Women will have extra support to ensure they maintain a healthy lifestyle during their pregnancy.
The NSW government is giving pregnant women a $1.2 million boost in the form of a free coaching service.
The funding will include a new program, Healthy Beginnings, to support parents of 0-2 year old children, and a new app to give women additional support and advice on healthy eating and being active during pregnancy.
The Get Healthy in Pregnancy telephone service and app is part of a $38 million investment in the 2018 state budget to tackle obesity – $25 million of which has been allocated specifically to fight childhood obesity.
It has helped 5250 women since it started in December 2016.
In the past 20 years the amount of weight women gain during pregnancy has increased, with more than 60 per cent of women exceeding pregnancy experts’ recommendations.
Director of the Office of Preventive Health Professor Chris Rissel says families are the focus when it comes to beating the bulge.
“About 100,000 new babies are born every year across the state and we want every mum-to-be to have access to credible advice on weight gain and other health issues that arise during pregnancy,” he said.
“While there’s no catch-all solution for tackling obesity, this funding boost will help more than 4000 women in metropolitan, regional and rural areas of NSW over the next year.”
Professor Rissel said many women viewed weight gain in pregnancy as inevitable, reducing their physical activity and eating more liberally.
“Recent studies have shown excess weight gain in pregnancy is linked to childhood obesity, poor pregnancy and birth outcomes, and increased risk of chronic disease,” he said.
“When parents and children establish healthy eating habits and a love for exercise early on, this helps to safeguard kids from all sorts of health, psychological and social problems later in life.”
