Maternal body mass index and its implication on birth weight: A retrospective study

Background: Maternal obesity has been found to be associated with increased risk of macrosomia and other birth defects in new born. The aim of the study was to determine the role of body mass index on birth weight. Methods: Antenatal and labour records of 200 women were randomly selected and reviewed. Data including maternal height and weight, last menstrual period, gestational age at booking, parity, highest and lowest maternal blood pressure, sex and weight of their babies were collected. Maternal body mass index (BMI) and other variables collected were compared with the corresponding birth weight of the offspring. Data was analysed by cross tabulation and percentages. Result: The result showed that irrespective of BMI, 90% of the women had normal birth weight babies (2.5-3.5 kg). Conclusion: It was concluded from this study that maternal BMI alone is not an effective marker for the evaluation of birth weight of offspring.