Reaction/ Insights on Pregnancy and Weight Monitoring: A feasibility Study of Weight

charts and Midwife Support

Mother has a big role in maintaining good health of their developing fetus in their womb,
therefore they must give focus to their maternal health during pregnancy. Most women who are
pregnant concentrate on the growth and well-being of their unborn child. But it's important for
pregnant women to go to regular prenatal appointments to maintain not just the health of their
unborn kid but also their own health during and after pregnancy. The study of weight charts and
midwife support to pregnancy with their health aims to help the pregnant women to maintain a
normal gestational weight monitoring chart with the support of skilled midwifes through
motivational interview-based conversation. Also, assess the importance of antenatal care to every
pregnant woman in guiding them during and after their pregnancy to have a healthy and safe
birth.
Pregnancy weight gain is one of the most critical factors in determining both birth
outcomes and maternal nutritional outcomes of pregnancy. Weight monitoring by antenatal care
allow tracking of women's weight gain during pregnancy, it is necessary to all pregnant women
to maintain healthy weight to reduce the risk of health problems and pregnancy complication as
well as the health of baby being too big or too small. They must have healthy lifestyle and
balance diet to be safe and healthy. Because they are at risk of developing preeclampsia and
gestational diabetes having too much weight gain. I have seen pregnant women in our barangay
and most of them is too big and I think their weight exceed to the recommended weight during
pregnancy. Maybe the reason of that is they do not care about what they eat and do in every day.
They are not aware of the risk factors of gaining excess weight or being too small or malnourish.
And base on the research study, we can reduce the rate of obesity by the use of weight chart with
the motivational interview to control gestational weight gain to continue to be develop the safety
of the baby and the mother.
But based on the findings antenatal weighing is not recommended due to the lack of
evidences that it is effective on lowering the rates of obese pregnant women and maintain a
balance diet for safety. Instead of doing antenatal weighing they recommend on teaching women
about the risk factors of obesity and excess gestational weight gain as well as the healthy diet and
exercise. Midwives are the one who do the interview to every pregnant woman, through
conversation they assess the client and encourage but not to force them on participating to the
program or activity on healthy diet and exercise. But for the motivational interview to be
effective the midwifes must be knowledgeable and skilled enough to encouraging pregnant
woman and always keep in mind that they must have a client-centered approach always. Because
a good quality of communication help engage people with making a positive behavioral changes,
a therapeutic communication is vital not just in assessing the client in the hospital but also in
every field to have a better understanding on the topic/ issues being discuss. Midwives
participate or attend in the group-based 3 hour training session with MI trainer as well as
researchers in order for them to acquire more knowledge about the background information on
prenatal weight gain, details on weight charts, details on MI's guiding principles, suggestions for
implementing MI-based discussions regarding maternal weight and gestational weight rise in
practice, and instructions for plotting maternal weight. As of the interview result of the study,
women on gestational weight gain choose to have: a healthy diet to provide baby with the best
start in life. Others are motivated to limit the risk factors for pregnancy related condition such as
gestational diabetes. The challenges on these study by the midwives is that many of the women
don’t want to participate and this is due to the lack of evidences of its effectiveness.

The findings of the study were accepted but need further research and development in
order to be effective to all pregnant women and reduce the rate of obesity. MI training session
must be continue to increase the knowledge and develop skills in MI techniques into antenatal
care. Even if the antenatal weight chart supported by information on healthy diet and exercise
has insufficient evidence that it is effective, their aim must achieve so that it can help in
resolving these problems in pregnancy. Effective weight management strategies are required in
order to reduce the likelihood of maternal and fetal complications and reduce the risk of future
maternal obesity. Pregnancy care provides an opportunity to offer interventions to assist women
to manage weight gain and reduce perinatal morbidities. I hope that the future intervention on
this study can successfully control the gestational weight gain and continue to develop the safety
of both the mother and the baby.

Research paper reference:

Sanders, J., Channon, S., Cannings‐John, R., Coulman, E., Hunter, B., Paranjothy, S., Warren,
L., Drew, C., & Phillips, B. (2020). p regnancy and weight monitoring: A feasibility study
of weight charts and midwife support. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 16(4).
https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12996