Gaining weight during pregnancy

JayAlexander

Thanks to MFP, I was able to lose 50 lbs before becoming pregnant. I started out still at 205, I'm 5'6. My Dr is making me feel really bad for gaining weight. I'm 6 months along and have gained 22 pounds. She said I should only gain 15-20lbs total. I eat fairly healthy, there is always food for improvement, but don't eat fast food or drink soda or anything. I wasn't very active before getting pregnant as I have a job where I'm on my feet all day and find it hard to find energy after work. Recently,I just started doing yoga to help prepare for labor and delivery. I know I'm going to gain more as my baby grows, I don't know what my Dr wants me to do. She made me feel bad instead of offering anything helpful.

Did anyone have Dr and weight gain issues while pregnant?

Mokey41

Honestly you only gain excess weight by eating too much. Your doctor is concerned for your baby's health. My daughter in law was obese when she got pregnant, gained too much while pregnant and had a baby that was over 11 pounds which caused a lot of health issues for both of them as well as exposing that child to the risk of obesity herself. That wasn't enough of a lesson though.

She didn't lose any of that weight and got pregnant again, same scenario all over again. I cannot understand why anyone would want to put themselves or their child through that for the sake of food. I know it's harsh and I'm bitter about it but seriously think about how much you're eating while you still have the time to make it better.

JayAlexander

Well, that wasn't helpful.

Stage14

Change what you're doing starting now. Are you logging? Ask your doctor or a dietician to help you set a calorie goal for the remainder of your pregnancy and stick with it. If your doctor is on you about your weight gain, that implies it's a problem. ASK for helpful suggestions if you want them. My guess is that if your doctor sees you doing something to change rather than downplaying the problem, it will go a long way towards changing her demeanor.

I know that isn't what you want to hear, but it is the truth.

ThePlight

Did you ask the doctor what they suggest, or did they kind of just brush you off?
I've had a doctor that totally brushed off my friend when she asked for advice on what to change, so I started asking questions until they answered everything my friend wanted to know.. She's not very confrontational, so after being brushed off the second time, she gave up. I, however, did not give up and kept asking. Hope this isn't what happened to you.

What was the case here, are you eating more due to stress, perhaps? Before you can do anything about it, you need to find out what exactly is causing the problem for you

quirkytizzy

I could be wrong since I've never had a child, but 22 pounds doesn't SOUND like a lot of weight gain. I mean, you are growing another entire human being inside of you, right?

Maybe they are more worried about things like gestational diabetes and whatnot and are asking you to look at your nutrition macros???

(Again, I could be talking out of my *kitten* here. I don't know much about babies.)

kayla_who

My doctor was anal about weight gain. He told me I should gain 20-25 and I ended up gaining 30ish and he wasn't happy. A lot of that was due to swelling toward the end tho. When it was all said and done I have a 7 lb 5 oz, 21 inch girl so she was a perfect size and 4 years later she's still at a healthy weight. I wouldn't worry too much right now. Just keeping eating healthy and walk! You'll be fine!

__freckles__

I gained 40 lbs with both my pregnancies and my doctor didn't even bat an eye. Maybe because I started off lighter, but probably more because my doctor is super old school and wasn't worried about it. I didn't really exercise during either of my pregnancies and took advantage of eating whatever I wanted (I didn't stuff my face like crazy, but I ate a lot of yummy treats that I wouldn't normally). After delivery I had 20 lbs to lose. I've been able to lose all the weight for both pregnancies in about 4-5 months. So keep an eye on what you're eating but don't stress over it. Just get ready to kick your own *kitten* after the baby comes and be determined to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight or even go lower! Good luck and ENJOY THIS TIME!!

gigglesinthesun

Honestly you only gain excess weight by eating too much. Your doctor is concerned for your baby's health. My daughter in law was obese when she got pregnant, gained too much while pregnant and had a baby that was over 11 pounds which caused a lot of health issues for both of them as well as exposing that child to the risk of obesity herself. That wasn't enough of a lesson though.

She didn't lose any of that weight and got pregnant again, same scenario all over again. I cannot understand why anyone would want to put themselves or their child through that for the sake of food. I know it's harsh and I'm bitter about it but seriously think about how much you're eating while you still have the time to make it better.

Alternatively I gained 33lbs with my first child and by the time he was 18mths old I had lost those 33 and 26 extra through simply looking after him and breastfeeding. With my second I gain 49lbs and lost 33 within 24hrs of the birth (it was a lot of water) and the rest was gone within 6mths as well. I wasn't calorie counting or dieting after the babies, in fact I was surprised each time that the weight had gone.

The problem with gaining weight during pregnancy is that it's not straightforward fat. It's baby and accessories and water and fat. I would be careful with so judgemental statements with regards to pregnancy. It is particularly interesting that different countries all have different weight recommendations during pregnancy, so clearly even the experts are not of one opinion.

