Pregnancy weight gain.......some are gaining too much

CristinaL1983

Here's why excessive weight gain in pregnancy is a valid concern for ALL.

Babies are growing too big and needing caesarians to be removed.

We could not have thrived as a species if this was normal.

I used to work in a big office. 6 women were pregnant, 5 had caesarians.

It is not the only reason caesarians are more common(pain killers are a big reason too), but it is one reason.

Actually, over time, populations heights and sizes have grown, which in general means that the sizes of babies has grown. Men are about 2" taller on average than they were 100 years ago and women even more so. My first DD was 10lb5oz and born at 41 weeks and ended up be c-section because her head was over 15" around, nothing to do with her weight. Maternal fatness or thinness really has no bearing on the circumference of a baby's head. Rather, it has more to do with genetics. My DH and I are both "larger framed" people and have proportionately large heads. My 10 lb "oversized" newborn is now a 62 lb "oversized" 6 year old who is 52" tall - about 4 years ahead of the growth curve on height and 3 years ahead on weight. She actually weighs less than the average 52" tall average 10 year old but is still "big'.

Our species would have survived just fine without c-sections as "survival of the fittest" would be in play. The people built for bearing children would continue bearing children and pass on their "good" genese and those not built for it would probably die in child birth, thus eliminating the "weak" ones.

^^This
and: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/03/28/cesarean-sections-in-the-u-s-the-trouble-with-assembling-evidence-from-data/

A lot of pregnancies that would not have gone to term before can now end in successful birth. Maternal death rates are down and birth death rates are down.

djshari

I see a lot of people in public doing things that I think they shouldn't. I don't understand why you had to come here and complain about it. Everyone here has already made a decision that they want to be healthy so pardon the cliche but you are preaching to the choir. I think it's very negative and just snarky that you feel the need to come here and broadcast that you saw fat people in public and they are PREGNANT.

You are not their doctor. You are not their spouse or their family so why don't you mind your own business? Find somewhere else to gossip. Find something constructive to do.

TeachTheGirl

I gained 40lbs with my son. I didn't gain anything with my daughter. My pregnancy cravings with my son were awful and I was on bed rest for weeks so not getting exercise. Saying this, we had NO complications (apart from cord around the neck, which is common) and minor tearing. My daughters cravings were much more basic (raisins?!) and I was able to move around a lot more. Again, no complications, but I was still registering as 'obese' because I hadn't lost the weight from having my son.

What I note here is that you're seeing the women for the first time? So they were likely overweight before they got pregnant. I think it's wrong to assume they just decided they could eat more because they were pregnant.

eliseofthejungle

There have been numerous studies and articles and reports about pregnant women gaining too much weight. I'd like to think most of them know what the recommendations are. Probably a large number of those women you observed were overweight to begin with, as others have said. And it is possible to gain "too much" weight while pregnant while working hard to keep it in check. Furthermore, pregnancy does such crazy things to your body that hunger or cravings can be impossibly strong even though your body doesn't NEED the calories at that moment. There is too much going on to simplify it as women deciding that now that they're pregnant they feel they can eat for two or just let themselves go.

Also, the extra calorie needs actually climb as the pregnancy progresses. You don't really need anything additional in the first trimester, 100-200 extra in the second, and 200-300 in the third. For example, I was advised to gain 11-20 lbs, ate 1500 calories (which is where I maintain my weight) in my first, 1650 in my second, and 1800 in my third. It was a difficult battle some days. I gained 17 lbs and had a healthy 7lb 6oz (spot on average) baby, so luckily it worked for me. The really hard part is dropping down from being able to eat so much back to pre-pregnancy levels, especially while sleep-deprived and not focusing on yourself. Something else to keep in mind about these women you were "not judging."

Boardergurl

I find using a BMI chart to tell you how much weight you "should" or "shouldn't" gain is a crock of S**t.... If you look at my profile... I am def not big and def not tiny.. I am an average girl.. Toned and healthy... However my BMI still tells me im obese... You cant base being healthy off a number on the scale, with a "standard" chart.
This is the type of stuff that makes people having body issues and eating disorders.
I am 23 and a half week prego and have gained 17 pounds.. its all in my belly! I eat healthy still work out but am gaining weight. I have a thyroid issues and am on meds and was told the weight would come on more then likely and no matter what I did it wouldn't matter...
My doc is not concerned at all becuase my over all health is perfect....
Like other posters have said you dont know someones situation going into or coming out of their pregnancies...
I understand your giving your opinion but EACH AND EVERY person is different...

jmcreynolds91

I agree. With my first child, i had that mindset. That i could eat anything and everything i wanted. I ended up gaining 60 pounds, Ending up at 250. With my second i had a much better mindset and went half way without gaining a pound. Only gained 30 pounds and its off at 6 months pp. Its better to be careful. !!

jakkidoodles

Completely agree.
Breastfeeding too. Women have this idea that they have to ten times more when nursing. Instead they should be eating healthy and within reason.

