Poll: pregnancy weight gain? Curious!

Hi all, I'm feeling down about my post baby body and the prospect of how much I need to do to get my body back (not that I think it will be even close to what you see in my profile pic taken in March) so I'm curious, how much did other mums gain during pregnancy? What did your bmi go up to? Did you manage to lose the excess?

I started at bmi of 20, now at 25 :( and I have 30lbs to lose and all my lovely muscles to 're grow! Sigh.
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Replies

  • Beaudom91
    Beaudom91 Posts: 54 Member
    edited December 2017
    I was 55 pounds heavier at the end of both my pregnancies I started each pregnacy at 120 pounds, however I had big babies (two 10 pounders) big placentas, polyhydromnosis (excessive amounts of amniotic fluid), I was measuring full term at only 30 weeks and it was all in the bump. I also started to develop a lot of swelling throughout the rest of my body, I remeber having pitting edema on my feet and lower legs and my face even swelled. I don't do pregnancy gracefully that's for sure. Once baby was out and swelling down I ended up about 20 pounds heavier than before. It came off within 2 months without any effort with my first. With my second I had to really put the effort in. Largely because I found it harder to be as active as normal with a newborn and a toddler.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    37lbs gained with the 1st; lost baby weight at 9 month, plus an additional 7lbs at 12 months (stopped bfing at 12 months, which accounts for the extra 7lbs loss)

    35lbs with the 2nd; lost baby weight at 8 months (bfed for 14 months, but 2nd child wasn't a big eater, so I didn't lose extra)
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
    Ok, so here is how my last pregnancy went. I started my pregnancy at 160lb (I'm 5'9"). I weighed 200 when I was admitted to labor and delivery. I weighed 190 after I had my baby. At my 6 week check up I weighed 174. The loss was all water weight. It took me 6 months to get back to 160. I currently weigh 150 and my baby is 2:-)
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    Hi all, I'm feeling down about my post baby body and the prospect of how much I need to do to get my body back (not that I think it will be even close to what you see in my profile pic taken in March) so I'm curious, how much did other mums gain during pregnancy? What did your bmi go up to? Did you manage to lose the excess?

    I started at bmi of 20, now at 25 :( and I have 30lbs to lose and all my lovely muscles to 're grow! Sigh.

    I was about 120-125 lbs pre-pregnancy and about 145 lbs after birth. I wasn't very concerned about it for quite awhile and never really lost all of it. I eventually gained more weight but that had nothing to do with pregnancy.

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited December 2017
    I gain 35 lbs. Seven in the last week due to preeclampsia.

    I had lost 25 immediately before I got pregnant. I didn't make a full effort to lose the weight until she was six. At that point I just stopped eating like a numbskull and being a sedentary slug.
  • Pie319
    Pie319 Posts: 129 Member
    I gained 70 lbs (yikes!)

    I was very active prior to becoming pregnant. But then I had knee surgery *right* before becoming pregnant, which severely limited my activity in the early months when I wasn't huge. And then the only thing that kept my nausea at bay was keeping my stomach full. Once baby was born, I lost 30 of it almost immediately (baby, placenta, fluid, and I had been retaining water like CRAY). I worked really hard to drop the next 20 and I'm still 20 up (and still working). Baby is 13 months.

    I just got pregnant again and I am working really hard to limit my weight gain this time. Trying to keep it at 20 lbs per my doc's recommendation.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    edited December 2017
    I gained 54 lbs but that was within the recommended range for a twin pregnancy since I'd started out normal weight. I'm 5'7" and was 139 lbs when I got pregnant; 193 near the end. I had two healthy full-term babies so it was worth it.

