Miranda Crealey and Sheelagh Prosser

Background: Excessive gestational weight gain and maternal obesity are well recognized as risk factors for maternal and foetal complications. Little is known regarding the beliefs and attitudes of Irish pregnant women with a medical card attending a rural General Practice on weight and nutrition.
Aim: To identify knowledge and attitudes among Irish pregnant women in a rural General Practice regarding gestational nutrition and weight.
Methods: Ten women took part in individual audio-taped interviews in this qualitative descriptive study. The method of qualitative description was used in data analysis to identify recurring themes and provide a comprehensive summary of findings.
Results: Five main themes were identified: (i) Fear of postnatal weight retention, (ii) The legacy effect of the first pregnancy on weight (iii) Little awareness of link between gestational weight gain and infants' health risks (iv) Aceptance of the doctor's advice and (v) Barriers to physical activity in pregnancy.
Conclusions: Women considered weight mainly in the context of their own health. There was a lack of awareness on the effect of excess gestational weight on their baby's in utero, birth and future weight. In contrast, mothers to-be appeared to be concerned to protect their newborn's health through adequate pre-natal nutrition.