I don’t know how TLC comes up with this stuff – they already have TV gems like Say Yes to the Dress, Toddlers and Tiaras and my newly discovered favorite, Long Island Medium. But now they’re really going to the extremes with a new docu-drama called Obese & Expecting.

That’s right, it’s a show about four morbidly overweight mamas-to-be who are expecting. Entertainment Weekly reports that the series will chronicle the health issues, weight gain and relationship struggles of the pregnant women. An announcement by TLC said, “These women are challenging the perception – and the odds – of obese pregnancies, as they become moms, no matter their size or complications.” That should be an interesting hour of TV. For obese women, there are extra risks involved in pregnancy: Their babies have double the risk of stillbirth and higher risk of birth defects. Also, there’s a higher chance obese moms-to-be will develop gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and preeclampsia than women at healthy weight have.

But that’s not the only mom-related show that TLC is premiering — Birth Moms will follow three women who are struggling with their decisions to give up their babies for adoption. Both of the shows will premiere on May 17th (Obese & Expecting at 9 p.m. and Birth Moms at 10 p.m.)

Are you going to tune in? What do you think of these new shows?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Obesity During Pregnancy

Plus-Sized and Pregnant

Is it True Epidurals Don’t Work as Well for Plus-Sized or Overweight Women?

Here’s another reason to watch your nutrition during pregnancy: Moms who have diabetes or are overweight are more likely to have a child with autism. A new study published in Pediatrics by researchers affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute found that moms who were obese were one to two-thirds more likely to have a child with autism and twice as likely to have a child with another developmental disorder. Researchers also found that autistic children of women who were diabetic had greater developmental problems, than autistic children born to moms without metabolic issues. Even kids without autism were negatively affected by mom’s metabolic conditions – they had mild development problems.

The study followed 1,004 moms and their babies between 24 and 60 months old. 517 of them had autism, 172 children had development disorders and 315 of them had no developmental problems. The researchers looked at demographic and medical information of the participants. The moms and babies were divided into three groups – children with autism, children with another developmental disability and children with normal development. It was found that 29 percent of children with autism and 35 percent of children with developmental disorders had moms with a metabolic or a diabetes condition, while 19 percent of children with no developmental problems had mothers who were obese or diabetic.

Researchers believe that obesity and diabetes in mothers are linked to autism in children because high glucose levels for mom can expose baby to high levels of insulin and make the fetus produce more insulin. Also, elevated insulin production requires a lot more oxygen, which could have caused a decreased oxygen supply for baby. Low levels of oxygen and fetal iron deficiency caused by diabetes can affect baby’s brain development in the womb.

What do you think of this study? What are you doing to eat better during pregnancy?