Pregnant! How many calories should I eat?

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  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    MamaBirdBoss wrote: »
    You shouldn't gain anything but bloat your first trimester.

    You should gain less your second trimester than your third. If you're really gaining a ton in the 2nd...it's fat.

    By the end of your third, you'll be gaining a pound a week. If go late, sometimes more. Only some of that will be fat/baby/placenta. Some will be liquid weight--blood volume and amniotic fluid. So expect to gain 14lbs in your last trimester. And back-plan from there.

    When women gain a TON of weight, it's usually because they gain way too much in the 1st and 2nd trimester. You can't go, "Okay, that's enough!" in the 3rd. I don't know why many doctors recommend eating as much in the 2nd trimester as you need in the 3rd because that's a sure-fire way to gain too much.

    New studies reveal that 25-35 lbs is bad advice for normal-weight women. A max of 30 is better. Over 30lbs greatly raises the chances of women unable to lose baby weight...and over 40 dramatically raises the chances of dystocia (causing C-sections). (BTW, 25-35 was a fairly new recommendation. Before that, it was 15-25, which they decided was too little!)

    This is all very true, statistically speaking. But, op, don't get overly anxious if your weight gain pattern differs from "average". This pregnancy I put on most of my weight in the first 20 weeks, and for the past 6 weeks I've maintained, while baby has continued to grow normally (I'll be 33 weeks on Monday). My doc isn't concerned. Not everybody's body gets the memo from the books about how to gain weight ;). Also, don't let the doomsday admonitions about not gaining over 30 lbs scare you - I'm taller than you, op, but this is my 4th pregnancy and I always gain between 45-50 lbs, and this time is gearing up to be no exception. All three previous children were born after uncomplicated vaginal deliveries (2 of which were intervention-free, the first was a post dates induction that went very well). And I lost all the weight, and then some, in between each pregnancy. In fact, this time I started out at the lowest weight I've been since high school! Which probably explains why my metabolism tanked in the first half... I'd never been so thin whilst pregnant.

    Congratulations op! Eat sensibly, talk to your doc about your specific calorie needs, and don't stress too much about it. Stay active and hydrated. And get plenty of rest. You'll need it!

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