Nesting in pregnancy is a natural desire, but a new study has warned that prospective mothers who move house in their first trimester risk having a premature, or small baby.

Previous research has shown that moving during childhood is linked to poorer health in children, but nobody had evaluated the upheaval on pregnant women.

Scientists in the US looked at records from 30,000 women who have moved home in the first three months of their pregnancy and compared the outcomes of 120,000 women who had stayed put.

The findings showed that relocation move during the first three months of pregnancy was associated with a 37 per cent heightened risk of low birthweight, raising the chance of having a small baby from 4.5 per cent to 6.4 per cent. It also increased the chance of having a premature birth from 6.4 per cent to 9.1 per cent, a rise of 42 per cent.

Premature and small babies are at greater risk of a host of problems in later life such as hearing issues, poor growth and conditions like cerebral palsy.

The researchers from the University of Washington Medical School, said although the study was observational, it may be that the effect was triggered by the stress of the move.