Gaining weight during pregnancy

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  • Klarini
    Klarini Posts: 9 Member
    Weight gain in pregancy is not linear. Some woman gain a lot of weight in the first trimester when there should be virtually no gain at all and then it kind of levels out and the total gain ends up within recommended range. Some other gain most of the weight at the end of the pregnancy. That said, if you already gained 22 pounds and you still have a full trimester to go (during which many women gain most as baby grows rapidly) I would keep an eye on the weight. I would not stress out about it, but would keep making healthy choices as you already do. Keep in mind though that healthy choices might not necesseraly lead to smaller weight gain as the weight gain in pregnant women is sometime out of their control (due to water retention, etc), but would definetely lead to easier weight loss after the pregnancy. In other words, keep eating healthy and make good choices (you already managed to lose 50lbs, remember) and don't be discouriged by the scale and give up. If not now, it will pay off after the pregnancy.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    We're you overweight when you got pregnant? Maybe that's why she's so restrictive. I gained 60lbs but my OB never batted an eyelash, maybe because I started off at the lower end (even so, I was gaining too much). How was your glucose test? Have you had it yet? How's your blood pressure at your visits?
    Maybe mine was easy going because my tests were always normal, I don't know.
    In any case if it makes you feel any better I've lost almost all of it at 9 months pp so it's possible to lose it!
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    Ah, what a world it would be if we all lined up just like the medical textbooks, eh, Mokey?

    OP, I agree with Joy's comment. Try weighing food and being a bit more meticulous *just* to make sure you're absolutely certain of what you're putting into your body. It's good fodder to do, print out weeks of diaries, and show your doctor.

    Have you had bloodwork to check for anything that might occur or perhaps result in excess weight gain? It *definitely* happens differently to many women, some retain water more easily, etc. etc. It would be good to know in case gestational diabetes, or perhaps even thyroid, issues are at play. The endocrine system does a whole lot of funky stuff once pregnancy is involved.

    You answered the question I had in my mind this whole time--is it your first child? So this might just be how your body reacts to pregnancy--excess water, perhaps. You can check if you might be dealing with edema by noting your measurements on your body, skin elasticity, etc. Would it be possible for you to potentially get a second opinion from another OB/GYN?

    And just to add to further anecdotes: my husband's mother gave birth to four 8-10 lb babies at a BMI of 18. She was a model, very thin, and still made some big old babies. They are all now lean giants.

    A mother's weight can contribute to big babies, but is certainly not the only reason women can have a "big" baby.
  • Mrs_Winfrey
    Mrs_Winfrey Posts: 61 Member
    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 agree, this is perfectly said. I am a smallish framed woman (5'3" and my ideal body weight sits between 118 and 125 {I was overweight when I got pregnant as well, at 143 pounds}). I got up to 173 with my recent pregnancy, and am at 146 as of 12 weeks post-partum (25 pounds of which were lost within 2 days of delivery). My doctor did mention the fact that my bmi was high at my initial visit, but said that my overall gain was fine at the end (even though I was WELL over where I should be for my size). Just do the best you can, get in some exercise if you can and as long as its not too much of a strain to your body, and eat as healthfully as you see fit. SO many people use pregnancy as an excuse to gain massive amounts of weight and be lazy, but I do not see that as being the issue in your case! Enjoy this time, don't stress over your weight too much!!! Congratulations on your upcoming addition!!
  • Mrs_Winfrey
    Mrs_Winfrey Posts: 61 Member
    Ah, what a world it would be if we all lined up just like the medical textbooks, eh, Mokey?

    .............................................

    A mother's weight can contribute to big babies, but is certainly not the only reason women can have a "big" baby.

    So true...all pregnant women are different! And I know some of the smallest women that have the HUGEST babies! I myself tend to have 8 pound babies...my first 8.1, my second 8.2 :)
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
    Try this http://www.freedieting.com/tools/pregnancy_calorie_calculator.htm and log your calories, maybe you are overheating without realising. BUT, saying that I ate perfectly through my pregnancy, gained 33lbs, the day after I had my daughter I weighed myself out of curiosity and I was 6lbs off my pre pregnancy weight... She was 8.5 lbs.
  • MommyisFit
    MommyisFit Posts: 139 Member
    During my 1st pregnancy, I gained 60lbs. I was really sick in the beginning and the only thing that made me feel better was eating lots of carbs very frequently. This caused me to gain a lot in the beginning. Toward the end I was swollen, huge, and felt horrible. My daughter was 9lbs 13oz and I needed a csection after 34 hours of labor plus two hours of pushing because she was so big she was stuck. It took me 2 years to lose all the weight. My doctor (a man) was always making nasty comments about my weight and it felt horrible.

