Weight Gain with Pregnancy

I think every person is different, and what works for you might not work for someone else. You'll just have to try and see. I gained 74 pounds with my twins (who combined for 16 pounds). A friend only gained 35 pounds with her twins (combined for 13 pounds), and she had fast food all day and all night. I was shocked, but the body does what the body does. Focus on strong nutritional choices and you will be fine.

I also felt that I gained way to much weight with my pregnancy so if I get the chance to do it again I'll use baby fit. It's an online fitness group I joined when my son was about 6 months old. It helps you plan out meals and tracks your nutrition to make sure you're getting the right nutrition to keep you and baby healthy. It's not just for nusing mothers but it's more focused around pregnant woman.

http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com/pregnancy-resource-center.asp

hope this helps!!

I think each person is different. I gained a lot of weight with each of my kids and did very different diet and exercise routines with both. I pretty much gained the same amount regardless. I think as long as you feel good and the baby is healthy, don't stress about your weight. As far as eating, it is a good idea to focus on protein and whole foods and try to limit your breads and white flour/sugar foods to be sure the weight gain is "healthy" weight. Most Bradley instructors will talk about the Brewer diet - http://www.blueribbonbaby.org/ifyouarepregnant/ which follows those principles. Running after two kids hile pregnant should keep you active :) so you should be fine!

Oh boy, I feel for you. I am pregnant with my 4th child. With each baby I gained 50-54 lbs (my pre pregnancy weight has always been between 102-108 lbs). I am 25 weeks (and I've already gained 30 lbs). I truly believe that every woman is different. From what you've described and from my own experience with weight gain, you and I are the unfortunate ones who are (1) hungry all the time (is this true for you??), and (2) every morsel we eat sticks to our bones. I have been told by sympathetic listeners that this weight gain is actually good (for who??) because it means we are nourishing our babies. Hmmm...all of my babies were around 7 lbs (all born by c-sections, as my current pregnancy will be a scheduled c-section)...so all this weight I've gained will have to wait to come off until I my doctor's approval and even then, I have to gradually ease myself into working out. BTW, before pregnancy, I am very active and fit (not bragging here) so for me the weight comes off and with each baby, I've gotten to my pre-pregnancy weight in 6 months or less. I DO believe that breastfeeding does contribute to the weight loss as well...the baby sucks all that fat right outta' me! : ) I never dieted after having a baby. I don't believe in them, and I don't believe in depriving oneself of the things they enjoy eating. Just eat less, which for me, after I have a baby, my appetite goes back to normal. Thank goodness for that!

I understand you are only a month pregnant and you feel "full" already. This fullness cannot possibly be a lot of weight gain. You need to consider the volume of blood that increases, and other fluids,, the size of your uterus, as the baby grows then you have the size/weight of the baby...so it's not ALL weight gain in terms of fat on your body, although, I know, you do feel that way. I feel that way too! It all gets distributed in various places and once you have the baby, you should lose approximately 10 lbs. That's nice, isn't it? Yes, you will have to work the rest off but if you've done it before, like I have 3 times already, we can do it again.

well staying active will help with that alot.
I gained 19 pounds and had a healthy baby at 38 weeks.
I am reading more and more that even 200 extra calories might be pushing it. focus on dairy, whole grains and fresh produce.

R.- my best advice to you is to exercise!! Whatever you enjoy and feel comfortable with for as long as possible in your pregnancy. I gained 40 pounds my first pregnancy, ate what I wanted and didn't really exercise except for walking. I only took 1/2 of it back off before I was pregnant with my 2nd. I was determined that there was no way I was going to put 40 more pounds on top of that!! I've been exercising 2-3 x's/week my entire pregnancy - I did classes 1st/2nd trimester and the 3rd trimester I'm doing mostly treadmill and eliptical (always at a comfortable level and HR not above 140 beats/min) and I lost 10 pounds the first trimester b/c I was so active and gained 13 pounds back! So as of 36 weeks, I'm only +3 pounds!! Plus it made me feel so much better my whole pregnancy and my BP stayed low as well!

