How Much Weight Should You Gain During Pregnancy?
Women who start at a healthy weight need to gain only the recommended amount of pregnancy weight. Too much weight gain can increase the risk of complications, like gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
The majority of pregnancy weight comes from the fetus, amniotic fluid, and the placenta. The remainder is due to accretion of maternal fat.
Weight Gain During Pregnancy in the First Trimester
In the first trimester of pregnancy, most women gain between two and five pounds. Your health care provider will determine a healthy weight range for you based on your body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy.
It’s important that you eat a balanced diet to get the extra calories your baby needs. Avoid fad diets or taking appetite suppressing pills. These could harm your pregnancy and cause health problems for both you and your unborn child.
During the second trimester, your body will need about 340 extra calories daily. This is enough to make you gain about a half pound each week. Your healthcare provider will check your weight at each prenatal visit to monitor your weight gain.
You should continue to eat a variety of nutritious foods and participate in moderate exercise. For example, walking and swimming are safe exercises for most pregnant women.
The extra weight you gain helps your baby grow and develop. The extra fat also supplies nutrients to your placenta and breast tissue. Weight gained in the right amounts allows you to give birth on time and reduces your risk for a C-section delivery. It also helps your baby be born at a healthy weight, which lowers the chances of health problems. The right amount of weight will also prepare you for breastfeeding if that’s your plan.
Weight Gain During Pregnancy in the Second Trimester
In the second trimester, most expecting women start to notice that they are gaining weight. This is when many women need to start wearing maternity clothes. This weight gain is typically slower than the first trimester, as a woman’s metabolism slows down as her pregnancy progresses.
The second trimester is also the time when a woman needs to increase her calories, consuming about an extra 340 calories per day. This amount of calories is needed to help your baby grow and prepare you for breastfeeding, if applicable after delivery.
It is important for all pregnant women to get enough calories, and the best way to do this is through a well-rounded diet that includes whole foods, protein, fats and carbohydrates. A registered dietitian can help you create a healthy eating plan to ensure you are getting enough calories throughout your pregnancy.
A new study found that women who are overweight or obese when they become pregnant have an increased risk of gaining too much weight during the second trimester. This may lead to more problems with the pregnancy and increases the chances of needing a C-section at the end. To avoid this, it is recommended that you maintain a normal body weight before pregnancy and try to stick to the recommended weight gain guidelines. You should also aim to exercise regularly — 30 minutes of moderate intensity, such as brisk walking, is recommended on most days.
Weight Gain During Pregnancy in the Third Trimester
At this point, a woman’s body is preparing to birth a baby. During this time, it is normal for weight gain to increase significantly. However, it is still important to be mindful of the amount of weight gained and make healthy eating choices to ensure that the mother and baby are both thriving.
During this trimester, it is generally recommended that women who were a healthy weight before pregnancy should aim to gain 1 pound per week. Ideally, this can be accomplished by slowly increasing the number of calories that are consumed over time.
In the third trimester, a baby weighs around 5 pounds. At this stage, the layer of soft downy hair that covers a fetus (lanugo) begins to shed. In addition, the fetus is growing and increasing its length from crown to rump. This growth requires extra nutrients and thus additional calories.
Gaining too much weight during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of having a large baby (macrosomia) and difficulty losing weight after childbirth. It also increases a woman’s risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and some cancers in the future. It is important to work with a healthcare provider to help determine a safe and healthy weight for the individual woman. They can provide recommendations based on the pre-pregnancy BMI as well as help her devise an effective eating plan.
Weight Loss During Pregnancy in the Fourth Trimester
If a woman is underweight or overweight before pregnancy, she may be worried about gaining too much weight during her pregnancy. She should work closely with her health care provider to come up with an early plan for healthy weight gain, and be sure to check in at regular intervals to make sure she is on target. She can also get referrals for a dietitian and other resources to help her with meal planning, food selection, and cooking strategies that are specific to her needs.
During the fourth trimester, women usually start to lose some of the extra pregnancy weight, especially after giving birth. This is normal, and it is not because the baby has lost weight; much of this is water loss from the placenta, amniotic fluid, and increased blood and fluid volume in the body after childbirth.
Many women find it helpful to keep a journal of their meals, which can be an excellent way to track calorie intake and to ensure they are getting the appropriate amount of nutrients for themselves and the fetus. It is also helpful to be able to recognize the difference between hunger and cravings, which can often be confused by hormonal changes during pregnancy. In addition, it is a good idea to choose smaller plates when eating in order to prevent overeating.