    Re losing it, 35 lbs came off within the first 2 weeks. Then I leveled off for a while; I was stress/comfort/convenience eating to a degree with the stress of taking care of two babies and never sleeping. At 4m pp I started Weight Watchers and at 5m pp I started 30 Day Shred. I lost more weight but losing the last 10 lbs took me forever; my twins were 3.5 when I finally got back to 139. (Then a year after that I got down to 128 and ended up deciding to stay in the low 130s; I hadn't been that slim since college!)
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    First: I'll assume I gained over 60 lbs because I was 150ish when I got pregnant and remember being 195 months after her birth when I decided to lose it. I got down to 148. Then I got comfortable in a new relationship, got married, and regained. Second: I got pregnant again at 192. I gained about 20ish lbs net during the pregnancy, as I lost weight in my last trimester due to horrific liver complications (son and I are healthy now). So I was 208 after his birth, then I got down to 137. Unfortunately I'm 145 now, but still working on it. I'm 5'3".
  • SmithsonianEmpress
    SmithsonianEmpress Posts: 1,163 Member
    With my first I gained 45 lbs and it took 18 months to lose the weight and get my stomach back down. I started lifting weights then found out I was pregnant some months later. When I was pregnant with my girls I gained 50 lbs—I was a couple of lbs shy of 200. So now I’m 19 months postpartum I honestly can’t remember when I hit my pre pregnancy weight...I’d have to check my progress weigh ins but I’m 10 lbs below my pre pregnant weight now and working on my composition using dumbbells lifting.
  • megs_1985
    megs_1985 Posts: 199 Member
    My baby is 15 months. :). Prepregnancy I was 160 and went up to 190 by 41 weeks. Was down to 175 6 weeks after birth. I stayed there for awhile and didn't really try to lose weight. I had trouble finding a routine. I started really trying to lose weight a month ago and am down to 166. Holidays have stalled me out some but I plan to get 100% back to it on the first. One last party tonight and then I'm banning added sugar (as a strategy to break bad habits not as a long term thing). With my 2nd he was a big baby so I actually went 10lbs under my pre pregnancy weight a month after the birth and worked out really hard for six month and got down to 135. I felt awesome but then injured myself and went back to 150. 2018 will be the year I get to 130-135 and stay there!
  • bogwoppt1
    bogwoppt1 Posts: 159 Member
    edited December 2017
    Beaudom91 wrote: »
    I was 55 pounds heavier at the end of both my pregnancies I started each pregnacy at 120 pounds, however I had big babies (two 10 pounders) big placentas, polyhydromnosis (excessive amounts of amniotic fluid), I was measuring full term at only 30 weeks and it was all in the bump. I also started to develop a lot of swelling throughout the rest of my body, I remeber having pitting edema on my feet and lower legs and my face even swelled. I don't do pregnancy gracefully that's for sure. Once baby was out and swelling down I ended up about 20 pounds heavier than before. It came off within 2 months without any effort with my first. With my second I had to really put the effort in. Largely because I found it harder to be as active as normal with a newborn and a toddler.

    My pregnancies were similar. Over 10 pound babies, lots of swelling and a huge amount of amniotic fluid. Gains were 70, 60 and 60. I lost all the weight, and now remain around my pre pregnancy weight of 135 pounds with a height of 5'6".

    Not everyone has tiny pregnancies, and no I did not eat constantly, but I did have nausea for the whole time I was pregnant, that definitely made me eat a massive amount of crackers.

    The bulk of my weight came off after I stopped breast feeding, takes 9 months to grow a baby, allow yourself at least 9 months to lose the weight, if not more.

  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    Wow ladies thank you for your insights! I actually gained 50 lbs total but list 16 of these in the week i spent in hospital. It's nice to hear other stories, I feel better now! I've lost another 4 in the 3 weeks I've been home and that includes Christmas so breastfeeding is helping!

    It's wonderful seeing how happy you all are to share your stories, thank you again!!
  • generallyme2
    generallyme2 Posts: 403 Member
    Each pregnancy/weight can be so different!

    My first, I was 23 and gained 55lbs. I originally lost 9 due to hyperemisis so they basically told me to eat whatever would stay down. I had him and they weighed me afterward and I was the same weight!!! I was devastated since he was almost 9lbs plus all the other stuff you lose. Surely I should have lost that much at least haha. It took months to even start losing the weight but I'd say within a year it came off and I was back to my pre-pregnancy but not goal weight.

    My second, I was 26 and gained about 40lbs. I lost it all within maybe a month and a half. It was crazy. I think a lot of it was water weight because when I had her the nurse was shocked at all the fluid. Also, every day I was down a couple more pounds. Got back to pre-pregnancy weight pretty fast but still struggling years later to make goal weight.

    I did not breastfeed with either.
  • Slasher09
    Slasher09 Posts: 316 Member
    #1, gained 48. Lost 44 and regained 6
    #2 gained 27, lost all 27.