    With my 2nd pregnancy, I didn't feel sick and ate fairly normally throughout, but didn't log calories. I gained 24lbs total. I felt really good even up until the last week. I didn't try labor this time around and just went for the repeat csecton - I am glad too - my son was still 9lbs 5oz even though I only gained 24lbs. All of this weight was lost in 2 months.

    I am now 13 weeks pregnant with #3 and I am exercising 4 days a week, plus logging calories. I had been eating at maintenance until last week, when I changed my settings to gain 1/2lb a week. I have yet to gain any weight.

    My point is that I have been where you are. There is nothing you can do about the weight you have gained thus far, but I would start measuring and logging your food from here on out. You don't want to restrict calories, but this way you can control your gain to no more than a pound a week. Don't let the negative comments get you down. Many, many pregnant women have been where you are. From experience, I can tell you, the pregnancy and the months after are far easier when you stay within the recommended 25-35lbs. Good luck, mamma!

    Edited to add: I am 5'2" and was 115 before my 1st pregnancy and 125 now.
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
    Gaining weight and doctor's opinions about it during pregnancy seem to be all over the board. I think the new guidelines do advocate less weight gain for women who are overweight or obese.

    having said that...your doctor should have been helpful on the topic...not dismissive.
  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,115 Member
    My advice is a nutritionist. With my last child I was borderline gestational diabetic but we treated it as if I had it. It was a pain measuring and watching everything I ate but it paid off. My doctors biggest concern was the baby's size. Since larger size babies can be hard to deliver and it can ( notice I said can) cause health problems later on. The nutritionist helped me out and I didn't have to change anything I ate just the size portions. Instead of calorie counting I counted carbs, protein, etc. I ended up on a 2100 calorie diet which was hard to meet and sometimes I didn't and I didn't stress. I only gained 7lbs during my pregnancy and I gained all that in the first 5 months but I was way heavier than you are and I had a healthy 8lb baby she was 2oz smaller than my first child which I had when I was a lot younger and smaller. If your ob isn't helpful ask your general practioner for a nutritionist referral. My ob didn't know much about the nutrition side so he was the one that referred me to the nutritionist. I know I said diet in here but it really wasn't a diet per say I still had pizza and ice cream I just had less and the ice cream was sugar free. They even gave me sample meal plans to help me start out. I walked out of the hospital 20lbs less than when I first got pregnant ( I am an unusual case since I had quite a bit of weight to begin with) I am not recommending that you do this but they can format your plan to fit you and your babies needs.
  • cwal1980
    cwal1980 Posts: 7 Member
    Sorry you're doctor is making you feel bad - and it sounds like you've been making good choices considering you've only gained 22 pounds at 6 months. Your doctor would have had a field day with me - I gained 65 pounds with my first (she was 7lbs 8oz at birth), lost it all within 6 months (back down to 138) and then with my twins I gained 80 pounds (that was 5 months ago) and I'm down 70 of that already. I just ate a lot because I just always felt hungry (and I couldn't work out because of previa and funneling with my twins) and all I wanted was bean and cheese burritos - why could I not have craved vegetables. My doctor could have cared less how much weight I put on and she flat out told me that (not sure why she continued to make me step on the scale at every appointment - I still dreaded that). My twins were about 6 pounds each and doing great. Don't stress too much - enjoy this time and cut yourself some slack! You'll be able to get the weight off afterwards - you've done it once and you can do it again.
  • JayAlexander
    JayAlexander Posts: 268 Member
    Thanks. I'm on day two of logging everything again. Mostly to throw it in my Dr's face since she thinks I'm eating fast food and bon bons all day long. All my stats are good and my measurements are right on. So, I'll just move forward from here. Can't do anything about the weight I've already gained, just have to focus on the health of myself and my child. I'm due in Feb and my wedding is the end of June so I will be busting butt to get back into shape! Thanks again for the support.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    I gained the 20lbs before my 6 months, and seemed to have stalled out for a month d/t constantly feeling sick and not hungry. I can tell I'm getting further into the pregnancy though the insulin resistance has kicked into high gear and I've got sugar brain. To the max! I've got to watch that it's so easy for me to just grab a soda when the brain is screaming for it. I'll be comfortable staying this weight.
  • sizzle74
    sizzle74 Posts: 858 Member
    Congratulations on your pregnancy! I would really watch your intake and as much as yoga is good, I feel getting in some good hard cardio and even some weight training will be much more effective to prepare you for the delivery and hault the weight gain. I pushed for 4 hours.....yes 4 hours. I was very glad I was in good shape during those 4 hours!
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    In the past doctors were more concerned about getting an excess of weight while pregnant. It doesn't seem to be the case right now because a lot of ladies in this database make comments about gaining a lot of weight during their pregnancy.