It's also dangerous for the baby if their mother's are overweight!!

Erm, excuse me for pointing this out, but I'm overweight and look after my 3 month old son. He's not in ANY danger...... Unless I sit on him.

heyyoudontgiveup

Who cares? Leave women alone. If they wanna gain 200 lbs it's not your business.

ninerbuff

But a man with a wife and kids who trains women wanting to lose baby weight can't talk about it because "it's none of his business..." Being perceived as harsh in his wording doesn't make his observation any less true.

How something is read and perceived can totally set some off! Lol, and some wonder why husbands don't want to "just talk?":laugh:
If some took offense, I would say that's not the intent of the thread. I made and observation and assumption. Could my assumption been wrong? Probably. But it could also be right.
I think I'm very attuned to how frustrating it is for moms trying not only to run their household, but also working on trying to get some semblance of themselves before they had children. I hear about it on a daily basis. Many are very emotional and unconfident about themselves with the extra weight gain and my purpose starting the thread was to help inform mothers to be that they don't need to eat for two (this backed up by actual information from medical research and doctors at my hospital).
Hopefully a mom to be will read this and take consideration into getting more education about getting pregnant and the amount of weight gain one should expect (as stated by medical journals).

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Im_NotPerfect

You can't guarantee that all of the weight gained is purely fat or from calories. As an example....I gained 51 and 54 lbs with my 2 kids. However....within 2 weeks of giving birth both times, I lost 35 lbs of that because when I was PG, my body pretty much absorbed every oz of water I drank. I retained SO much water, that I was on the edge of pre-eclempsia both times. So in essence, I only really gained 15 - 20 lbs with each kid.

PG women gain weight for a variety of reasons. Yes some eat too much. Others don't but can't help it. Don't make generalizations if you don't know the story.

MightyDomo

Hey now, I did fine until I was stuck at home eating whatever my mother in law cooked for me as I didn't get much of a choice. I had an extra 7lbs of fluid in my womb and made for killer back pain that had me getting a massage 2 or more times a week so I could stand a few hours a day and thusly made it hard to get my own food.

Unfortunately the food that a pakastani family feeds you is filled with fat and sodium (which in Pakistan they can more easily burn off what they eat and consume more water more often from what my exhusbands family told me).

I went from 120 to about 145-150 and then when it came to home time I went from that 145-150 up to 207. That was in 2 months, I was devastated. So believe me, it wasn't what I wanted and it killed me to let it happen, the heaviest I had ever weighted and I fought hard to change my body and help my ex-husbands family make healthier choices and use far less oils and fat in their foods.

So I sucked at pregnancy weight but I know for sure that I wouldn't ever let it happen again.


Edit: I also had gained another 7 lbs after giving birth, I don't entirely know why but the lack of sleep and not having a proper diet down pat with the family after birth probably had something to do with it.

k8blujay2

Ok for one, every pregnancy is different... one woman could gain nothing the first and then 80 pounds the next.

I personally only gained 11 pounds... mostly because I didn't eat... I didn't want to eat as I wasn't hungry and food just didn't sound good to me at all... I sustained mostly on ensure drinks and vitamins.... I also was already 30 pounds overweight prepregnancy (I was working towards taking it off)... then I gained it all back even though I was eating healthy (as I was breastfeeding and wanted the best nutrition for both of us) because of the mini-pill...

Not all pregnancies are created equal... With that said, I KNOW how much extra I should be eating should I get pregnant again and will adhere to that and if I gain extra weight, I gain extra weight and that is between me, my family and my OB... no one else.

k8blujay2

Completely agree.
Breastfeeding too. Women have this idea that they have to ten times more when nursing. Instead they should be eating healthy and within reason.

It's also dangerous for the baby if their mother's are overweight!!

