Preventing Obesity in Preterm Infants

The goal of this study is to understand how metabolic health in pregnancy, such as obesity or diabetes, influence infant growth and metabolism in the newborn period and during infancy. This study will follow a cohort of infants from birth through age 2-years to understand how growth, metabolism, and fat development after birth relate to growth in early childhood. We know that metabolic health during pregnancy, such as glucose levels or the amount of weight gained in pregnancy, can increase the risk of later metabolic health in children long-term. By studying changes in growth and metabolism in these infants in the time after birth and during early infancy, we hope to determine how we can decrease the risk of these later health conditions.