You will gain weight gradually as your baby grows. Gaining less or more weight than recommended can have health consequences for you and your baby, such as enhancing your risk of gestational diabetes. If you are concerned about how much weight should you gain when pregnant, continue reading…
Speak with your doctor or midwife in case of extreme weight loss or weight gain. We have specified here the suitable weight ranges for different body BMI’s to guide you much better.
How much weight should you gain when pregnant
Eating a healthy, balanced diet will ensure that your infant gets the nutrients he or she requires and grows at a healthy rate. But how many more calories do you truly require? The average pregnant woman requires just around 300 healthy calories per day than she did before becoming pregnant. This will assist them in gaining the appropriate amount of weight throughout pregnancy. Consult your doctor about how much weight you should gain. A lady who had a normal weight before becoming pregnant should gain 25 to 35 pounds after having a baby. Underweight women should gain 28 to 40 pounds. In addition, overweight women may only need to gain 15 to 25 pounds during pregnancy. In general, you should gain 2 to 4 pounds during the first three months of pregnancy and 1 pound every week thereafter. You should gain 35 to 45 pounds during your pregnancy if you are having twins. When you’re expecting twins, it’s extremely vital to acquire the correct amount of weight since your weight impacts the infants’ weight.
Here is the table showing how much weight you should gain in your pregnancy based on your weight before the pregnancy.
| Pre-pregnancy weight | Recommended weight gain during pregnancy |
| Underweight: BMI is below 18.5 | Weight gain should be 28 to 40 lbs that are about 13 to 18 kg |
| Healthy weight: BMI is 18.5 to 24.9 | Weight gain should be 25 to 35 lbs that are about 11 to 16 kg |
| Overweight: BMI is 25 to 29.9 | Weight gain should be 15 to 25 lbs that are about 7 to 11 kg |
| Obese: BMI 30 or more | Weight gain should be 11 to 20 lbs that are about 5 to 9 kg |
Reasons For Weight Gain During Pregnancy
There are many reasons for weight gain during pregnancy. In addition to your baby growing, your body is also adding new body tissue. You will gain weight as a result of:
- Enlarging Breast that results in weight gain of 2-3 pounds
- Expanding of the uterus expands that’s results in 2-5 pounds of weight gain
- The amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby that weighs around 2-3 pounds
- Expanding of the placenta results in the gain of 2-3 pounds
- Production of extra blood and fluid that results in a gain of 4 pounds almost
Hence these all are the reasons behind weight gain during pregnancy.
Can You Lose Weight While Expecting?
If a woman is extremely overweight when she becomes pregnant, her doctor may advise her to reduce weight. They should only reduce weight under the supervision of their doctor. However, in most situations, women should not attempt to lose weight or diet while pregnant.
Read more: Home Remedies for Heartburn During Pregnancy: The CHELSEA Approach
Exercise During Pregnancy
You can begin or maintain regular exercise while pregnant as long as you tailor your activity to your stage of pregnancy. Walking, swimming or pregnant fitness courses for 30 minutes per day will assist but don’t do more than 20 minutes of rapid physical activity at a time to avoid overheating. Walking, swimming, aqua aerobics, and pregnant fitness programs are all excellent options. They will help you avoid gaining extra weight, lower your risk of gestational diabetes, and make you stronger so you can deal better with labor. Hence it’s best to do regular physical activity to maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy.
How To Have A Healthy Weight Gain During Pregnancy
If your doctor wants you to gain weight while pregnant, follow these guidelines:
- Have five to six small meals per day.
- Use nuts, raisins, cheese, crackers, dried fruit, or yogurt for quick, easy snacks.
- Use Peanut butter spread over toast, crackers, apples, bananas, or celery. A spoonful of creamy peanut butter has around 100 calories and 7 grams of protein which is a healthy option.
- Use extras such as butter or margarine, cream cheese, gravy, sour cream, and cheese in your meal.
- Have a proper serving of fruits on a daily basis.
- Foods and beverages with sugar or corn syrup listed as one of the first ingredients are not should be avoided.
Read more: Home Remedies for Nausea During Pregnancy: The CRACKER Approach
Conclusion
Hence weight gain during pregnancy is mandatory but it should always be in a healthy way. Gaining too much weight or losing can be dangerous in pregnancy hence you should continuously monitor your weight throughout your pregnancy.
Fatima Sarmad
I lead a team of professional nutritionists and dietitians. We provide our consulting services in different areas of nutrition.
