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Changes in maternal weight from the first to second trimester of pregnancy are associated with fetal growth and infant length at birth^1,2,3

¹ From the National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico (LMN); the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (JDH); the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama, Guatemala City (RG); and the Department of International Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (RM).

Background: Despite our knowledge of the negative consequences of stunting during early childhood and the important role that maternal nutritional status plays in the development of intrauterine growth retardation, we do not know the extent to which maternal nutritional status influences the growth in length of the fetus or whether a sensitive period for fetal linear growth exists during gestation.

Objective: Our objective was to explore the relation between maternal weight gain during different stages of pregnancy and linear growth of the fetus.

Design: Ultrasound examinations were conducted at 15–24 (: 17.5) and 28–32 (: 29.9) wk of gestation in 200 women from 4 rural Guatemalan villages. The associations between maternal weight gain from 10 to 20 and 20 to 30 wk of pregnancy (from the first to the second and from the second to the third trimester, respectively) and fetal linear growth were tested with the use of ordinary least-squares regression.

Results: Maternal weight gain from the first to the second trimester was associated with fetal femur and tibia lengths measured at both means of 17 and 30 wk (P < 0.05) and infant length at birth (P < 0.001). Weight gain from the second to the third trimester of pregnancy did not predict fetal linear growth or infant length at birth.

Conclusions: Maternal weight change from the first to the second trimester of pregnancy is strongly associated with fetal growth. Mid-gestation may be a sensitive period for fetal linear growth.

Key Words: Fetal linear growth • maternal weight gain • pregnancy • ultrasound • femur • tibia

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