When babies are born prematurely, they face a very high risk of mental developmental delays. New research shows that a mother’s weight during pregnancy may also impact her child’s cognitive abilities.

In a recent Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center study, the results of which appear in the journal Pediatrics, researchers worked with data from 921 babies who had been born before 28 weeks of gestation. When these children reached 2 years of age, their cognitive skills were evaluated.

Based on the results of their study, the researchers found that there was a link between impaired cognitive function and maternal obesity. This is a problem in their opinion, as obesity has become quite common in the U.S. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that between 2009 and 2010, 31.9 percent of women between the of ages 20 and 39 were obese.

"This study shows that obesity doesn't just affect the mother's health, but might also affect the development of the baby," said Jennifer Helderman, lead author of the study.

As children who were born prematurely get older, parents can get a sense of how they are mentally developing by having them complete an IQ test for kids.