Weight gain during pregnancy — what’s good and what’s not

Here is all that you need to know about weight gain during pregnancy.

By: Dr Anitha Anchan | | Updated: March 25, 2015 2:02 pm

Pregnancy is the only time in your life when you wouldn’t complain about your weight gain. However, that doesn’t mean you allow your bodyweight to escalate without paying any attention to diet and calorie intake. In fact, the most ridiculous advice ever given to a pregnant woman during pregnancy is eat for two. This is a myth that leads to unwanted weight gain during pregnancy and other complications during labour and delivery. The truth is all you need during your pregnancy is a balanced diet and only 300 calories extra than your daily intake. Here are few other common mistakes that pregnant women make unknowingly. Also Read - Pregnancy fatigue can be exhausting: Easy ways to overcome this problem

Also Read - Preterm birth may up premature death risk in mothers: Here’s what you can do to prevent early delivery

How much weight is too much? Also Read - Is it a boy or girl? Your appetite can reveal the gender of your baby

Weight gain during pregnancy helps nourish the baby and accumulate calories to produce milk for breastfeeding. You should gain weight at a steady pace. Inconsistent weight gain, too little or too much, can affect your baby adversely. Gaining very little weight during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery and low birth weight. It may also cause developmental delays and chronic health problems in your baby. On the contrary, putting on too much weight increases your risk of high blood pressure (preeclampsia) and gestational diabetes. It may also lead to an overweight or obese baby which may necessitate a C-section. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy can also make it difficult for you to shed the kilos post-pregnancy and may cause other problems (as mentioned above) in subsequent pregnancies. Know why eating for two during pregnancy isn’t a good idea.

How much weight should you gain during pregnancy?

How much weight you should gain during your pregnancy depends on your body mass index or BMI (your body weight divided by the square of your height) before you conceived. And if you are expecting twins it becomes particularly important to gain the correct amount of weight because twins are often born before the due date.

If you had a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 (average weight) before conceiving you should ideally have a weight gain between 11 and 16 kg. For the optimal growth of your baby you should gain around half a kg to 2 kg in the first trimester and about 2 kg every month thereafter for the rest of your pregnancy. If you are pregnant with twins, you should gain 18 to 23 kg.
If your pre-pregnancy BMI was below 18.5 (underweight) you should gain 12 to 18 kg.
If you had a BMI of 25 to 29.9 (overweight) you should gain around 7 to 11 kg. If pregnant with twins, you should gain around 14 to 22 kg.
If you had a BMI of 30 or higher (obese), you should gain between 5 to 10 kg and around 11 to 19 kg if you are pregnant with twins.

What happens to your body with all that weight you gain?

Your baby will account for the 3.5 kg of your extra weight (11-16 kg). The rest of the extra weight is due to placenta (1-1.5 kg), amniotic fluid (1-1.5 kg), breast tissue (1-1.5 kg), blood supply (2 kg), stored fat (2-4 kg) and increased uterus size (1-2 kg). It has taken you nine months to put on the weight. So, it s fair enough that you may take just as long to reduce it. Most of the weight gained during pregnancy is lost soon after you give birth (weight of child, placenta, amniotic fluid and blood supply). In the first six weeks after delivery most women lose half of the weight they gained during pregnancy. With a healthy diet and regular exercise you can shed the extra kilos and keep them off for good. Here are some tips to lose belly fat post pregnancy effectively.

Image source: Getty Images

Published : January 20, 2015 1:42 pm | Updated:March 25, 2015 2:02 pm

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