Are you pregnant or thinking of having a baby?
If the answer is yes, there are countless questions a mother-to-be has about pregnancy, and that list is never-ending! But one question that keeps coming up in various conversations is “how much weight is appropriate for me to put on during pregnancy?” Gaining the correct amount of weight during your pregnancy is significant for both you and your baby to have a healthy beginning together. Of course there is no answer that fits everyone, since every pregnant woman is different. What is taken into consideration is their height, weight, and also whether they’re pregnant with more than one child.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has published guidelines for pregnancy weight gain, which proposes that the appropriate amount of weight to be gained should be based on your BMI (body mass index), which is calculated using your height and weight. According to IOM, if your weight at conception was in the healthy range for your height (a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9) it is suggested you gain between 11.5 to 16 kilos. If you were underweight (a BMI less than 18.5) you should aspire to gain roughly 12.5 to 18 kilos. In the case wherein you are overweight (a BMI of 25 to 29.9) or obese (a BMI of 30 or higher), you should look to gain approximately 7 to 11.5 kilos or 5 to 9 kilos, respectively. If you are pregnant with twins, then you should target to gain around 17 to 24.5 kilos.
How to keep the weight gain under control?
Firstly, you should be eating a healthy and balanced diet consisting of milk, legumes, dairy products, chicken, cooked fish, fruits and vegetables while you are pregnant. Try avoiding processed food, junk food, raw meat or fish, alcohol, soft cheeses (i.e. brie, camembert) and caffeine; all of these can be harmful to the baby. But that does not mean you are not allowed to indulge in a small piece of dessert once in a while!
Secondly, you can plan an exercise program that would be beneficial for both you and your child, such as prenatal yoga, Lamaze or swimming. However, always ask for your doctor’s advice before you start off any exercise. Most important of all, do not forget your prenatal vitamins that are healthy for both the mother and baby.
A misconception that many women have is that just because there is a little one growing inside you, you have to eat twice of what you normally eat. It is best to gradually gain weight in pregnancy. According to the IOM, you do not need any additional calories in the first trimester; you need only 340 additional calories a day in your second trimester and 450 additional calories a day in the third trimester. But do keep in mind this does vary from woman to woman, once again depending on their weight at conception, so do consult your doctor.
What happens if recommended weight is not acquired?
Research shows that women who were underweight at conception or have not been able to gain the recommended weight have an increased chance of giving birth to a preterm baby or a baby with low birth weight, leading to health issues or long-term complications for the baby. Women who were overweight at conception and gain more than the suggested weight have increased chances of complications including gestational diabetes and high blood pressure.
However, women who acquire more than the advised weight may have larger babies, leading to labor complications for both mother and baby. Various studies have concluded that women who gain excess weight during pregnancy have increased chances for having a caesarian delivery or premature birth, along with difficulty in losing weight post-delivery. If you were overweight or obese at conception losing weight during pregnancy is not advised as it may harm the baby, unless it is recommended by the doctor and is lost under medical supervision.
Are you nervous about putting on the kilos?
It’s natural to feel nervous as your body changes along with the increasing kilos on the weighing scale. But remember that certain weight gain is essential for a healthy pregnancy and in due course the extra kilos are lost, post-delivery. The first six weeks post-delivery will show a 50% loss in the weight gained during pregnancy.
The ideal way to shed those extra kilos that are left behind is a healthy diet teamed with routine exercise. A healthy diet does not mean you start trimming calories post-delivery, as you will soon realize you will require plenty of energy to take care of your baby and hence your body will require adequate intake of nutrition and nourishment. Stay calm and give your body an opportunity to do its job, the amount of weight lost effortlessly will amaze you, particularly if you are breast-feeding. Breast-feeding itself is an energy burner, which makes you lose weight of course, only provided you eat right.
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