Midwives call for pregnancy weight targets after study highlights health risks

Eating for two is a myth, say researchers, with weight gain linked to insulin resistance

Midwives should be given guidelines on how to advise expectant mothers about managing their weight, their professional body has said, reacting to research that suggested the commonly held belief that pregnant women needed to eat for two was a myth.

Gaining too much weight during pregnancy could put the future offspring at an increased risk of insulin resistance and affect their blood pressure in childhood, according to the study published in the journal Diabetologia.