How To Stop Weight Gain During Pregnancy
In this article, We talk about How To Stop Weight Gain During Pregnancy? It is important to control weight gain during pregnancy, but it is necessary to start taking care of yourself much earlier.
During pregnancy, we must eat a healthy diet and, whenever possible, exercise to stay in shape and prepare for the moment of delivery. However, waiting for a pregnancy to start is not recommended.
A new study found that, in the case of overweight women, it is possible and safe to exercise and eat a special diet to avoid excessive weight gain during pregnancy, however, this does not help reduce their chances of suffering certain related complications with its weight.
Always Talk To Your Doctor About Weight
Your doctor can help you pay attention to weight gain. What you can do is eat healthily and go to prenatal consultations regularly. To keep your weight within the recommended limits, your doctor will give you advice on how to increase or decrease the number of calories you consume.
Managing Weight Gain During Pregnancy
Most women should gain between 25 and 35 pounds (11.5 to 16 kilograms) during pregnancy. Most of them will gain 2 to 5 pounds (1 to 3 kilograms) during the first trimester, and then 1 pound (0.5 kilograms) per for the rest of the pregnancies. The amount of weight to gain will depend on your situation:
- Overweight women should gain less (15 to 25 pounds or 7 to 11 kilograms or less, depending on their pre-pregnancy weight).
- Underweight women will need to gain more (29 to 40 pounds or 14 to 20 kilograms).
- You should increase more if you have more than 1 baby. Women who have twins need to gain 37 to 54 pounds (16.5 to 24.5 kilograms).
A balanced, nutrient-rich diet, along with exercise, is the foundation for a healthy pregnancy. For most pregnant women, the appropriate number of calories is as follows:
- 1,800 calories per day on the 1st. trimester
- 2,200 calories per day on the 2nd. trimester
- 2,400 calories per day on the 3rd. trimester
What Is Causing The Weight Gain?
Most of the weight that is gained during pregnancy is not fat but is related to the baby. Here’s a breakdown of how 35 pounds (16 kilograms) are composed:
- Baby: 8 pounds (3.5 kilograms)
- Placenta: 2 to 3 pounds (1 to 1.5 kilograms)
- Amniotic fluid: 2 to 3 pounds (1 to 1.5 kilograms)
- Breast tissue: 3 to 4 pounds (1 to 1.5 kilograms)
- Blood supply: 4 pounds (2 kilograms)
- Fat deposits: 7 to 9 pounds (2.5 to 4 kilograms)
- Uterus growth: 3 to 6pounds (1 to 2.5 kilograms)
Body Image During Pregnancy
If you have struggled with your weight in the past, it may be difficult for you to accept that it is okay to gain weight now. It is normal to feel anxious as the numbers on the scale go up.
Keep in mind that weight gain is necessary for a healthy pregnancy. The extra pounds will disappear after you have had the baby. On the other hand, if you gain much more weight than recommended, your baby will be bigger too. This can sometimes lead to problems with delivery.
What Is The Issue Of Excessive Weight Gain In Pregnancy?
The issue of excessive weight gain in pregnancy has always been worrisome because it increases the possibility that pregnant women have complications such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, or hypertension, among others, as well as having babies with higher birth weights.
Controlling weight gain during pregnancy is something that all women should take into account, regardless of their initial weight, although in the case of those who are overweight or obese, this is even more important.
Recently, the results of a study were released. The purpose was to find out if through diet and exercise, overweight women could maintain a healthy weight during their pregnancy, and if this could potentially help reduce the rate of complications that we mentioned.
The results were mixed. For one thing, it was found that by starting a healthy eating and exercise program early in the second trimester, women avoided excessive weight gain during pregnancy. However, this did not help reduce the rate of gestational diabetes, hypertension, and other complications.
Where Does The Pregnancy Weight Gain Go?
Your baby could weigh between 7 and 8 pounds (about 3 to 3.6 kilograms). That explains part of the pregnancy weight gain. What about the rest? Check out this example breakdown:
- Larger breasts: 1 to 4 pounds (about 0.5 to 1.5 kilograms)
- Largest uterus: 2 pounds (about 0.9 kilograms)
- Placenta: 1 1/2 pounds (about 0.7 kilograms)
- Amniotic fluid: 2 pounds (about 0.9 kilograms)
- Increased blood volume: 4 to 5 pounds (about 1.4 to 1.8 kilograms)
- Increased fluid volume: 3 to 4 pounds (about 0.9 to 1.4 kilograms)
- Fat storage: 6 to 8 pounds (about 2.7 to 3.6 kilograms)
How To Avoid Unwanted Weight Gain During Pregnancy?
