How can we develop the practical skills to enable an effective and supportive conversation about a woman’s weight? How can midwives and MSWs help women to follow a healthy lifestyle?

This course has been designed to provide you with information, practical tips and helpful guides to effectively support pregnant women who are overweight. Pregnancy can be a crucial time for this and may have positive implications for both the short and longer term health of mother and child. The aim of this module is to develop understanding of the opportunities to discuss weight during pregnancy, women’s feelings about their weight and some of the difficulties associated with raising the issue of weight.

During this course you will:

• consider the effect society and stigma around weight has on a woman’s self-esteem during pregnancy and postnatally
• explore your own personal barriers to discussing weight management with women
• recognise pregnancy as a particular opportunity for positive behaviour change
• develop your confidence in raising the issue of weight with women supportively during pregnancy and postnatally
• examine how your personal style in communications with women can affect both the professional relationship with them and their confidence and ability to make changes
• learn how best to enable effective and supportive discussions with women and their families around healthy lifestyles
• look at how to identify suitable support for individual women and signpost on to suitable services where appropriate

Study time: 1.5 hours

Course launched: 2014
Updated: 2018, 2021