 En Español 
 
 By Steven Reinberg 
 
 HealthDay Reporter 
 
 TUESDAY, March 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Women who are overweight or obese during pregnancy may be increasing the chances that their baby could be born with cerebral palsy, a new study suggests. Considering the high prevalence of obesity and the continued rise of its most severe forms, the finding that maternal overweight and obesity are related to rates of cerebral palsy in a dose-response manner may have serious public health implications." Despite advances in obstetric and neonatal care, the prevalence of cerebral palsy has increased from 1998 through 2006 in children born at full term. "Although the effect of maternal obesity on cerebral palsy may seem small compared with other risk factors, the association is of public health relevance due to the large proportion of women who are overweight or obese worldwide," Villamor said. Overweight and obesity in early pregnancy may increase the risk for a number of complications and can adversely affect the health of mothers and children, Villamor said. Eduardo Villamor, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a study that included women with children born in Sweden from 1997 through 2011. Of 1,423,929 children included (average gestational age, 39.8 weeks), 3,029 were diagnosed with cerebral palsy over a median 7.8 years of follow-up. For infants born at full term, who accounted for 71 percent of all cerebral palsy cases, the association between maternal obesity and cerebral palsy was statistically significant. An estimated 45 percent of the association between maternal BMI and rates of cerebral palsy in full-term children was mediated through asphyxia-related neonatal complications. A cerebral palsy expert said maternal obesity isn't the only risk factor for the condition.
– Babies born to overweight mothers may be at greater risk of developing cerebral palsy, new research shows. Scientists who followed 1.4 million babies born in Sweden between 1997 and 2011 found that more than 3,000 developed the disorder, which the CDC says is the most common childhood motor skills disability. Researchers reported in JAMA that they while found no significant link to babies' birth weight and cerebral palsy, they did see an association to maternal weight in full-term deliveries. The association increased as a mother's body mass index increased, per Medical Xpress. While the risk factor—2 cases out of 1,000 births—may seem low, babies born to mothers severely obese in early pregnancy were twice at risk, says lead researcher Dr. Eduardo Villamor, per HealthDay. The findings are important "due to the large proportion of women who are overweight or obese worldwide," Villamor says. In the US, half of all expectant moms are overweight at their first neonatal exam, per Medical Xpress. A Columbia University expert tells HealthDay that cerebral palsy is 30% to 40% genetic, but factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes may trigger a genetic predisposition. Although more research is needed, Villamor says losing weight before pregnancy is known to reduce ill effects on children. All the data show that "it's good to get to a healthy weight before pregnancy," an obstetrician tells HealthDay. (Fish oil during pregnancy may cut babies' asthma risk.)