OP: Should you follow my example and gain 50lbs? No, but stressing about the weight gain is also not useful. By all means make healthy food choices, eat nutritionally well in terms of getting all your protein and fiber and vitamins, calcium, snack on veggies and yoghurt. If your doctor feels so strongly about it, ask for a referral to a dietician who specialises in pre-natal nutrition. In short I would make sure I eat healthily and be calm and avoid stress. good luck and hope your pregnancy goes well :-)

JayAlexander

She didn't offer any advise on things to change or ask me about my eating habits. I don't feel like I'm eating bad or way too much at all, but no, I am not logging. Just staying conscious about my choices, like usual. Just the way she said things like "well, the holidays are coming" and "you already gained more than I wanted you to soooo...." rubbed me the wrong way. It was hurtful instead of helpful. I'm getting the gestational diabetes test on the 12th, my only risk factor being that I was overweight before pregnancy.

Mokey41

Well, that wasn't helpful.

Ok, then consider you are carrying a baby that weighs about 1.5 lbs at this point with maybe 10 lbs of accompanying tissue and fluid. Where do you suppose the other 10 lbs came from? You have a long way to go yet with the most weight gain by the baby in the last 3 months and you've already gained close to as much as you should have for the whole pregnancy. In the last trimester you need about 300 calories more than you would if you weren't pregnant. Take what you will from that but sounds like you're mostly looking for someone to tell you it's all fine.

dotTif

Honestly you only gain excess weight by eating too much. Your doctor is concerned for your baby's health. My daughter in law was obese when she got pregnant, gained too much while pregnant and had a baby that was over 11 pounds which caused a lot of health issues for both of them as well as exposing that child to the risk of obesity herself. That wasn't enough of a lesson though.

She didn't lose any of that weight and got pregnant again, same scenario all over again. I cannot understand why anyone would want to put themselves or their child through that for the sake of food. I know it's harsh and I'm bitter about it but seriously think about how much you're eating while you still have the time to make it better.

wow.

First of all having a large baby in no way means that the baby is at risk for obesity. I don't know where you heard that but that's way off base.

Secondly there are many, many reasons why a woman gains excess weight during pregnancy. Water retention being a great example. Being pregnant puts an unfathomable amount of stress on a woman's body and sometimes a few extra pounds comes with the territory.

Since you had no qualms with being harsh to a woman who is stressed over what her body is going through during pregnancy, then I have no qualms with saying that I'm very grateful my own mother in law was so supportive of my pregnancies, birth experience & weight gain instead of becoming "bitter" over what is a very common struggle for most pregnant women.

dotTif

OP, I am not your Dr but I know that it is not healthy to diet during pregnancy. The weight you have already gain is here to stay for a while longer. You'll probably gain more considering you have a trimester to go. As long as you are making healthy food decisions and getting some appropriate exercise in as allowed, you should with time & dedication be able to lose the weight after your baby is born.

Best of luck to you & congrats on your pregnancy!

ThePlight

OP, I am not your Dr but I know that it is not healthy to diet during pregnancy. The weight you have already gain is here to stay for a while longer. You'll probably gain more considering you have a trimester to go. As long as you are making healthy food decisions and getting some appropriate exercise in as allowed, you should with time & dedication be able to lose the weight after your baby is born.

Best of luck to you & congrats on your pregnancy!

I applaud you for being so tactful. Very well said!

Kamikazeflutterby

Push the doctor to give you more specifics. Sometimes doctors do weird verbal dances between warning you and trying to keep you reassured so you don't freak out, which makes things come out weird. Ask if you should be eating to maintain or gain weight. The weight gain generally speeds up in the later stages of pregnancy, so she could be worried that you'll put on more weight even faster and get some of the worse complications the obesity risk brings.



And side note to dotTif: According to the mayo clinic website, she's right about large babies and obesity. Not very tactful, but right. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pregnancy-and-obesity/MY01943/NSECTIONGROUP=2

PikaKnight

She didn't offer any advise on things to change or ask me about my eating habits. I don't feel like I'm eating bad or way too much at all, but no, I am not logging. Just staying conscious about my choices, like usual. Just the way she said things like "well, the holidays are coming" and "you already gained more than I wanted you to soooo...." rubbed me the wrong way. It was hurtful instead of helpful. I'm getting the gestational diabetes test on the 12th, my only risk factor being that I was overweight before pregnancy.

Maybe you should start weighing our food with a food scale and logging to really see how much you are consuming.

GottaLoseIt13

I'm getting the gestational diabetes test on the 12th, my only risk factor being that I was overweight before pregnancy.

When I got pregnant with my daughter, I weighed 280lbs. I was obese by medical standards. I became really conscience of what I was eating early on in the pregnancy. I started drinking tons of water and quit drinking soda. When I had my glucose testing done, I was right on the border of gestational diabetes, so as a precaution, my ob/gyn put me on a diabetic diet. I had to watch my carb and protein intake every day. I was measuring everything...1/4 cup of tuna or 3oz of meat.... Counting carbs and reading labels... I ate 6 small meals a day...not just 3 big meals. It seemed so overwhelming at first, but after about a week, it became routine.

