Pregnancy weight gain – this topic often comes up in the conversations between pregnant women. “How much weight should I gain during my pregnancy?” is a question that is on every pregnant woman’s mind.
The answer is: “It depends.”
It depends on your pre-pregnancy weight and how appropriate that weight is for your height.
A woman of average weight before pregnancy should gain somewhere in between 25-35 pounds.
This means a pregnant woman would generally need to consume only between 100-300 more calories per day more than before pregnancy to meet the need of the growing baby which would translate into an average of 1 ½ pounds per week after the usual weight gain in the first three months.
So “eating for two” does NOT mean “eating twice as much,” LOL.
If you want to be more exact you can use the BMI index to calculate your exact needs.
Perhaps you’ve heard about a BMI index. It’s a number that describes the relationship between your weight and height. You can calculate your BMI here.
Pregnant Weight Gain Recommendations
The following are the general guidelines for pregnancy weight gain:
If before pregnancy your weight was in the healthy range (BMI 18.5-25), you only need to gain between 25-35 pounds, which means about 1-5 lbs in the first trimester and about 1 pound per week in the second and third trimester.
If your weight was below average (BMI lower than 18.5), you will need to gain 28-40 lbs.
If your weight was above average (BMI above 25), you should gain only between 15-25 lbs.
If you are pregnant with twins you should gain more, somewhere between 37 and 54 lbs on average, 31-50 for overweight, or 25-42 if you were obese.
At birth the average baby’s weight is somewhere between 6-9 pounds. So where does all this s extra weight go during pregnancy?
Here are approximate weights of all your pregnancy “extras”:
Placenta: 2-3 lbs
Amniotic fluid: 2-3 lbs
Increased blood supply: 3-4 lbs
Breast tissue: 2-3 lbs
Enlarged Uterus: 2-4 lbs
Sores of nutrients, fat supplies, muscle development: 5-9 lbs.
Resources: Find pregnancy weight gain calculator here, pregnancy weight gain chart – here.
Healthy Pregnancy Weight Gain – How To Stay Within the Healthy Weight Gain Ranges
Pregnancy weight gain: How much is too much?
For some women, it’s easy. They just follow the recommendation to “eat in moderation” and somehow manage to stay within the recommended limits.
For others – it’s not easy at all.
For me – it seemed like a “mission impossible”. I felt constantly hungry, constantly searching for something to devour to satisfy my huge pregnant appetite.
In the first trimester I felt nauseous all the time and eating something – anything – seemed to make things better. I didn’t vomit or have cravings for any specific foods, just felt like I needed to eat, eat, and eat some more.
I was hoping that by second trimester when the nausea usually goes away, my appetite will return to somewhat normal – but it didn’t happen. Although I was not feeling nauseous any more, my appetite stayed the same.
Of course, this translated into excessive weight gain for me – I gained much more than the top limit of 40 pounds.
My doctor was worried about this excessive gain and was afraid that I will end up with gestational diabetes – but fortunately that did not happen.
However, I ended up having a C-section and a pretty big baby – almost 9 lbs at birth.
Excessive pregnancy weight gain causes increased risk for cesarean delivery, have higher risk for complications, including gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
Revealed: My Secret Weapon To Help You Stay Withing the Recommended Pregnancy Weight Gain!
How can I stay within the recommended amount?
I repeat, eating for two doesn’t mean eating twice as much as you usually do. In fact, you need only about 300 extra calories a day when you’re pregnant, fewer during your first trimester.
Eat a healthy diet while you’re pregnant and ask your doctor or midwife to help you set up an exercise program that’s right for you.
Blah, blah… you’ve heard that before, right…
But what is a healthy diet and how to eat it in real world?
Introducing….green smoothies.
What Would I have done differently if I knew then what I know now.
Even though I always considered myself to be a “Healthy eater” I still think my appetite was trying to tell me something, which is that I was probably not getting enough nutrients that my body needed for growing a healthy baby.
Sure I ate my fruits, veggies and salads, but I was indulging in foods that were not so healthy and much too high in calories from fats and sugar – such as drinking too much milk, cheeses, ice cream, meats, etc. OK I’m not saying that I would avoid them completely, but I was eating way too much (I will write more about this later – how much I was eating, why I was eating all that stuff, and why it was too much).
So what is the best source of all the vitamins? Hint it’s green and probably not your idea of a delicious meal.
Greens are the superpowers of nutrition – they contain all the important nutrients that your body needs – in the form that is best assimilated, WITHOUT the excess fats and calories.
Healthy pregnancy diet is easy with green smoothies
But – most people have a problem with eating sufficient amount of greens every day.
The easy way to do it is with green smoothies – it’s the easiest and most beneficial habit that you can adopt – plus children love drinking those too, so in the future, you will NOT be facing problems with feeding your kids right.
Green smoothies are simply blended drinks made from sweet fruits and leafy greens. They are SUPER nutritious, super tasty, and SUPER FAST to prepare – all three are very important for constantly tired pregnant women and busy moms.
So my recommendation is to drink green smoothies as often as you like during the day at least 2-3 times per day.
They will fill you up and satisfy your cravings for junk foods and other unhealthy snacks.
Also, eat as many fresh vegetables and fruits throughout the day as you like – salads, raw vegetable snacks, steamed veggies, veggie soups. They provide excellent nutrition WITHOUT the empty calories.
If you are really concerned about weight gain – perhaps you should limit the bananas (but don’t avoid them completely) – they are delicious in those smoothies and you DO need calories – it’s better to eat sweet fruit – which contains loads of vitamins, minerals and other good stuff – such as FIBER – then to be hungry and fill up on unhealthy stuff.
Fruits and greens are the most underestimated and underused foods – even though I don’t know you, and I don’t’ know what you’ve eaten today I can bet my modest internet income on the fact that you are most likely NOT eating enough of them.
Other foods to eat include nuts and seeds, whole grains (but avoid white flour), legumes, low fat dairy, and low fat meats.
Constipation and Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy
By the way this fiber is super-important for another reason.
Many women are miserable during pregnancy due to constipation and hemorrhoids. Constipation during pregnancy is not just uncomfortable, it can lead to painful hemorrhoids – another common complaint among pregnant women.
And both of these can be a real pain in the …butt.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
I will write more about this topic soon, as I feel I only scratched the surface.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments – leave them for me below in the Comments section.
Also, read more tips on how to get pregnant fast, how to have a girl, and what not to eat when pregnant.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
I will write more about nutrition pregnancy and beyond soon, as I feel I only scratched the surface.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments – leave them for me below in the Comments section.
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I’ve been really enjoying my juicer lately. Like you say, it’s an easy way to make sure you get all kinds of important vitamins and minerals.
Weight gain during pregnancy is a normal part of life and you should not be too concerned with your weight gain providing you eat a good healthy pregnancy diet plan. Obviously if you suddenly put on a lot of weight during your pregnancy, make sure you seek medical attention immediately as this will be water gain and needs medical intervention.