Weight Gain During Pregnancy? During pregnancy, it is very natural for you to gain weight. However, some women gain too much weight and this can be risky. Why Do Some Women Gain Too Much Weight During Pregnancy and How Can It Be Prevented? How much weight gain is normal and healthy pregnancy?
As a rule, weight gain begins from the thirteenth week of pregnancy. How much a woman gains during pregnancy depends not only on diet but also on pre-pregnancy weight and height. The weight gain in slim women is often higher than in pregnant women who were already overweight before pregnancy. It would be reasonable if a pregnant woman gains seven to eighteen kilograms.
Incidentally, the weight gain says little about the weight of the unborn child. Not only does the child grow up and become heavier, but other factors are also responsible for the increasing weight. Among other things, it depends on the storage of water and fat, and the uterus also enlarges.
What Happens To Women Who Have A Twin Pregnancy?
The weight of pregnant women with twins will be monitored by the obstetrician. The increase in the number of kilograms must be significant (but the number of kilograms will not be doubled)
- Weight before pregnancy
- Recommended weight gain
- Normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9)
- 17-25 kg
- Overweight (BMI 25-29.9)
- 14-23 kg
- Obesity (BMI> / = 30)
- 11-19 kg
If I Am Overweight, What Risks Do I Or My Child Have?
Being chubby before evolving pregnant enlargements the risk of having specific complications in incubation, such as gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. Although overweight women are recommended to gain some weight during pregnancy, experts say that women who are obese can weigh even less than what is mentioned in these guidelines, without any risk to the child.
In addition, keep in mind that if you gain even more weight than is recommended and you will not be able to lose this weight after birth, the extra pounds will be a risk to your health. Also, being overweight during pregnancy can increase your baby’s risk of birth defects or childhood obesity.
If I Am Underweight, What Risks Do I Or my Child Have?
As a result of morning sickness, many women lose weight slightly during the first trimester of pregnancy and worry about its effects on their baby’s development. Fortunately, at this time, the child does not need too many calories and nutrients. It is important to gain weight at a steady pace during pregnancy.
Babies whose mothers weigh less than 10 kilograms during pregnancy are often considered small for their gestational age, which could mean that they may have been malnourished during their intrauterine life.
How Are The Kilograms Gained Distributed At The End Of The Pregnancy?
Your baby will weigh between 3-3.6 kilograms, which is only a part of the total weight you will gain at birth. Here’s an example of what the rest of the pounds are:
- Larger breasts: about 1 kilogram
- Larger uterus: about 1 kilogram
- Placenta: about 0.7 kilograms
- Amniotic fluid: about 1 kilogram
- Additional blood volume: about 1.4-1.8 kilograms
- Increased volume of fluids: about 1.4-1.8 kilograms
- Fat deposits: about 2.7-3.6 kilograms
Weight Gain During Pregnancy Month By Month?
Depending on which trimester you are in, the weight gain will vary over the weeks. While you won’t see much movement on the scales at the beginning of pregnancy, this can change quickly as you progress through the second trimester. The fetus grows and gains weight, your blood volume increases, you retain water, and your body prepares for breastfeeding with love handles.
So it happens that there is almost no weight gain in the first trimester, but in the second and third trimesters, the number on the scale climbs relentlessly upwards. And that’s exactly how it should be!
It is also normal for the weight to jump slightly from one week of pregnancy to the next. If your baby has just grown significantly, there may be deviations from the regular weight curve. The weight curve calculator will help you with the classification: As long as you are in the given, gray area, there is usually hardly any need to worry.
With our table for the optimal weight gain after weeks of pregnancy you can get an overview of how many extra kilos you can expect:
Week Of Pregnancy (SSW) Weight gain
- 5. – 16. SSW that. 2 Kilograms
- 17. – 22. SSW that. 2 Kilograms
- 23. – 26. SSW that. 2 Kilograms
- 27. – 35. SSW that. 4 – 4.5 Kilograms
- 35. – 40. SSW that. 2 – 2.5 Kilograms
Midwives and gynecologists also like to consider the weight gain per week, especially for pregnant women who are overweight or underweight or with previous illnesses. They are based on the following standards:
- up to the 13th week of pregnancy: hardly any weight gain
- 14th – 24th week of pregnancy: 250-300 grams per week
- from the 25th week of pregnancy: 400 grams per week
