By Tay Shi'an

Fat babies cute, but unhealthy

MOST mums in Singapore tend to have the opposite of pregorexia - over-eating and putting on too much weight.

Dr Cathryn Chan, a gynaecologist at Gleneagles Medical Centre with almost 20 years' experience, said the ideal weight gain during pregnancy is between 10kg to 12kg, but many hit 15kg, even 20kg. She said 30 to 40 per cent of her patients exceed the ideal weight.

Dr Lee Keen Whye, a gynaecologist of over 25 years at Gleneagles, said about half his patients end up gaining too much weight.

Said Dr Chan: 'They tend to put on weight because they are under the belief they must eat more. They want to eat all the good things, like bird's nest, the sweet things, that their in-laws and parents give them.'

Dr Lee said these mothers go on an 'eating spree' because there is a misconception that the more the mother eats, the more nutrients go to the baby.

'That's not true. Once the requirement for the baby is satisfied, the excess goes to the mother in the form of fat.'

These mothers then struggle to lose the weight after giving birth. Overly-heavy babies could suffer health problems later in life, like obesity and diabetes.

Their size could also make the labour process more dangerous for the mother.

Said Dr Lee: 'I'm usually the one to tell them, 'Please cut down the carbo, be wary of diabetes.'

'It's the Asian culture, kiasuism. Everyone says, 'eat more, eat more'. And they think fat babies are cute.'

His advice to mums-to-be: Slow down and be careful about what you eat.

This article was first published in The New Paper.