Almost every pregnant woman sometimes worries about her weight. Comparing herself with her girlfriends, she comes to the conclusion that she is gaining weight too slowly, too quickly, definitely too little or too much. When a pregnant woman finds some information about the optimal extra kilogram, and it does not match her weight, it is not difficult to get frustrated. Meanwhile, one ideal weight for a pregnant woman does not exist.

Correct pregnancy weightis a concern of many mothers. How many kilos should you gain? This is an individual matter and depends on many factors: how much you weighed before pregnancy, how tall you are, how big you will have your baby. Babies are different from each other and a he althy, well-developed toddler at birth can weigh just under three kilograms and just as well around four. It happens that it weighs even more, but then the proper course of pregnancy is not mentioned anymore, because there is a risk of complicated delivery, and the child's weight may be, for example, the result of gestational diabetes.

When you are not pregnant, you can easily control your weight with the BMI (body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared). Your doctor will primarily monitor your weight when you are expecting a baby. At each visit to the office, you are weighed by a midwife or gynecologist on the same scale, so if you visit your doctor regularly, any irregularities are noticed on time.

Of course, you can control the kilograms yourself, knowing how much weight you should gain in each trimester of pregnancy. Your doctor will inform you about it, and on the Internet you will find special calculators for pregnant women that take into account the differences in the height and starting weight of the future mother. Do not treat minor deviations from the pattern as irregularities.

Where do the extra pounds in pregnancy come from?

It is impossible not to gain weight during pregnancy. For 9 months, more kilos are added directly related to the child's development and the "infrastructure" he needs, a total of 10-12 kg:

  • child only: 3-4 kg
  • uterus: 1 kg
  • bearing: 0.5-1 kg
  • amniotic fluid: 1-2 kg
  • breasts: up to 2 kg
  • blood and other body fluids: 3 kg.

You will lose most of these extra pounds shortly after giving birth (approx. 7 kg), the rest inin the first months (even breastfeeding favors it). However, if you are clearly indulgent and put on much more than necessary, getting rid of the extra fat from different parts of the body will require a lot of effort: a special diet and physical activity.

Pregnancy itself is not a factor in weight gain. Women who have always been prone to gaining weight tend to get overweight, and waiting for a baby has only become an opportunity to make too much stock.

Sometimes during pregnancy there are also he alth problems that contribute to being overweight, such as endocrine disorders. In order to be sure that your weight is right before the birth, you need to gain weight properly throughout the pregnancy, depending on your baby's needs.

Which trimester of pregnancy is getting the most weight?

In the first trimester, your baby is so small that a weight gain of about 2 kg is sufficient. At the end of this trimester, the baby weighs 10-14 g, and the placenta only 50 g, and produces only 1.5 g of protein per day for the needs of a young person. So, if you do not gain weight at all, or even lose some weight (e.g. due to profuse vomiting, which often occurs at the beginning of pregnancy), the baby will certainly not run out of food.

In the second trimester, the child's needs increase significantly (at the end he will weigh almost a kilogram, and the amniotic fluid he needs is about 0.5 liters). It is assumed that optimal weight gain is approx. 0.5 kg per week (2 kg per month).

It is similar in the last trimester, but just before giving birth, you are not actually gaining weight, and at the beginning of the third trimester, you gain the most.

Of course, the rate of gaining weight is not the same for every woman and these are just general guidelines. There are mums-to-be whose tumors are rounded visibly in the second trimester and those who wait a little longer for them.

However, you should definitely contact your doctor when your weight jump exceeded a kilogram during the week or you notice changes literally overnight (e.g. swollen face, leg swelling that does not go away after a night's rest).

Underweight in pregnancy

Ideally, when you get pregnant you have a he althy weight (BMI 18.5 to 24.9) and then put on as directed. Both overweight and underweight are not recommended during pregnancy.

Women who were significantly underweight before pregnancy and did not change their eating habits significantly during pregnancy, more often give birth to children with low birth weight and with neurological disorders, including visual and hearing impairment, and developmental delay. Their babies are often born prematurely. It is worth emphasizing thatThese irregularities are associated not only with a low-calorie diet, but also an inappropriate diet.

Features of malnutrition (deficiency in the body of various essential nutrients) are also observed in women whose weight is normal, and even those who are overweight. Their diet is often rich in the best sources of fat and sugars, but they lack proteins, vitamins and minerals. Therefore, it is extremely important to take care of rational nutrition already six months before the planned pregnancy, and in the case of incorrect body weight, to correct the diet with a nutritionist or dietitian.

