I know i’m not meant to ‘diet’ but is it ok to lose a few pounds while pregnant?: a qualitative analysis of Mumsnet discussion forum posts to understand women’s experiences of and views on weight and weight management while living with excess weight during and after pregnancy.

Abstract

Background Many women start pregnancy with obesity. It is also common for women to gain excess weight during pregnancy, and many find it challenging to lose this weight after birth. Pregnant and postnatal women may seek weight management support through online discussion forums. This study aimed to explore the experiences and views of weight and weight management in pregnant and postnatal women living with excess weight through analysing discussion forum posts on UK website, Mumsnet. Methods Data from Mumsnet discussion forum posted from 7th July 2021 to 7th March 2022 were extracted and included in analysis if they pertained to the experiences of, or views on diet, exercise, or weight management of users with self-reported excess weight during pregnancy or within one-year postnatal. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results In all, 113 posts were included. Generally, users had poor awareness of gestational weight gain recommendations. Some reported trying to lose weight during pregnancy (Theme 1: Intentions to lose weight while pregnant: conflicting advice and limited awareness of clinical guidelines). Users shared strategies to manage their weight during and after pregnancy, and specific challenges to this (Theme 2: Approaches and challenges to managing weight during and after pregnancy). Users had mixed experiences of engaging with maternity healthcare professionals and services. Users under consultant-led care reported their concerns about the impact of their weight were dismissed and minimised by healthcare professionals (Theme 3: Mixed experiences of interactions with maternity healthcare services and professionals and unaddressed concerns). Conclusions Analysing posts on Mumsnet provided insight into the relatively underreported intention of trying to lose weight while pregnant which is not endorsed by clinical guidelines. It also highlighted the potential for online forums to promote these unendorsed practices. Maternity care professionals should be aware of this and use their encounters with women to discourage intentional weight loss while pregnant. Users under consultant-led care felt that their concerns about their weight were minimised by professionals. Support such as regular weighing was desired but not often provided. Future studies should explore how these aspects of care can be improved.