title: How do women feel about being weighed during pregnancy? A qualitative exploration of the opinions and experiences of postnatal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to explore routine weighing in antenatal care and weight management in pregnancy with women who have been weighed during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  a qualitative study utilising semi-structured telephone interviews, and thematic analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  participants resided in Dublin, Ireland and had been weighed during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  individual telephone interviews conducted with ten postpartum women (nine months postpartum).
  
  
  RESULTS
  experiences of routine weighing were positive, and participants believed it should be part of standard antenatal care. Several benefits to routine weighing were cited, including providing reassurance and minimising postpartum weight retention. It was felt that there was a lack of information provided on gestational weight gain and healthy lifestyle in pregnancy, and that healthcare professionals are ideally placed to provide this advice. Increased information provision was seen as a method to improve healthy lifestyle behaviours in pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  these findings contribute to the current debate about the re-introduction of routine weighing throughout pregnancy (Allen-Walker et al., 2016). Women stated that they expected to be weighed during pregnancy and, contrary to previous claims, there was no evidence that routine weighing during antenatal care caused anxiety. From discussions it was clear that women desired more information on gestational weight gain and a healthy lifestyle, and felt that health professionals should provide this.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast BT12 6BA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Allen-Walker
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mullaney
authors.affiliation: UCD Centre for Human Reproduction, Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Cork Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast BT12 6BA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jayne V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Woodside
authors.affiliation: Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast BT12 6BA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Valerie A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
authors.forename: Daniel Ma
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: McCartney
authors.affiliation: Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast BT12 6BA, United Kingdom. Electronic address: m.mckinley@qub.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Michelle C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: McKinley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology; D001835:Body Weight; D000068959:Body Weight Maintenance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Gestational weight gain; Opinions; Pregnancy; Qualitative; Weighing