Why should you gain weight during pregnancy?

Like it or not, weight gain in pregnancy is inevitable. Your baby's growth & development depend on it. But eating for two isn't a license to eat double than the normal amount of food. Use healthy lifestyle habits for controlling your pregnancy weight gain, supporting your baby's health and making it easier to shed all the extra pounds after delivery.

No matter what you weigh prior to pregnancy you must gain weight. Even women who are clinically obese need to gain at the minimum 11 pounds, while women who are underweight need to gain more than the average statement of 25-35 pounds, generally at least 10-15 pounds more depending on the severity of weight problem. These figures are for a healthy woman carrying a single baby. Moms who are expecting multiples will require gaining more weight, although no standards have been devised for these special conditions as a whole.

Why gain weight?

Weight gain does many useful things for you and your baby. First of all remember that you are growing a new human being within you. Women who deprive themselves of healthy and good nutrition during pregnancy tend to have smaller, sickly babies who need more hospital time and have a higher incidence of problems including neonatal death.

How should I gain weight?

Remember that eating for two doesn't really mean eating twice as much. In general you don't need to add any more than 200-300 calories a day to your present diet. However, what you eat is what really counts.

You need to make sure that your diet is nutrient dense, full of good things for you and your baby as opposed to junk food, full of fat and sugar. Reach out for fresh fruit instead of a candy bar for snacks.

Majority of women will notice a slight weight gain in beginning of pregnancy, generally about four pounds during first trimester. Some of this is water weight; some is materials needed to help your baby grow. Your baby is still extremely tiny at the end of this trimester. Occasionally you will see women who gain little more weight up to about ten pounds during the first trimester as a result of lowered activity levels and water weight gain. Incase you are overweight you need to gain about 3 pounds and if you are underweight you should gain about 5 pounds.

The majority of weight will be fairly evenly spread over the last 2 trimesters, about a pound a week, with little more at the end. Incase you are underweight it should be increased by nearly 25% (or a quarter pound per week) and if you are overweight it should be decreased by same amount. It is quite common to notice a cessation of weight gain, perhaps even a slight weight loss at the end of pregnancy.

If you notice that you have put on several pounds one week, watch your diet. Did you change your dietary habits? Your doctor will also use your weight gain as an indicator of your baby's growth and in looking for potential problems.

Pregnancy weight gain guidelines

There doesn't exist a one-size-fits-all approach to pregnancy weight gain. How much weight you need to gain depends on a variety of factors, including your pre-pregnancy weight and body mass index (BMI). Your health and your baby's health also play an important role here.

Work with your doctor or health care provider to determine what's right for you. Following are the general guidelines for pregnancy weight gain: