End: August 2018
Some women struggle to lose weight after giving birth, and this can be more likely if they smoke, have a poor diet, do not exercise regularly or choose to bottle feed.
Weight retention after birth can lead to long-term obesity and is linked to the development of high-blood pressure, diabetes or degenerative joint diseases. Women are also more likely to have complications in future pregnancies if they have not lost their pregnancy weight within 6 months of giving birth.
We believe that there is a need to intervene.
To do this, we are finding out whether lifestyle advice and access to Slimming World for 12 weeks can help women from an ethnically diverse inner-city population lose weight and improve their lifestyle after giving birth.
Nearly 200 women have taken part in our study and we are now looking at all the data that has been collected. We want to see whether the support women received had an effect on their weight 12 months after giving birth.
We will also assess the cost-effectiveness of this solution, and look at its impact on health and wellbeing at both 6 and 12 months after childbirth.
If the results of this study are promising, we will begin another, larger study that should definitively confirm whether giving women lifestyle advice and access to Slimming World for 12 weeks is a cost-effective way of helping them lose weight after pregnancy.
Join the fight for healthy pregnancies and babies
Tommy's funds research across the UK investigating the reasons for miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth, and fighting to make pregnancy and birth safer. We can keep you updated on ways you can support our work. If you would like to join our fight, click here.
More about Tommy's research
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Research into health and wellbeing in pregnancy
In addition to our core work on miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth and pre-eclampsia, Tommy’s also funds projects that research the effects of lifestyle and well-being on pregnancy and on the later life of the child.
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Research into stillbirth
When a baby dies after 24 weeks of gestation, it is called a stillbirth. Around 2.6 million babies are stillborn each year. Tommy’s research is helping to change this.
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Research into premature birth
Around 60,000 babies are born prematurely each year in the UK. These babies are vulnerable – they are born before they have grown to cope with the outside world. Tommy’s is saving lives by researching how we can prevent premature births by finding those at risk early on.
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Research into miscarriage
1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage.1 in 100 women have 3 or more miscarriages in a row. Research into this area of pregnancy loss has been underfunded for years.
News and views from Tommy's
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News
Bile acid blood test could indicate risk of stillbirth
This discovery will help doctors identify the small number of women at most risk who require intervention to prevent stillbirth.
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News
New research is helping to prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies
Tommy’s is supporting a nationwide initiative to reduce the number of premature babies who develop cerebral palsy.
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News
High levels of air-pollution linked to miscarriage
Researchers are calling for air pollution levels to be cut in order to protect the health of the next generation.
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News
Stillbirth rate falls in England and Wales, new figures reveal
Data shows differences in stillbirth rates across England, with higher numbers of stillbirths in the most deprived areas.
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News
Late c-sections increase risk of future premature births
A growing body of evidence shows that having a c-section in the second stage of labour increases the risk of premature birth in a future pregnancy.
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News
Government's 10-year pledge for maternity services
Proposed maternity package 'will make the NHS the best place in the world to give birth'.
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News
How to stop pregnancy ads following you after a loss
What to do when Facebook doesn't identify when an expectant mother's pregnancy has ended in loss.
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News
RCOG release new guidance on caring for women with obesity during pregnancy
In their latest guidelines, the RCOG layout what care and advice should be given to women with a BMI over 30 before and during pregnancy.
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