Among other risk factors as earlier studies detected in obesity such as heart problems, cases of diabetes and other limited activities, cases of infants of overweight pregnant mothers dying after birth were seen. This usually happens in an infant condition called premature rupture of membranes (PROM) occurring before the full-term of the birth process.

Based on the report published by the Obstetrics and Gynecology Journal, PROM takes place before the onset of the labor pains as the membranes begin to break apart, which is very risky in the process of the labor and delivery of the child outside the womb.

What happens, according to the study, is that the umbilical cord connected to the child inside the womb is compressed and this is a primary risk for the fetus. As this occurs, infection within the uterus of the mother takes place and leads to a major complication in the survival and delivery of the fetus.

Dr. Ellen Nohr from the University of Aarhus said that treating complications are risk factors how obese women are able to cope with preterm PROM births. When the mother's membranes are not protected, preterm infants may die as they are more susceptible to complications.

Looking more closely to the relation of obese pregnant mothers and cases of mortality among infants using the Danish National Birth Cohort, Nohr and her colleagues found that certainly more deaths were recorded in obese mothers that their normal-weight counterparts.

With these initial findings, Nohr said preventive measures such as reducing weight of obese mothers should be addressed for their safety and survival of the infant.