Obese women are 'more likely to give birth to ill babies'
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Overweight or obese women are up to 38% more likely to give birth to babies with major defects.
A study of more than a million babies born to single mums also revealed the risk rises the more a mum is overweight.
Heart defects were most likely, then defects of the genitals, limbs, urinary system, digestive system and nervous system.
The Karolinska Institute in Sweden said its survey underlined the importance of “having a maternal BMI in the normal range before pregnancy.”
Researchers urged women to shed excess pounds before conception and defined a safe body mass index as 18.5 to 24.
Three in five British women are currently overweight or obese.