    I gained 17 lbs from my original weight of 103lb, but I had very bad morning, afternoon, and night sickness during most of m y pregnancy and I had lost 5 lbs by the time that I was 4 months pregnant. I recovered the weight lost and gain some more and gave birth to an 8. 5 lbs baby, naturally. OUCH!!

    My second and last child was born less than a year later and I gained 15 lbs with that pregnancy because I still had leftover weight from my first. The baby was 6.5 lbs because I was induced to avoid another big baby.

    If you already gained 22 lbs at your sixth month you may end up with 40 lbs gained by the time of delivery since the baby will really grow more during last two months of pregnancy. I suggest that you watch what and how much you eat and may be do some kind of exercise like walking, and please, listen to your doctor.

    Congratulations and good luck to you and your baby.
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
    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.

    I would suggest the same thing. just log your normal eating habits for a week and see what you are actually eating. I know in the UK they only recommend an extra 200 calories in the last trimester.
  • booradleymo
    booradleymo Posts: 11 Member
    The same thing happened with me when I was pregnant with my little guy. I had a job that kept me on my feet a lot and it was hard to want to do anything after work. (I did start commuting to work on my bike, but I realize that that may not be possible for all pregnant ladies depending on distance to work, size of baby bump, etc). Just realize with pregnancy it's a whole different story than normal weight gain - you are creating food inside you to nourish your baby, you are retaining water in which your little one is currently floating, you have a human being growing inside you, you have more blood inside you than a non-pregnant woman, if you have any swelling then you are retaining even more water, if you have more stress than usual (which was the case for me) there's the potential for even more water retention - all this equates to into extra weight and none of it is fat-related. And all this non-fat weight will be gone within weeks after delivery.

    I've only had one pregnancy, but I love hearing other people's experiences, and what I've discovered is this: the weight-gaining guideline that doctors use is simply that, a guideline. Some women gain more weight early on in the pregnancy and then it slows down later on and for some it's the opposite. For some it's a steadier more consistent weight gain. I guess the real thing you need to feel out for yourself is if you feel okay and healthy with how you've been eating and your activity level. If you've been eating okay, and you feel healthy, then that's what's going to be best for your baby. I think the worst thing for a pregnant woman to have to worry about is losing weight. There are already too many stresses and pressures put on pregnant women to add this to the list.

    Hang in there! I'm sure you're doing your best for yourself and for baby! Congrats on the pregnancy, by the way. And good luck!
  • Valtishia
    Valtishia Posts: 811 Member
    Firstly I only read your post and not the rest, so sorry if this type of info was already said.

    Sometimes there are medical reasons for such things that your doctor should pay attention to. My sister and I both have a medical condition that is not caused by pregnancy but causes issues in pregnancy, however there is so little research or info on it that most doctors know nothing or very little about it.

    My sister who is rather slim had complications earlier in her pregnancy starting at 5 months. One of those complications was a quick weight gain which over all ended up being 60 lbs. I am overweight and my issues started a little later around 7 months and I gained a total of 30. That being said, both of our babies were under 5 lbs.

    All that being said, a woman knows when something isn't right with her body. Trust yourself. If you feel something isn't right then push for the doc to check you out. If you feel all is good, then tell the doc that. If He/she doesn't agree then they need to tell you how to resolve whatever problems they foresee rather than just telling you are gaining too much.
  • PeaceHappinessBalance
    PeaceHappinessBalance Posts: 75 Member
    I had a problem with my doctor-the problem was she didn't get ON me about my weight. I was 252 starting out and they found out I needed blood pressure medication. In the beginning she said I only needed to gain 20 pounds. Every week I thought she was going to get on me and she never did so I felt like it was "ok". Anyway, I sat on my *kitten* the whole time eating whatever I wanted and ended up gaining like 46 pounds and loss so much muscle. It's taken me a year to lose that and gain even a little endurance and strength back! If I could do it over again, I would eat WAY less sugar, drink way more water, and walk everyday and track my calories. I don't know exactly what you are doing, but just as long as you are living a healthy lifestyle and your stats are good, don't stress too much about it.

    **my baby ended up to be healthy 8 lbs 1 oz born at 40 weeks, but I still regret being so careless!
  • technobunny
    technobunny Posts: 131
    Why do people thinks the doctor's are harsh when they tell an unsugarcoated truth? They're there to give you medical advice, not to be your therapist.

    If he thinks you're gaining too much weight, ask for a referral to a dietician/nutritionist. People want their hands held all the time and someone to blame for what is their responsibility. It's your responsibility to take care of your body and the baby inside you. You should take the steps towards being healthy. Don't depend on your doctor, kwim? He's getting paid to give you facts and not love.

    i'm not trying to hurt your feelings either.

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