Women who are overweight are more likely to have the following problems during pregnancy:
Problem
Explanation
Diabetes that develops during pregnancy
Very high blood pressure that can hurt the mother and baby
Infections
These include urinary tract infections (UTI) and other infections after a woman has her baby.
Long pregnancy
A woman will be pregnant longer than expected
Labor problems
Women who are overweight often need medicines or procedures to make them go into labor (when the baby is born).
Delivery problems (C-section)
Being overweight also increases the chance a woman will have to have surgery to have her baby. This is called a C-section. Women who are overweight are more likely to have C-section complications such as infections. Women who are overweight are also less likely to be able to give birth vaginally in the future if they have already had a C-section.
Death of the baby
Overweight mothers are more likely to have their babies die during pregnancy (miscarriage or stillbirth).
High blood pressure that starts in the second half of the pregnancy. This can cause serious problems for the mother and the baby.