Appropriate weight gain and nutritional intake during the nine months when you’re eating for two is essential. This does not mean you should be eating ice cream and potato chips -- but it does mean you need to try to intake the nutrients vital to a rapidly developing baby while also keeping yourself healthy. Some weight gain is not only unavoidable, it’s essential. Your baby is going to get all the nutrition it needs first, and you get what’s left over. Reasonably weight gain keeps you and your baby healthy.
What’s the Optimal Weight Gain During Pregnancy?
If you begin your pregnancy at an optimal weight, experts recommend an optimal increase of 24 to 28 pounds. If you’re underweight, you might need to gain closer to 30 or 40 pounds. This can help prevent cardiac and respiratory problems during pregnancy and complications during delivery. For larger pregnant women, try to keep weight gain between 15 and 25 pounds. Sticking to a healthy weight range is linked to fewer pregnancy risks and healthier babies. The farther you are from your optimal weight, the more at risk you and your baby are for complications.
The general guide is not to double your food intake, but to add about an extra 300 calories a day -- good calories, not candy bars and hot cheetos. Additionally, experts recommend gaining two to four pounds in the first trimester, and one pound per week from there on out. Twins increase the normal weight gain to 35-45 pounds. If you’re having multiples greater than 2, talk to your doctor about what’s best for you.
Where Will You Be Gaining Weight?
By the end of your pregnancy, you’ll have new weight in all kinds of different places. The average baby weighs between 7-9 pounds, while the placenta is typically about two to three pounds. Even your breasts are going to get bigger; combined with amniotic fluid, you can expect about 6 added pounds. Other areas you’ll see an increase include blood supply (four pounds), stored fat for delivery and nursing (five to nine pounds), and a growing uterus (two to five pounds). All together, you get a grand total of roughly 30 pounds.
Should You Exercise?
If you are someone who conscientiously diets and watches the scale, it is time to stop. Think of it as a luxury, you can finally eat all the nutritious food you want. As the body changes, your breasts enlarge, and extra fat develops to protects hips, buttocks, and thighs. Incorporating a gentle exercise routine will help prevent unnecessary weight gain, along with increasing the ease with which you deliver (strong muscles!). Fad dieting is a terrible idea while you’re pregnant. The goal isn’t to diet, but to change your diet to an overall healthy quantity and quality of consumption. Watching the scale go up can be depressing, but it means your baby is putting on healthy weight as well -- and a well-nourished, healthy baby is the ultimate goal. If you have to, just put the scale away. Your obstetrician will keep track for you.
