39 and Pregnant

I'm 39, pregnant starting all over again. I was 17-18 when i had my first two and gained 75 pounds. Eating for two. Now that i became educated after my teenage years...lol i do not want to ever gain that much again. I did go to a nutritionist who recommened this site and I would like to hear some input from other mothers that have used this site to monitor their weight gain with making sure they were eating healthy. I am scared to death this time around for some reason. I was told i could loose in the first two trimesters and last would gain, from todays weight he said after i loose then gain, i should only gain a total of 9 pounds but in the end after delivery and all the fluid weight is gone i should be very close to my goal weight. Any thoughts!

Replies

  • tallvesl99
    tallvesl99 Posts: 231 Member
    hmmm...I am not the advisor of how to eat during pregnancy for sure, because I know you need to eat healthy while you're pregnant...I think the best thing to do is to LEAVE OUT THE SUGAR and as much fat as possible....best to you and your baby!!!
  • Congrats on your pregnancy!
  • arains89
    arains89 Posts: 442 Member
    It is hard to give advice not knowing more of your situation. Are you overweight/Obese now? If so then yes it is completely healthy to lose weight while pregnant but generally this happens because women become more conscious of what they put in their bodies for baby and it is loads healthier then what they were putting in before thus causing weight loss. I do not suggest eating in deficit. That seems unhealthy while pregnant. Did your doctor talk to you about how many calories you need per day to remain healthy? I would say make sure to hit that goal everyday and walk a lot if you are unable to do anything more strenuous. I can't tell you you will definitely lose weight the way you want to but I can say if you hit your cal goals and meet all your nutritional needs and remain mildly active, you will be doing all you can do to make this a healthy pregnancy for you and your baby. Good luck!
  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
    I wish I had known about this site when I was preggers with my second child. I dieted with her and when she was born, she looked like a refugee. Be careful. The baby is always the first one to suffer.

    You can always diet and lose afterwards. Just watch what you eat.
  • mom2chrisandnadia
    mom2chrisandnadia Posts: 47 Member
    I didn't use this site but got pregnant with my second child at 41 (she's 16 months now). I was overweight when I got pregnant but thankfully only gained about 20 pounds. Eat when you're hungry, just focus on eating healthy foods, staying hydrated, and getting rest. My doctor never said anything to me about my weight or my age for that matter. I physically could not overeat when I was pregnant; I felt sick if I ate too much so that helped. I've lost the baby weight plus about 13 pounds but have slowly been regaining :(. I need to lose about 30-35 pounds now. Best wishes for your pregnancy. I agree that your focus should be on having a healthy baby and not what the scale says. As long as you're eating healthy and your blood work is good, you can worry about the weight after you deliver.
  • melduf
    melduf Posts: 468 Member
    I gave birth this last June 21st. I was really scared to gain weight during my pregnancy. My weight did a lot of ups and downs in the begining. Over all, I gained 15 lbs in the first 33 weeks. During the last month, I gained another 7 lbs. I didn't diet or anything. I just made sure I was never hungry nor overly full. I ate healthy snacks and walked a lot.

    A week after giving birth, I was still 8 lbs over my weight before pregnancy, which isn't so bad since I was very swollen. I'm giving myself some time to recover from my stiches before I start working out again.

    Good luck with your pregnancy.
  • yanniejannie
    yanniejannie Posts: 1,090 Member
    HA!!! BTDT
    been there, done that! Got pregnant at 39, had first baby at 40. I had gained about 17 pounds by my 7th month when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes........OB and perinatologist put me on a diabetic diet
    which was just counting calories and eating healthy and taking my blood sugar readings 4 times/day and staying under a certain level (ha!,you can skip that part!).......I ended up losing a few pounds during my last two months and even though I was worried about this, my OBs weren't. My daughter, who will be 21 this month, was 7lb.5oz. and perfect..............and I was at pre-pregnancy weight a week to the day of her birth.

