Obese mothers-to-be must travel

Overweight mothers-to-be in a Somerset town are being sent to a hospital in Bristol to give birth because the local unit cannot cope with their size.

Weston General Hospital has a low-risk, midwife-led birth centre and said it could only admit expectant mothers with a body mass index (BMI) of up to 34.

A BMI of 34 equates to a woman with a height of 5ft 6ins weighing 15 stone.

Weston Area Health Trust said women were aware of the policy from the start of their pregnancies.

'Increased risk'

A spokeswoman for the trust said: "Our foremost concern is for the safety of mothers who deliver here and their babies.

"Mothers with a high BMI are at increased risk in labour of bleeding, needing an instrumental delivery, or complications such as the baby's shoulder becoming trapped behind the pubic bone.

"For these reasons of safety only, we advise women with a BMI of more than 34 that they will need to deliver at the full obstetric unit at St Michael's in Bristol.

"Similarly, women who have gained more than 44lb (20kg) in 36 weeks of pregnancy are also told they will need to deliver in Bristol.

"Our aim is to protect our mothers and babies and to make sure they deliver in the most appropriate place to meet their needs."