I actually ended up losing weight while I was pregnant. SAFELY!!! I had a perfectly healthy 6lb 13oz baby girl. Because of my weight loss, my total weight gain for my entire pregnancy was 16lbs. After she was born, I actually ended up losing around 27lbs...

I'm sorry for the harsh words of others. Especially from people that don't have children or are just going on what has happened to someone they know. Everyone is different and all bodies react different towards a pregnancy.

Talk to your doctor. See about possibly working with a dietician that is knowledgeable in pre-natal nutrition. It is very possible to safely diet during a pregnancy as long as you are following a doctors orders and not just going off on your own. You want to make sure that you are meeting your nutritional needs as well as your baby's.

I hope all goes well with your pregnancy! Congratulations!

Feel free to add me if you would like to talk more

AccioFitness

Have you had your glucose test for gestational diabetes? If you are at risk it might be a reason for your doctors response.

I gained close to 45 lbs during my pregnancy, however part of that was due to severe edema toward the end. I know many mothers gain more than the "recommended" amount and it isn't always a reason for alarm bells to ring, my only concern is if you are predisposed to a health issue that your weight could end up causing. The only way to know that is to talk to your doctor, which I definitely recommend.

I haven't checked to see if your diary logs are open (interneting on a phone has it's limits lol), but I would recommend comparing your intake to what the "average" expectant mother eats day to day. If needed tweak your food intake and make sure you are drinking enough water and that you are getting adequate nutrients for you and your baby.

I wish you the best of luck and congratulations!

Edited to add: I hadn't read you following posts on the thread,OP. Once you get your results back regarding the glucose test you'll have a better idea of what kind of factor your weight is playing at present. For now try to get back into logging your food, it will be beneficial for you to a) know what your macros are and that you are getting adequate nutrients and not overrating (I was sooo guilty of this in my second trimester), and b) when you see your doctor again you can tell them what your intake is like on a daily and weekly level and that might help you both to make the best possible decisions regarding any future dietary changes. I also really think it would help to compare what is "average" to what you are eating. We oftentimes underestimate the caloric values of foods, or at least I do.

Stage14

She didn't offer any advise on things to change or ask me about my eating habits. I don't feel like I'm eating bad or way too much at all, but no, I am not logging. Just staying conscious about my choices, like usual. Just the way she said things like "well, the holidays are coming" and "you already gained more than I wanted you to soooo...." rubbed me the wrong way. It was hurtful instead of helpful. I'm getting the gestational diabetes test on the 12th, my only risk factor being that I was overweight before pregnancy.

It really sounds like your doctor made a hurtful comment about your weight and you got upset, but didn't ask for any pointers on what she wants you to do now. My husband did the same thing when he was diagnosed with diabetes. He felt guilty, so he was withdrawn and defensive and hurt during the rest of the visit, asking no questions. It's a totally natural reaction to basically being told "you're doing it wrong", but not very productive.

Start logging again. I'm not saying go on a diet, I'm saying eat normally but log everything you eat. Then, when you go in for your GD test, you'll have an accurate unbiased picture of how (and how much) you are eating, and you can have a real conversation with the doctor about what you are currently doing and what, if anything, you need to change. Plus, if you're right and you aren't overindulging, your doctor needs to know that too, to find out where the excess weight gain is coming from. And it will be easier to convince her that it isn't your diet with proof right there in the form of a food diary.

TheBackStory

Mother of 3 checking in here. First pregnancy I gained 50lbs, second pregnancy 60lbs and third pregnancy 70lbs (I was on steroids for 3 months). My body naturally gains a ton of weight during pregnancy. I walked and did moderate exercise. Everyone's body reacts differently to pregnancy. My doctor was never negative about my weight gain, actually she was fine with it. My children all all very healthy and not overweight. My weight came off too. I was back to my normal size within months.

Take care of you and that sweet baby growing inside of you. Now is not the time to diet.

Congratulations and best of luck.

gigglesinthesun

Well, that wasn't helpful.

Ok, then consider you are carrying a baby that weighs about 1.5 lbs at this point with maybe 10 lbs of accompanying tissue and fluid. Where do you suppose the other 10 lbs came from? You have a long way to go yet with the most weight gain by the baby in the last 3 months and you've already gained close to as much as you should have for the whole pregnancy. In the last trimester you need about 300 calories more than you would if you weren't pregnant. Take what you will from that but sounds like you're mostly looking for someone to tell you it's all fine.

There is no reason to be grumpy, because she didn't take your tirade about your daughter in law just laying down. In fact in Australia (Queensland to be precise) the recommendation for the OP would be to gain up to 41lbs in total (if she started off with an obese BMI), so overall she is still within that limit.