    Very, very best of luck.........I would advise you to get a solid number from your dr. on calories he wants you to take in as the pregnancy progresses and take a look at various diabetic sites maybe for actual examples of healthy meals---I know this diagnosis doesn't enter into it for you, but they will be balanced meals......MFP wasn't around for me, but I would have used it if it was.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    hmmm...I am not the advisor of how to eat during pregnancy for sure, because I know you need to eat healthy while you're pregnant...I think the best thing to do is to LEAVE OUT THE SUGAR and as much fat as possible....best to you and your baby!!!

    Not necessarily true, limiting the unrefined sugars but loading up on naturally occuring sugars is fine (so probably avoid cakes, pies, cookies and have fruit and veggies instead) and fats are essential and when you are pregnant you will need slightly more fats to keep everything functioning well, you just have to be aware of the good and bad fats to lessen the chance of having heart burn. So definitely try to stay away from fried foods no matter how much you crave them. I remember I had terrible heart burn every single time I ate fried food and the doc noted that was why.

    Make sure you don't double your intake as well, eating for two doesn't really mean eating for two :) I would suggest finding out your TDEE and eating at that level for loss (as you would have a deficit around 400 cals from that alone... at least from what I remember.) and that way you should be getting the nutrition that you and your baby need without over-doing it.

    Best of luck with your pregnancy!
  • Dragn77
    Dragn77 Posts: 810 Member
    I was only 19 whenI had kiddo, am 36 now so I know that its already harder to lose weight than it was back then. that being said, I experienced the weight loss then gain like your doctor told you about, except mine didnt tell me that and was mad at me. I lost quite a bit of weight the first couple months (and my doc yelled at me to eat more) then even though I didnt really change my diet (and was anyway too poor to overeat lol) I gained about 50lbs in my last 3 months (and my doc yelled at me to eat less) Right after i had kiddo, I started going for walks, and by the time I got off maternaty leave 2 months later, lost all the weight and ended up weighing less than I did before I got pregnant.

    I'll give you the advice I got from my super wise and cool sister when I was pregnant.

    Erase "Eating for two" out of your vocab. If you have that on your mind, it will give you the justification to eat more than you need to. You are really eating for one full adult, while providing nourishment to a tiny growing baby....not two full adults.

    Do not diet or cut fats out of your system or anything like that...make healthy choices, but dont diet, your body actually needs and will be burning more calories during your pregnancy because its working pretty hard. Not so hard that you need to double up on every meal "eating for two", but hard enough that you need to make sure you eat properly.

    If your have a craving for something, that is your body telling you that its something you are deficient in. Your baby will be absoring all the nutrients that it needs to grow, and somehow, our bodies are tuned into whatever we are short in. Example, when my sis was pregnant, she had this serious craving to roll around in this particular patch of red dirt where construction was going on. She was absolutely obsessed with it, and even wondered what it would taste like. My brother in law jokes he was sure one day hshed jump out the car ripping her clothes off to roll around in it and hed had to chase after her lol Turns out...she had a iron deficiency, and subconsciously, she knew that red dirt had iron in it.

    Me personally, I had a craving for multi-grain cheerios...I would eat like 5 bowls of it a day, and would dream about it. I have no idea what I was missing still, but my body was craving whatever was in there. I guess Im lucky, my craving was healthy LoL but yeah, our bodies just have a way of taking care of itself in that way. Its weird...but if you have an uncontrollable urge for something and nearly obsession, give in (unless its dirt...which believe it or not is actually pretty common, and means youre deficient in some sort of minerals)

    Um...okay so yeah thats it. 1) Your eating for one 2) Dont diet, your baby will absorb all it needs from you and if your body is defient, it will affect the babys health 3) If you have a craving, give in or head to the dr.