    Breastfed both. I've never been what I weighed at the beginning again, and regardless of if I gained 27 or 44 I weighed the same at 1, 3, 6 and 9 months post-baby
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
    First baby- I was young and dumb with a horrible doctor....i ate and ate and ate and no one every told me to slow down. Gained 80 pounds. Developed a terrible thyroid issue after she was born and lost 100 pounds in 6 months
    Second and third babies (twins)- Still young but had a much better team of doctors and a little more awareness of my body...I gained 45 pounds. Most of it was gone within weeks of their birth (weight was a lot of fluid. Not much room to eat with two huge babies in there!). The last 10 were gone by the 6 month mark I think.
  • KailaLaFlor
    KailaLaFlor Posts: 20 Member
    I gained 25 lbs with my first and bounced back pretty quickly and easily.
    I gained 40 lbs with my second and it took longer to bounce back and I could never get that last 10 lbs off.
    Having learned my lesson, I only gained 25 lbs with number 3, and I struggled then too, stuck with 10 lbs extra.

    If I had mfp, I'm sure I would have had better results after 2 and 3.
  • counting_kilojoules
    counting_kilojoules Posts: 170 Member
    I gained 20 kg during my pregnancy.
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    Back in my days (I am old :'( ), doctors used to keep a tight control on the weight gained during pregnancy. With my first one I gained 20lbs, and he was 8.5lbs (I was 5 feet). I spent 7 days in the hospital due to some complications and when I left I had lost a total of 11lbs. Two months later I got pregnant again (with 4 extra lbs still pending), and I gained 17lbs (baby 6.8lbs). It took me almost 9 months to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and an additional 3 months to get my "almost" flat belly back.

    Exercising at home with Jack LaLane (didn't I say that I am old?), plus taking care of the babies, not too much time left to eat, walking when the weather was good, and house work helped me to get back to a normal weight.

    I was always puzzled by the large amount of weight that pregnant women at allow to gain now. It must be a new thing.

    Doctor's can't stop pregnant women from gaining weight anymore than they can stop the general population from doing so. Both my mother and I gained a lot of weight during our pregnancies (mine was twenty years ago and hers were in the seventies so it's certainly not a new thing.)

    I gained 20 kg when I was pregnant (although I lost 13 kg within weeks. A lot of that would have been the baby, placenta etc. I've never been sure where the rest of it went.) The last 7 I held onto the year I was breast feeding, I lost it gradually over about six months after that.
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,513 Member
    I lost just over 2 stone in pregnancy and i gave birth at 25 weeks.....
    I then gained 4 stone after i gave birth as i developed hypoglacemia and was made to eat hourly with the nicu and maternity ward keeping tabs on my eating. Still working to get the last of the regain gone, slow going as im breastfeeding
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    edited January 2018
    I gained 3 pounds.
    After birth I weighed less than before I got pregnant.
    Technically, once that baby is out, you should not weigh more than before you got pregnant.
    Everything above that, you just ate too much
    .
    Breastfeeding helps tremendously with shedding extra kilos.

    That is not true. You do know that some fat storage can be very helpful for breastfeeding ? Otherwise as a 130lb fairly lower bodyfat woman I would be left with nothing..and likely severe hormonal issues. I am so happy my body stores fat because I use it.


  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    I gained 3 pounds.
    After birth I weighed less than before I got pregnant.
    Technically, once that baby is out, you should not weigh more than before you got pregnant.
    Everything above that, you just ate too much.
    Breastfeeding helps tremendously with shedding extra kilos.

    Well done for managing your intake so well through pregnancy, especially when your body is designed to store fat more efficiently whilst pregnant.

    However i don't really think any of us needed that reality check with what feels like an implied side of shame for over eating on what is clearly a support thread but hey, maybe it's just my still fresh post partum hormones talking and that wasn't implied at all.
  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
    I gained 3 pounds.
    After birth I weighed less than before I got pregnant.
    Technically, once that baby is out, you should not weigh more than before you got pregnant.
    Everything above that, you just ate too much.
    Breastfeeding helps tremendously with shedding extra kilos.

    Wrong. Were you under the care of a doctor? Because a good doctor would have been highly worried about your lack of gain.