Setting maternity care standards for women with obesity in pregnancy.

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy-related complications that affect both the mother and baby. National clinical care guidelines have been developed by the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries, as part of its Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH) programme. These guidelines are intended to minimise and manage the risks associated with maternal obesity, and they were developed using formal consensus methods based on the Delphi technique. A multidisciplinary group of 25 members participated in the iterative process. Standards of care were based on the best available evidence and expert clinical knowledge and experience. This article describes the process used to develop standards of maternity care for women with obesity, and the resulting recommendations are presented. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.