Weight gain during pregnancy

Hunger pangs during pregnancy are often difficult to control. Add morning sickness and nausea to the equation, and most women become clueless about what to eat and the portion they should consume. The fluctuating hormones often leave women craving for one thing or the other.

It is so hard to tell how much weight it is normal to gain during pregnancy. According to research, how much weight you gain during pregnancy depends on several parameters such as your height, or whether you were overweight before pregnancy or underweight, or whether it is your first baby or not. Most researches tell that it is normal to gain between 11 to 16 Kg, but it is not a solid truth, because women’s bodies vary and it is normal to gain a little more or a little less. If you are expecting twins, the normal average weight gain is 17 to 23 Kg.

The gained weight may feel that it is all stored in your belly, but in fact for 30 pound weight gain the average expected distributions in your body is about 7.5-8 pounds for the baby, 1.5-2 pounds for Placenta, 2-3 pounds for Amniotic fluid, 2-3 pounds for Breast tissue, 4 pounds for maternal blood volume, 7-9 pounds for Stored fat for breastfeeding, 2 pounds for the enlargement in uterus, 4 pounds maternal tissue fluids. Moreover, you should know that actual rates vary from body to another.

The unpleasant news you should keep in mind during pregnancy is that you necessarily needn’t eat for two because you do not need any extra calories during your first semester of pregnancy, and you may add around 300 calories a day during the second semester and 500 calories for the final one. On the contrary, dieting during pregnancy can also be a bad idea. Therefore, instead of increasing the amount of the food you are eating you should focus on the quality and the richness of it. Finally, on one hand, you should know that if you are an overweight woman you may try to lose weight during pregnancy and this must be achieved under professional medical supervision, on the other hand, if you are underweight you should try to gain more weight.

To know the healthy target for how much weight you should gain during pregnancy you should know your pre-pregnant Body Mass Index, which is calculated by dividing your weight in Kg to your squared height in meters. Having a BMI from 20 to 24.9 means that your body is normal. While a BMI of 25 to 29.9 means that, you are overweight. In addition, a BMI of 30 or more means that you are obese.

As a guideline for the weight, you should gain during pregnancy, based on your BMI. You should know that if you are underweight, you should gain between 12.5-18 Kg, and if you are normal it is between 11-16 Kg, while if you are overweight you should try to gain between 7-11 Kg, and for an obese woman, it is more than enough to gain 5-9 Kg. at last as a special case for the woman carrying twins, it is normal to gain 11-19 Kg.

Abnormal weight increase or decrease during pregnancy can cause immediate and prolonged health issues to the mother and her child. On one hand, a high rate of weight gain may cause complications during pregnancy period, C-Section, obesity in newborns, and finally keeping the gained weight after birth may lead to obesity and may cause complications even during the following pregnancies. On the other hand, gaining less weight than you should during pregnancy not affect the mother but it can certainly result growth-restricted babies and it increases the risk of developmental delays.

Read More: Is it safe to have sex during pregnancy?

References:

http://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/RHW/Patient_Leaflets/Antenatal/Weight%20Gain%20in%20Pregnancy.pdf

Websites:

http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/weight-gain/

http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/healthy-weight-gain

http://mchb.hrsa.gov/chusa13/perinatal-risk-factors-behaviors/p/weight-gain-during-pregnancy.html