Vezire Zenelovski was pregnant with her fourth child and keen to keep her weight under control.
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When she was 16 weeks pregnant, she attended the antenatal clinic at the Women’s, where she was referred to the Maternal Weight Management program.
The new initiative at the Women’s is helping overweight expectant mothers manage their weight during pregnancy.
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The Maternal Weight Management program provides diet, lifestyle and exercise help for pregnant women with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 or more.
About 60 women have joined the program since it started in July 2009, and some have already delivered their babies. Post natal follow up is also offered.
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Vezire praised the support she received. “It was fantastic, I really enjoyed the program, and I kept my weight gain well under control during my pregnancy,” she said.
“I had gained quite a bit of weight from the time I fell pregnant. But from the time I started attending the clinic, my weight did not really move,” she said.
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Assistance focuses on expert dietary advice and guidance and a program of simple exercises devised by hospital physiotherapists.
“Now I know what I can eat and how much to maintain my energy and my health as I am breast feeding. I can also continue my simple exercises at home, I walk as much as possible now,” Vezire said.
“I had always enjoyed swimming but I was really anxious about exercising when I was pregnant. At the hospital they assured me I could do some gentle exercise, and I started swimming again when I was pregnant. I plan to start again soon.” Her daughter, Nazime, was born in December 2009.
The Maternal Weight Loss Management pilot program is delivered by the Nutrition and Physiotherapy departments at the Women’s, with the support of maternity services staff. The program will be reviewed and modified in response to results and participant feedback.
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