    Oh, also stay active during your pregnancy...I worked out right up until 3 days before I had kiddo, and started going for walks when she was a week old. I didnt diet then either....then again, like I said, I was too poor to eat LoL so I was just happy I had food. If I overate today, I didnt have anything to eat tomorrow, so I didnt ever go overboard...cept for the cheerios. =D
  • Dragn77
    Dragn77 Posts: 810 Member
    Holy batman...I didnt realize my post was so long. Im sorry LoL
  • luckynky
    luckynky Posts: 123 Member
    I didn't read through all of the responses, so sorry if I'm repeating here. I had my third child at 37 (she's almost 3, and my oldest is almost 18). First-- please realize that there are just as many health problems, if not more, associated with not getting the right amount of calories and nutrition for both you and your baby. Please DON'T be scared of gaining weight! Everyone is different. In my first pregnancy, I gained over 65 lbs. In my second pregnancy, I gained about 35 lbs (most of which was in the last 3 months), in my third pregnancy, I gained 60 lbs. I can't pinpoint what was different in that middle pregnancy other than-- it was a different pregnancy!

    First and foremost, eat a healthy diet low in processed foods and refined sugars. Be less concerned with the weight and more concerned with health. You can lose the weight. It's not going to come off as automatically as it did when you were young, but your health and your baby's health needs to come first.
  • Cindy873
    Cindy873 Posts: 1,165
    I'm turning 40 in August and I'm pregnant for the third time (profile pic is my 6 month pic, taken this past weekend). While I didn't start out overweight, I have no thyroid and my weight has been all over the place with this pregnancy. I'm simply continuing to eat good, healthy, clean foods, avoid too much sodium, sugar, and processed foods (I also don't eat fried foods or fast foods, no soda, etc.), and maintain the same fitness level. Sometimes I gain more, sometimes I gain less, but overall I know that I'm providing this baby with the best start that I can. If you're really worried about your weight, I'd suggest asking your doctor to recommend a nutritionist or dietitian to help you plan for realistic weight goals during your pregnancy.

    Oh, and congratulations!! :flowerforyou:
  • mbrtron
    mbrtron Posts: 45
    Eat healthy! I wasn't very overweight to start with when I became pregnant with my second. I also have a hard time gaining weight while pregnant so your experience may vary. I had GD this time around and that GD diet was great for losing weight (even though I didn't want to haha.) it's not so much calorie counting as watching the amount and types of carbs that you're eating and making healthier food choices. When my little dude was born, I was only up 3 lbs from pre pregnancy but he was a healthy 9 lbs. Again, I wasn't TRYING to lose weight but I did from the healthy food choices I was making due to having GD.
  • MsPetuniaPig
    MsPetuniaPig Posts: 74 Member
    I'm 39, pregnant starting all over again. I was 17-18 when i had my first two and gained 75 pounds. Eating for two. Now that i became educated after my teenage years...lol i do not want to ever gain that much again. I did go to a nutritionist who recommened this site and I would like to hear some input from other mothers that have used this site to monitor their weight gain with making sure they were eating healthy. I am scared to death this time around for some reason. I was told i could loose in the first two trimesters and last would gain, from todays weight he said after i loose then gain, i should only gain a total of 9 pounds but in the end after delivery and all the fluid weight is gone i should be very close to my goal weight. Any thoughts!

    37 here. My first is 17 years old, my second is 26w3d along. I am down 3.8lbs since my starting weight and he weighs 1lb and 13oz as of the 7/1 u/s. I was told he will take what he needs first from what I eat. I don't eat perfect. This one certainly doesn't feel anything like my first pregnancy at 20yrs. I looked at all the charts in the books and online.. I figured on 11lbs to gain total based on where I started. My favorite was to add calories to your BMR = 250 calories the first trimester, 350 the second, and between 300-400 the last trimester. Hope this helps!

    There are a couple pregnant community groups on here and thank goodness I found one with people around my own age!!!!!! They have been super supportive and have the same issues and problems we are going through. Maybe you could check some out?
  • Just watch your salt (this is a big one) and suger intake. Eat healthy foods and don't worry so much! Congrats on the pregnancy!!
  • Silly computer - posted it twice :)
  • I would have to agree with most everyone on here. Don't eat for two, just eat healthy. And drink lots of water!!!
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    wow, good luck,,,,,
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
    I'm rolling up on 42 shortly and the thought of a pregnancy honestly wears me out!! My big sis had her last baby when she was 46!!! She's 52 with a 6 year old!! YIKES!!!

