Standing for Long Hours During Pregnancy May Affect Babies' Growth

Standing and working for long hours during pregnancy may slow the baby's growth, a new study from The Netherlands suggests.

In the study, women who stood for long periods at work during pregnancy had babies whose heads were, on average, 1 centimeter (or 3 percent) smaller in circumference than that of the average baby at birth.

In addition, women who worked more than 25 hours a week had babies who weighed five to seven ounces less on average than babies born to women who worked less than 25 hours a week.

An analysis of the babies' growth showed these differences were present from the third trimester onwards, the researchers said.

However, working long hours and engaging in physically demanding work during pregnancy did not put women at risk for preterm birth or for having babies with a low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds).