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How useful is BMI during pregnancy?

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Em_runs_away
Em_runs_away Posts: 194 Member
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My MW weighed me yesterday and worked out my BMI at 29.5 I'm gutted, it was 25.5 at 12 weeks pregnant. I know this boarders on obese and I'm really upset about it, how much attention should I pay to this?

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  • Erinthebodo
    Erinthebodo Posts: 215 Member
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    None! I wouldn't pay any attention to that. It is clear in the literature that during pregnancy BMI is not accurate because the wt includes lots of additional things- for example another person growing inside of you, fluid, placenta etc. Tracking your wt gain is useful to keep you thinking about it, but you are already thinking about it and trying hard to make good choices which is clear from an earlier post that you made. Doing BMI during pregnancy is downright silly... who wouldn't be obese by the end of pregnancy?
  • amv1023
    amv1023 Posts: 61 Member
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    yes, what Erin said! I am kind of surprised the your midwife even bothered with BMI. I have never had a doctor mention it in any of my pregnancies. You are not obese by any means, that number only came from the weight of the baby, the placenta and the fluid...not from fat. Don't give it another thought, it is a non-issue right now
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
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    Yeah, BMI should not be used for pregnant women, except maybe to determine what you should aim to gain based on where you were before pregnant.

    I found this as a breakdown of what the added weight is when you're pregnant (by the end of the term):

    Baby -- 7.5 lbs
    Breasts -- 2 lbs
    protein and fat stores -- 7 lbs
    Placenta -- 1.5 lbs
    Uterus -- 2 lbs
    Amniotic fluid -- 2 lbs
    Blood -- 4 lbs
    Other body fluids -- 4 lbs

    I'm sure these are averages, but seriously that's an extra 10 lbs just in added body fluids? Yeah, BMI isn't going to mean anything.
  • igottaworkout
    igottaworkout Posts: 298 Member
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    I wouldn't worry about it at all either. The only time would be at conception to find out what your optimal weight gain would be for the entire pregnancy as there are different weight range suggestions for underweight, normal and overweight women. While pregnant it really means nothing lol.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    Yeah that's silly I mean I can see using a BMI before you got pregnant, but now it doesnt apply. You want to have a safe weight gain, but using the BMI doesnt serve any purpose because the BMI is a ratio of height to weight. That weight is not all yours. Very silly I'd question the midwife and ask her why she uses it.
  • nan199678
    nan199678 Posts: 140
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    I agree w the ladies. Seems silly to even do it. I wouldn't even let your brain acknowledge that. :-)
  • Jessibear86
    Jessibear86 Posts: 111 Member
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    I would say to take it with a grain of salt..and maybe ask the MW what her deal is for doing that. like we aren't already self-concious enough!!!

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