Predicting birth weights is essential as heavy babies can mean higher complications rates for mother and child.

However, this can be very difficult if the mother is obese and it is hard to get a clear ultrasound picture just before the birth.

• Researchers believe they have found a method that is accurate in the majority of cases.
• They looked at 357 obese pregnant women with BMIs of up to 58 and compared them with 1,025 normal weight women.
•  They compared measurements taken at 34-36 weeks (earlier than normal) and compared them with the actual birth weights.
• The findings were accurate to within 20% in up to 95% of cases and 10% in up to 70% of cases.

For further information and a press release on this research, please view the attached PDF file.