Free course for pregnant women

This year midwives and dieticians from Bedford Hospital are running a free course for women in Sandy and the surrounding area. The Kick Start course follows a successful series in Bedford last year.

It is designed to help women with a BMI of 30 or above to manage their weight effectively before, during and after pregnancy. This will reduce the risk of complications such as raised blood pressure, DTV and diabetes. The course will also be open to postnatal women aiming to lose excess weight after the birth.

Carol Leverkus, public health dietician at Bedford Hospital, said: “It is a bit of a myth that you need to eat for two when pregnant in terms of the quantity of food but it is true that you need to eat well for both yourself and your growing baby.

“Women with a BMI of 30 and over should aim to limit their weight gain in pregnancy to about five to seven kg (one stone) as the more weight you gain the greater the risks.

“Women in the normal range of BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 should aim to gain about 11 to 16kg (two stones). For women with a raised BMI who are planning to start a family it is an ideal time to lose five to 10 per cent of their body weight before conceiving.”

The course will promote a healthy diet for mothers and their growing babies or for new families through a series of informal sessions including cooking, shopping on a budget and setting manageable goals.

Carol added: “This free course aims to support women to gain a healthy amount of weight in pregnancy or to gradually lose weight after the birth.

“Partners are invited to one session to help the whole family eat well. It involves learning from each other about eating well and keeping active.”

The course will run for six weeks in the evenings from Thursday, October 11 to Thursday, November 15. It will take place at Sandy Children’s Centre. Anyone who is interested in taking part should speak to their GP, consultant or midwife.