Pregnancy & Weight Gain

Why should woman gain weight?

Woman obviously gain weight during pregnancy because the fetus is growing within the uterus. A woman should gain ideal weight during pregnancy. If she does not gain adequate weight, then she must get herself checked with the gynecologist to see if the fetus is growing properly. If she has gained excess weight then she must reduce her weight by performing workouts and following a healthy diet.

Ideally, a woman should gain weight during pregnancy by 14 to 18 kilos. Some woman fear if they have not gained more weight. But still, after the sonography test indicates healthy growth of the baby, she need not worry. Usually, excess weight gain during pregnancy leads to complications. After delivery such woman cannot lose weight easily.

If the baby within the womb is gaining weight correctly, even if the mother does not gain weight then she need not fear. A woman should consume healthy food during this period to provide nutrition to the growing fetus. She should avoid the intake of ghee, butter and the other nutrients that provide fat. She should consume foods that provide hemoglobin such as spinach, green beans, salads, coriander and fruits. There should be sufficient amniotic fluid in the body of the woman.

 

How much weight does she gain during pregnancy

Most of the women lose weight during the first four months of pregnancy because they face symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or morning sickness. Hence most of them lose appetite and finally lose weight. But yet, if the growth of the baby is healthy, there is to need to fear. On the contrary, if the woman is gaining right weight, it does not mean that the baby is growing normally.

The weight gain for the mother is more pronounced after 20 to 24 months due to the growth of the fetus. After 18 months the woman feels the movements of the baby. As advised by the medical experts, a woman should gain weight during her pregnancy, whether she is overweight or underweight. A woman who is considered to be clinically overweight must gain ideally 15 pounds and those woman who are underweight are expected to gain 25 to 30 pounds. The following weights that are mentioned are applied for the woman who are carrying a single baby. If the mother is carrying two or more babies, then she must gain more weight. Till, today, the medical experts have not been able to prescribe standard weights for woman.

It is really essential for a woman to gain weight because she shall give birth to a new human being. Mothers who do not consume enough nutrition during this period are most likely to produce sick babies who will require more time in hospital. Such mothers shall face high risk of incidence of neonatal death.

 

Dietary plans

If a woman really wants to gain weight during pregnancy, she should not eat too much or eat more than two times a day. She should eat healthy food that she gains the ideal weight.

Avoid eating junk food and eat food that is filled with nutrients. Junk food does not lead to healthy development. During the snack time if you are eating candy bar , substitute it with a fresh fruit. Continue the same diet when having lunch or dinner.

In the first trimester, there is a slight weight gain about 9 pounds to 11 pounds. This weight gain is due to the water content in the body. the water content that is present in the body will help the baby grow. During the first trimester your baby will not grow up substantially and seems to be very tiny. Then during the next two trimesters it grows up well. At the end of the pregnancy the woman experiences slight weight loss.

A woman should not gain several pounds in a week. If she gains, she must analyze her eating habits. Remember that your dietary pattern directly affects the baby’s growth. Remember that slow and steady wins the race. Hence a woman should gain weight slowly. The composition of the weight during pregnancy is as follows.

1. 7.5 to 8.5 lbs of weight is for the baby.
2. The amniotic fluid is about 2 lbs.
3. The placenta is about 1.5 to 2 lbs.
4. 2 to 2.5 lbs weight is of uterine muscles.
5. 4 lbs weight is occupied by water.
6. 8 lbs is for maternal stores.

The exact weight to be gained by a woman can be determined by measuring her BMI i.e. Body Mass Index.

Suppose, during the pre-pregnancy period if the woman was healthy, about a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 pounds, then must gain 25 to 30 pounds. You must gain about 2 to 5 pounds in the first trimester or ideally one pound in a week. In the same way if you were underweight then you must gain 28 to 40 pounds ideally and if you were underweight then you must gain around 25 to 29 pounds. But if you were obese then you must not gain more than 15 pounds.

It is very important to gain right weight during pregnancy because if you gain excess weight during pregnancy you shall face a number of problems like backache, swollen legs, ankles, etc. these problems occur due to the increased amount of blood and other fluid in the body.

According to the recent studies conducted by the medical experts, it was researched that an obese woman can lose weight instead of gaining weight during pregnancy and also she cannot cause any harm to the baby. Also the researchers have recently found that if a woman gains excess weight, the consequences will be really harmful both to her and her baby. But if she loses weight, her child will not face any problem of excess weight gain in the future. Ideally doctor advises underweight woman to gain more weight and overweight woman to gain less weight. If a woman gains weight more than what the doctor has recommended her then her children are most likely to become overweight in the future.