Fak. Tayie et al., Effects of pregnancy sickness on infant birth-weight and maternal weight-gain among Ghanaian women, ECOL FOOD N, 40(2), 2001, pp. 143-157
This study sought to assess the relationship between nausea and vomiting du
ring pregnancy and infant birth-weight and maternal weight-gain. A cohort o
f 502 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Accra participated in t
he study. A sub-sample of 128 pregnant women participated in a longitudinal
study that involved assessment of maternal weight-gain during pregnancy. T
he heights and weights of those in this subsample were measured in the firs
t trimester followed by monthly measurements of their weights when they vis
ited the antenatal clinics for care. During this time, information on nause
a and vomiting were obtained by interview. The observed prevalence of nause
a (loss of appetite with salivation and vomiting) among the pregnant women
was 73.31%. Pregnant women who lost appetite with vomiting generally had in
fants of mean birth-weight significantly lower (p <0.05) than those who did
not (2.87kg +/-0.39 vs 3.21kg +/-0.57, respectively). The mean pregnancy w
eight-gain of the mothers also followed a similar trend (10.16 kg +/- 1.71
vs 11.05 kg +/- 1.49). Subjects who vomited for more than three months had
significantly lower pregnancy weight-gain and infant birth-weight (p<0.05)
than those who never vomited or vomited for a lesser extent. There was a si
gnificant negative association between birth-weight and nausea r = -0.090 (
p <less than> 0.040, n = 502) and between birth-weight and months of vomiti
ng, r = -0.073 (p < 0.030, n = 502). These findings show that nausea and vo
miting during pregnancy are associated with a decrease in infant birth-weig
ht and maternal weight-gain. These observations underscore the need for spe
cial care for pregnant women who experience nausea and vomiting.