THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BABY WEIGHT AND CHANGES IN MATERNAL WEIGHT, TOTAL BODY WATER, PLASMA VOLUME, ELECTROLYTES AND PROTEINS AND URINARY OESTRIOL EXCRETION

Abstract

Summary Plasma volume, total body water, plasma protein concentration, serum sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations and urinary oestriol excretion were estimated at approximately 30, 34 and 38 weeks gestation in 20 primigravidae with high weight gain (0.64 kg. per week), 13 with normal weight gain (0.36–0.54 kg. per week) and 20 with low weight gain (0.27 kg. per week or less). The women with large plasma volumes and total body water volumes produced large babies. The greater the intravascular protein mass the greater was the weight of the baby. Neither urinary oestriol nor serum electrolyte levels were related to either maternal weight gain or weight of the baby. The higher the weight gain the greater was the total body water volume, the plasma volume and the incidence of oedema.