Standing for long periods during pregnancy may curb fetal growth

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-06/bmj-sfl062612.php

Public release date: 27-Jun-2012
Contact: Stephanie Burns
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Standing for long periods during pregnancy may curb fetal growth
But working up to 36 weeks of pregnancy has no adverse effect

Standing for long periods during pregnancy may curb the growth of the developing fetus, suggests research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Previous research has indicated that long working hours may increase the risk of birth defects, premature birth, stillbirth and low birthweight.

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But women who spent long periods on their feet during their pregnancy, in jobs such as sales, childcare, and teaching, had babies whose heads were an average of 1 cm (3%) smaller than average at birth, implying a slower growth rate.

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And those who worked more than 40 hours a week had smaller babies than those who worked under 25 hours a week.

Babies born to these women had a head circumference that was 1 cm smaller and a weight that was between 148 and 198 g smaller, on average, than babies born to women working under 25 hours a week. These differences were apparent from the third trimester (last three months of pregnancy) onwards.

The authors comment that generally women who are in work have fewer pregnancy complications, birth defects, and stillbirths than women who are unemployed, but that certain aspects of work may not be without risk.