting magazines, or through the maternity clinics at large tertiary hospitals in the Western and Eastern regions of Melbourne, Australia. Women who were interested in participating in this prospective longitudinal study were provided with a Plain Language Statement and gave written informed consent. Participants completed

Participant Characteristics

One hundred thirty-eight women were tracked during pregnancy and the first year after birth. Participant characteristics are presented in Table 1. Mean prepregnancy BMI, GWG, and 6 and 12 month postpartum BMI for both primiparous and multiparous women are presented in Table 2. Seventy women (50.7%) were primiparous and 68 women (49.3%) were multiparous. Overall, women tended to be married or in a de facto relationship (i.e., a couple living together in a relationship who are not married), born

Discussion

The aim of this study was to explore, using a prospective design, whether GWG or PPWR differed between primiparous and multiparous women in an Australian sample. We found no difference between total GWG or classification of GWG according to IOM recommendations between primiparous and multiparous women after controlling for age and prepregnancy BMI. In contrast, we found that primiparous women were more likely to retain weight at 12 months postpartum (but not at 6 months postpartum) when

Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to the participants who took part in this study. BH had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Briony Hill, PhD, is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Psychology, Deakin University, Australia. Her research centers on maternal obesity prevention, with a focus on psychosocial well-being and health behaviour change during the periconception period.

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    Briony Hill, PhD, is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Psychology, Deakin University, Australia. Her research centers on maternal obesity prevention, with a focus on psychosocial well-being and health behaviour change during the periconception period.

    Skye McPhie, DPsych(Health), is a Lecturer in the School of Psychology, Deakin University, Australia. Her research interests are in obesity prevention, the relationship between mothers and children, and health and well-being during pregnancy.

    Helen Skouteris, PhD, is a Professor in Developmental Psychology, Deakin University, Australia. Her research interests are focused on maternal and child health and well-being, in particular maternal obesity and psychopathology during pregnancy and after birth.

    Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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