    I gained stupid weight with my 2 kiddos. 5'5" and I weighed 206 with the first and 190 with the 2nd!! I carry 135-140 very nicely so you can imagine what a weeble wobble I looked like.

    I am an advocate for keeping your blood sugar steady during pregnancy. I found it helped keep the garden variety of nausea at bay. Unfortunately, I had (HAVE) a miserable sweet tooth and indulged it entirely too frequently.

    I wish you the best and hope you have a beautiful, healthy, bundle of joy in your arms soon!!!!
  • I am 29 weeks pregnant right now and I track using MFP still. I set myself to gain .5lbs a week, because I was gaining quickly when I set myself to 1lb a week. I find it very useful because I can see if I have gotten enough protein, calcium, fiber etc that day, and if not I can add an extra snack in that will help me reach the appropriate amount.

    I reached my goal weight a year before getting pregnant, and I am on track to gain 30-35lbs by the end of the third trimester. My doctor has not been concerned about my weight, as he knows I eat very healthy. When I first became pregnant he told me not to add any extra calories till mid pregnancy, and then to only add a piece of fruit for a morning snack, and a glass of milk before bed. He also informed me if I was craving ice cream then maybe my body is trying to tell me that it is running short on calcium, and to try a glass of milk instead of going right for the ice cream. I found that theory worked wonders and I never have the urge to binge eat.

    Good luck and remember, as long as your little one is healthy those few extra pounds will be worth it!
  • Thank you, I will have to figure out how to manuver around these sights to get to other topics on pregnancy. I also assumed about 300 cal increase but i am having a hard time meeting 1500cal once i prep everything up. I have only ate fresh foods, no processed or fast foods, -just fruits and Veges. Yogurt and prenatal vits/water..lol. I exercise. I need to find new preparation food ideas. I own a business and work full time also so time is limited to prep but I have been focused to eat healthy so i do prepare on Sundays for the week in small portion control baggies....I also have to limit my heart beat to less than 140 while exercising so that makes it hard for me to run.
  • dellaquilaa
    dellaquilaa Posts: 230 Member
    hmmm...I am not the advisor of how to eat during pregnancy for sure, because I know you need to eat healthy while you're pregnant...I think the best thing to do is to LEAVE OUT THE SUGAR and as much fat as possible....best to you and your baby!!!

    Sorry, but not good advice. I work with pregnant women in nutritional counseling, and you really do need a balanced diet for the baby to get all the nutrients that he/she needs - if you cut out an entire food group, your baby is likely to be malnourished. Not to mention, cutting out most or all carbs & fat leaves only protein left - protein IS important during pregnancy, but if you eat too much you can do damage to your own kidneys as well as your baby's.

    Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Your nutritionist was right - if you go into a pregnancy overweight, you should only gain 9-10 pounds during those 9 months. However, I'm not entirely sure why they said you would lose weight the first trimester - that's common with hyperemesis, but you shouldn't be TRYING to lose weight your first trimester.

    Best of luck -
  • I also found it hard to try and come up with enough calories at first, I don't see the point in trying to reach a calorie goal by filling those hundred missing calories up even if you are not hungry... So instead I just decide if I am hungry or not, this past week I have started to notice I think I need to be eating more, because I am hungry mid afternoon despite my afternoon snack. Also remember that not all calories can be treated equally, if you are eating 1500 nutrient rich calories and you are feeling full, maybe that is enough for now... 1500 goes a long way if you know how to manage them! Its far better to get 100 calories from a banana then a mini bag of chips! Listen to your body's cues and add when you need it, there is no point in stuffing your face just to meet a calorie goal. Your body will let you know if its hungry or not! Just make sure you are getting enough of everything in the mean time, iron, protein, calcium etc...