BS. I am on the cusp of obesity and overweight (though I am actively working in the healthier direction).... and my 2 year old is healthy, active, and safe... she has been in the 20-25 percentile for her weight her entire life thus far and eats primarily fruits and vegetables (she prefers it to all else... to the point that I am having to find ways to sneak protein into her diet)... it wouldn't surprise me if she ends up being a vegetarian simply because she doesn't like meat. She also perfers to be outside playing and exploring than being inside any day of the week.

Like the other poster said, I am only a danger to my child if I sit on her.


edited for spelling errors.

collingmommy

When i was pregnant, i ate like a oinker!! I lost 54lbs prior to getting pregnant(for my own reasons, not because i had to to get pregnant) but i would say i gained all of it back and it brought friends!! So i thought,"I'm pregnant, i can live off of pizza, ramen noodles, and mcdonalds! (that was the only thing i wanted the first trimester, but i have lost 67 lbs since i had my son, and I'm the smallest I've ever been.. Still got lots to lose, but word of advice, what u eat now will come back to "bite " u in the butt later. Literally

TinaBean007

for the record, my doc told me 150-200 calories on top of my maintenance calories.

It really depends where you are starting from.

concordancia

Actually, being pregnant does't burn all that many calories, you shouldn't eat for two, you should just have an extra snack or two. Nursing burns more!

On the other hand, the OP has no idea how many of those women were overweight to start with.

RandiLandCHANGED

Yes, many women gain too much weight. Myself included. I gained 80,85 & 50 lbs with my pregnancies. The 50 lbs took the longest to come off! I ate like a a fratboy and did absolutely no exercise. The only one I hurt was myself! My babies were completely healthy, though one was chunky. The biggest two were born at home. 7lbs 3 oz, 9 lbs 6 lbs, and 8 lbs 10 oz.

Edit: Breastfeeding (especially past one year in our case) has burned a lot of calories.

MightyDomo

Completely agree.
Breastfeeding too. Women have this idea that they have to ten times more when nursing. Instead they should be eating healthy and within reason.

It's also dangerous for the baby if their mother's are overweight!!

BS. I am on the cusp of obesity and overweight (though I am actively working in the healthier direction).... and my 2 year old is healthy, active, and safe... she has been in the 20-25 percentile for her weight her entire life thus far and eats primarily fruits and vegetables (she prefers it to all else... so the point that I am having to find ways to sneak protien into her diet)... it would surprise me if she ends up being a vegetarian simply because she doesn't like meat. She also perfers to be outside playing and exploring than being inside any day of the week.

Like the other poster said, I am only a danger to my child if I sit on her.

I completely agree with you! I was very large and have struggled with my weight since my daughters birth for sure and she is the skinniest thing ever and makes great healthy choices on her own because I still teach her what is healthy. I even eat healthy I just haven't always had the best circumstances with my body as some others do or have.

vim_n_vigor

Completely agree.
Breastfeeding too. Women have this idea that they have to ten times more when nursing. Instead they should be eating healthy and within reason.

It's also dangerous for the baby if their mother's are overweight!!

BS. I am on the cusp of obesity and overweight (though I am actively working in the healthier direction).... and my 2 year old is healthy, active, and safe... she has been in the 20-25 percentile for her weight her entire life thus far and eats primarily fruits and vegetables (she prefers it to all else... to the point that I am having to find ways to sneak protein into her diet)... it wouldn't surprise me if she ends up being a vegetarian simply because she doesn't like meat. She also perfers to be outside playing and exploring than being inside any day of the week.

Like the other poster said, I am only a danger to my child if I sit on her.


edited for spelling errors.

That is my youngest son too! Between my 2 children, they have a totally balanced diet - one eats meat and starches all he can and the other eats all the fruits and veggies!

icyeyes317

My first son: I gained 90 total pounds. When my weight started shooting up, doc put me on restricted diet and a specific exercise program. I was not/nor did I develop, gestational diabetes. Healthy 7 pound 2.4 ounce baby, born 3 weeks early because he decided wanted to see the world.

My second son: I gained 80 total pounds. Same diet and exercise to start with, then I developed hypOtension. Ended up out of work, still on a specific diet, and a gentle exercise program. No diabetes either. Healthy 7 pound 10 ounce baby, also born 3 weeks early because he decided he also wanted to see the world.

If I have more, i undoubtedly will end up gaining the same weight, or close to it. Not by choice, but because my body wants that much while pregnant, and nothin is stoppin what my body decides to do.