WEIGHT GAIN DURING PREGNANCY
Weight gain & pregnancy. The two generally go hand in hand yet is a a topic that can be overwhelming, controversial and at times difficult to accept.
When pregnant in most cases it is a guarantee that you are going to gain weight, but the question many women face is just how much weight should I gain, what is considered ‘normal’ and when should I be putting it on?
When it comes to weight gain during pregnancy there is no one size fits all approach - much the same as diets and exercise! Those of smaller frames and lower pre-pregnancy BMI’s (less than 18.5kg/m) are encouraged to gain more weight during pregnancy than those of normal or overweight BMI’s as it helps to reduce the risk of delivering a low for gestational age infant.
However high weight gain can be associated with other complications. Mummy’s to be that are carrying extra weight and falling into the overweight or obese categories on the BMI chart (25 – 29kg/m & above 30kg/m), prior to falling pregnant are encouraged to gain less weight throughout the course of their pregnancy. This assists in reducing the risk of delivering a large for gestational age infant (weighing more than 9 pound) and other pregnancy complications associated with weight gain such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and post partum haemorrhage.
What is right for you?
Try not to focus on numbers. Some studies show that the overall the average recommendations for weight gain during pregnancy are between 12 – 16kg and again these vary greatly from each expecting mother due to the variety of personal and pre-pregnancy weight factors. For example a gained 15kg and 19kg in each of my pregnancies.
What if I am not gaining weight?
A number of factors can impact weight gain and actually lead to weight loss during pregnancy. Hyperemesis gravidarum referred to as HG is essentially severe morning sickness that can last all day and all pregnancy - it does not sound fun at all! It is characterised by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss and possibly dehydration. If you are experiencing this during your pregnancy please reach out or seek advice from your Doctor.
Do I put it all on at the start, end or somewhere in between?
Again - this is so individual, so if you are reading this please don’t be too concerned if your journey differs to the general comments made here! Weight gain in the first trimester is relatively small with a total of about 1-2kg. This increases in the second and third trimesters with an average gain of about 0.4kg/week. Again, this is varying for everyone, but can help to be used as a guide. If you spend the first 12 weeks becoming best friends with your toilet bowl or suffer HG throughout your pregnancy, you might find that you actually lose weight, or you may gain 5-6 kg in the first trimester and then notice that this slows during the second and third. As hard as it may be, try not to compare yourself to anyone else during this time. This goes for post pregnancy weight loss also. Every woman and her journey is different. As long as aim to are fuelling your body well, incorporate a variety of nutritious foods and engage in regular movement, your body will do what it needs to do and take care of the rest. See my Exercise and Nutrition During Pregnancy eBook - the complete Pregnancy Guide for bump friendly training programs for the home and gym PLUS recipes and more!
Where does the weight come from?
When looking at the percentage of total weight gain during pregnancy in a normal, healthy pregnancy only about 26 – 30% is from body fat. The remainder comes down to the fetus (27%), extracellular/vascular fluid (15%) and blood (10%), with the uterus, placenta, amniotic fluid, and mammary glands accounting for the rest. Are you feeling puffy and like you are retaining fluid? Don’t stress, overall water accounts for over half of the maternal weight gained during pregnancy and will disappear soon after you give birth to you little miracle.
Overall
If you are concerned about your weight gain or loss throughout pregnancy always speak to your doctor. Whilst is can be difficult having to step out of your favourite shorts or jeans go up a size or two in the underwear department and upgrade the work wardrobe, try to embrace the journey that your body is headed on. Pregnancy is most certainly not the time to be dieting or restricting your food intake (unless you have been advised to by your doctor). You don’t have to make friends with the scales, but make sure you do make friends with salad both during and after your pregnancy.
Make sure you are choosing plenty of fresh, whole, healthy foods to give your baby the best head start possible and keep up the regular activity; the benefits of this to your physical and mental health and baby are countless!
Brooke x
P.S - If the thought of eating for two excites you and has you going back for seconds for dinner or saying yes more often to the lunchroom cakes, think again. The initial stages of pregnancy actually requires very little change in your daily energy intake. I cover everything you need to know about Nutrition during pregnancy in my Prenatal eBook - find it HERE.