As women of childbearing age have become heavier, the trade-off between maternal and child health created by variation in gestational weight gain has become more difficult to reconcile. Weight Gain During Pregnancy responds to the need for a reexamination of the 1990 Institute of Medicine guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy. It builds on the conceptual framework that underscored the 1990 weight gain guidelines and addresses the need to update them through a comprehensive review of the literature and independent analyses of existing databases. The book explores relationships between weight gain during pregnancy and a variety of factors (e.g., the mother's weight and height before pregnancy) and places this in the context of the health of the infant and the mother, presenting specific, updated target ranges for weight gain during pregnancy and guidelines for proper measurement. New features of this book include a specific range of recommended gain for obese women. Weight Gain During Pregnancy is intended to assist practitioners who care for women of childbearing age, policy makers, educators, researchers, and the pregnant women themselves to understand the role of gestational weight gain and to provide them with the tools needed to promote optimal pregnancy outcomes. Table of ContentsFront MatterSummary1 Setting the Stage for Revising Pregnancy Weight Guidelines:Conceptual Framework2 Descriptive Epidemiology and Trends3 Composition and Components of Gestational Weight Gain: Physiologyand Metabolism4 Determinants of Gestational Weight Gain5 Consequences of Gestational Weight Gain for the Mother6 Consequences of Gestational Weight Gain for the Child7 Determining Optimal Weight Gain8 Approaches to Achieving Recommended Gestational Weight Gain9 Open Session and Workshop Agendas10 Committee Member Biographical SketchesAppendix A: Acronyms and Abbreviations, Glossary, and SupplementalInformationAppendix B: Supplementary Information on Nutritional IntakeAppendix C: Supplementary Information on Composition and Componentsof Gestational Weight GainAppendix D: Summary of Determinants of Gestational Weight GainAppendix E: Results from the Evidence-Based Report on Outcomes ofMaternal Weight GainAppendix F: Data TablesAppendix G: Consultant ReportsIndex