If your starting weight was too low, you must do your best during pregnancy to correct the deficiencies as soon as possible.

In the first trimester, when your baby's needs are still small, you have some time to make up for the shortcomings. You will need some fat that accumulates on the buttocks, hips and thighs of curvy ladies, as it will be a valuable source of energy for you and your baby. The principle that in the first trimester you do not need to increase the caloric value of your diet, and in the following trimester it is enough to eat 300-500 kcal more a day, does not apply to you. Probably a specialist will recommend that you introduce nutritious, he althy products to your menu as soon as possible, and at the same time will tell you how to deal with a lack of appetite (e.g. small portions, providing a lot of energy) and what to eat to meet all the needs of a developing little person.

If your weight before pregnancy was normal and you are gaining too little while waiting for your baby, don't worry. Intrauterine "starvation" of babies is really sporadic. More often, such a situation negatively affects the mother's well-being than the form of the child, because a small "parasite" can cope at your expense.

It is very rare that too little weight gain is caused by thyroid disorders and then endocrinology consultation is needed. Sometimes a slight increase in weight is a symptom of a child's developmental problems.

To be sure, your doctor will probably order an ultrasound scan to make sure your baby is growing properly. It is a myth that big children are born to women who gain a lot of weight during pregnancy. Often the opposite is true.

Pregnant overweight

Being overweight in pregnancy has virtually no good sides. Admittedly, it happens that too chubby mothers give birth to large, large children. Often, however, overweight, paradoxically, promotes the birth of a child with a low birth weight, because it is accompanied by hypertension. It reduces the supply of blood and nutrients to the baby, which may result in impaired development of the baby.

Hypertension happensan announcement of pregnancy poisoning (gestosis) - a disease that really threatens the life of mother and child. Other problems related to being overweight in pregnancy, especially obesity, are:

  • back pain
  • puffiness
  • varicose veins
  • difficulty breathing
  • complications during childbirth (higher probability of caesarean section, worse wound healing, prolonged labor)
  • difficult communication with the baby (obese women sometimes receive disturbing signals from the baby too late, because they have a weaker feeling of fetal movements).

Of course, careful maternity care, and especially your common sense, will minimize this risk.

How to keep weight in pregnancy?

In order to control kilograms during pregnancy, you cannot starve yourself. This is not the time for a miracle diet. Even if you are overweight, it is enough to avoid fatty and sweet snacks, give up eating to your heart's content (better more often, but less), eat more lean dairy and meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and fiber-rich foods, and clean still water.

You should eat five small meals, and if you feel hungry between them, you can nibble on fruit, raw vegetables, crisp bread, nuts.

Of course, if you weigh correctly, your pregnancy is uneventful and you have no special dietary recommendations, you can go crazy from time to time, after all, satisfying your cravings is one of the charms of pregnancy.

Note: Detailed nutrition recommendations are necessary for women with high blood pressure and diabetes.

Do not forget about physical activity. Outdoor walks, relaxation exercises, and swimming usually benefit all pregnant women.

Normal weight gain depending on BMI before pregnancy

According to an expertMarzena Dębska, MD, PhD, specialist in obstetrics, gynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Center of Postgraduate Education, Bielański Hospital in Warsaw

It doesn't matter which baby a woman expects: the rules for proper weight gain are the same. A fairly popular myth that more pounds should be added in the first pregnancy probably came from social observation, not medical reports. Indeed, it is not uncommon for women to gain less weight while expecting their next toddler than the first time. This is because their initial weight is greater, so the correct weight gain is smaller. In addition, experienced mothers understand better that "eating for two" is not he althy and is not conducive to giving birth to a larger child, and they remember very well how difficult it was to get rid of those extra pounds after giving birth. On the other hand, anotherwe give birth to the child later, often in their thirties, and then the woman's metabolism changes and the tendency to gain weight increases. Then the weight gain may be greater than the first time, but it is important that it is within the norm, because late pregnancy is always burdened with a higher risk, so it does not make sense to add problems that may result from being overweight. Two children does not mean double the kilogram limit. In the event of a multiple pregnancy, the weight of a single pregnancy only needs to be added to the weight of the children and the placenta. The recommended target weight in multiple pregnancy is around 15 kg. Even in the case of slim future mothers, she should not exceed 20 kg.

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