The recommendation is usually 25-35, rather than 20-25, although I've known people with super-healthy pregnancies who gained around or less than 20 (very petite, low-weight people), and people who gained more than the 35 very healthfully as well. Usually you do not need more than your normal calories in the first trimester, then only about 300 more each day the second two. I don't know how reasonable it is either way, but if you are willing to dedicate yourself to calorie counting, you might want to double-check with your doctor. I usually just eat when I'm hungry and try to go for walks, although this pregnancy I've actually gained 38 pounds so far in just 33 weeks, but it is pretty much tapering off like my last two. I could never count calories. Not to be obsessive, but I do keep a weight journal (pregnant or not) and also write down my activitiy and how I feel, so I can track up and down days, bloated days, "real" weight gain, and see where I've tapered off exercise and paid for it. It helps me make sure I'm taking good care of myself and the baby. Just make your calories count and drink as much water as you can stand. :)

Eat healthy and exercise...doing that will help you feel good...and help with your overall health and weight. Just because you are pregnant doesn't mean you have to take on a huge calorie intake...talk with your doctor about a good diet/exercise plan and let them help you have a healthy pregnancy. Fruit, veggies, lean proten, healthy carbs and omega 3's...its no different for pregnant women than it is for the rest of us. Its about what you eat - healthy vs non healthy and its about moving! In the beginning your digest slows and as you know a whole other wealth of bodily issues take place that will be contributing to your "fat" feeling....healthy eating and exericise will help. My doc said not to let my heart rate exceed 140 when I was pregnant (my son is almost 4 now) and being prganant made my heart rate go up faster than before...so it helps to have a heart rate monitor to keep it in line...

I had 5 kids. With my 1st baby I gained over 50 pounds so I understand how you feel. I was determined I would never do that again. Everyone always told me "Have as much as you want, you're eating for 2 now.", Well, that's not completely true. What you eat is important for both you and the baby, but the amount isn't. If you eat a small meal the baby will not go hungry! And neither will you!

With my 2nd baby, I gained 20 pounds. With the 3rd, I gained 16 pounds. With the 4th, (I was expecting twins this time) I actually lost weight! I weighed 128 pounds when I got pregnant and was 114 pounds the day after delivering them. And they were both healthy babies. And so was I.

Just eat a healthy diet, but you don't stuff yourself. It will only make you uncomfortable later in the pregnancy. And stay away from fattening junk foods. Exercise is good for you and the baby. Just be careful not to strain yourself too much. If it hurts, stop!

Really, talk to your doctor about recommending a nutrionist that specializes in pregnancy nutrition. It's not so much the weight that you gain, but the food that you eat.

If you exercise every day, there is no reason to stop - maybe dial back the intensity. Work out with weights too. Talk to your doctor about that too.

Good luck!

You don't need to eat any more than normal (providing what you were eating was a healthy balanced and calorie-dense diet to start with) the first trimester. Just add a little healthy snack for 200 calories extra in the other trimesters and get moving (provided you aren't high risk) -- exercise! The recommended amount if you are average weight to start with is 25-35 lbs. It is more if you are underweight to start with and less if you are overweight. I gained 35 with #1, 32 with #2 and am currently looking at probably 25-30 with #3 when it is all said and done (I am currently 23 weeks). There is no reason to put on 60 lbs! That is so hard on your joints and your organs not to mention taking it off again! If you need motivation on a regular basis - private message me! I will try to kick your butt into gear :)

Good luck! (Mom of 2 under 4 and 1 on the way -- triathlete, runner, swimmer, spinning enthusiast, prenatal yoga enthusiast, group fitness class participant, zumba partier, and weight lifter)

No. I gained more with one of mine than another - I don't know why. Just stay away from frozen packaged food, butter, fried food. Eat fresh fruit for snacks and veggies at lunch and dinner - along with your meat.

And get rid of full length mirrors! I don't have any in my house - definitely helpful!

You can work out while pregnant. My doctor's recommendation was not to do anything that didn't feel good or felt unusually uncomfortable. So I bowled up until my 7th month and swam until delivery with loads of fast paced walking and weight training.

Drink plenty of water and keep it moving as long as your body allows.