Obesity epidemic puts more pressure on already struggling maternity units, midwives say

Being overweight can lead to complications for mother and child, such as blood clots and birth defects

Maternity wards, like the whole of the NHS, are battling a shortage of nurses and midwives (Rex)

Maternity units are struggling to accommodate a growing number of obese mothers, according to the Royal College of Midwives’ new chief executive.

Almost half of pregnant women in the UK are now obese or overweight, a figure RCM CEO Gill Walton said she was “very concerned” by.

Back in 1990, only a third of pregnant women were overweight or obese, and this change makes maternity care more demanding.

NHS Choices says women whose Body Mass Index (BMI) shows they are obese have a higher risk of miscarriage, blood clots, and birth defects in their child.

Ms Walton said another major issue is the increased likelihood of type 2 diabetes in overweight and obese women. This means they need more care and scans and have a greater risk of needing a caesarean section.

Studies have also shown that poorly controlled blood sugar in pregnant mothers, also more likely with diabetes, increases the baby’s chances of being born with a congenital heart defect.

A study in the journal eLife shows heart cells exposed to high levels of glucose matured more slowly, or not at all, showing high blood sugar impacts both mother and child.

A major report on obesity last month found that British women have the second highest rates of obesity (behind Turkey) in Europe; 29.2 per cent are obese.

According to The Sunday Times, Ms Walton said: “If we have an increase in diabetes, women with diabetes need more care, they need more scans, they potentially need more care when they are in labour – they potentially then end up needing caesarean sections.”

However, a UK study published last month shows that nurses and midwives are more likely to be obese than the national average.

The Independent has approached The Royal College of Midwives for comment.