Gestational weight change patterns in pregnant people with obesity class I, II, and III receiving care from community-based health care centers

Purpose

To identify pregnancy weight patterns among people with obesity class I, II, and III, and how they lead to total gestational weight change (GWC) relative to Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations.

Methods

We examined clinically measured pregnancy weights from 7196 individuals with pre-pregnancy obesity receiving care from a national network of community-based health care organizations (2004–2020). We conducted obesity class-stratified, group-based trajectory modeling, then characterized identified GWC patterns with respect to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

Results

GWC trajectories included two patterns exhibiting early weight loss that was later regained (n = 4113), two with consistent weight gain (n = 3026), and, among individuals with class III obesity, a fifth pattern (n = 57) exhibiting weight loss that was not regained by delivery. Trajectories that met the total GWC IOM recommendations exhibited 1st trimester weight loss followed by at/above-IOM recommended 2nd and 3rd trimester GWC. Trajectories with 1st trimester weight gain exceeded the total GWC recommendation. Public health insurance, tobacco use, and Black race were generally more common in trajectories with the highest rates of weight loss or gain.

Conclusions

Obesity class-specific GWC recommendations should address safe levels of 1st trimester weight loss and dissonance between recommended total GWC and 2nd and 3rd trimester gain rates.