Why inadequate weight gain is dangerous for infants
OtiWanKenobi
Posts: 340 Member
Hi all....
I saw this article and thought I would share with you all. When I first found out I was pregnant after having lost nearly 60 lbs, it was so difficult to imagine gaining weight. The first two trimester, I ate at maintenance, but found myself continuing to gain weight no matter what. It really messed with my mind!!!! Especially, reading threads about women on this board who barely gained any weight at all or actually lost lbs....(whether it be for one reason or another). That is why I decided to ditch the scale, ditch counting calories and checking MFP everyday.
I happened to come across this article today and thought I'd share with you all because it really struck me and made me realize that we ARE supposed to gain weight...even if a little if you're obese. Some weight gain is beneficial for the little ones.
http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/why-inadequate-pregnancy-weight-gain-is-dangerous-for-infants_12911668
I saw this article and thought I would share with you all. When I first found out I was pregnant after having lost nearly 60 lbs, it was so difficult to imagine gaining weight. The first two trimester, I ate at maintenance, but found myself continuing to gain weight no matter what. It really messed with my mind!!!! Especially, reading threads about women on this board who barely gained any weight at all or actually lost lbs....(whether it be for one reason or another). That is why I decided to ditch the scale, ditch counting calories and checking MFP everyday.
I happened to come across this article today and thought I'd share with you all because it really struck me and made me realize that we ARE supposed to gain weight...even if a little if you're obese. Some weight gain is beneficial for the little ones.
http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/why-inadequate-pregnancy-weight-gain-is-dangerous-for-infants_12911668
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Thank you for that! I think some women do get way too obsessed with their weight while pregnant.0
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Thank you for that! I think some women do get way too obsessed with their weight while pregnant.
Absolutely. You *have* to gain some weight, you're growing a baby and a placenta for a start!
I haven't even weighed myself! I'm doing everything right - exercise, mainly healthy eating, logging here every day, but I'm not going to obsess over the scale.0 -
Thanks. I am one that lost weight (in the beginning because of MS) but am on my way back up now. I know that some weight gain is inevitable but I still have stressed about it some.
I feel better now but still admit, I am probably not going to stop checking the scale
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Thankfully I'm not in the "gaining too little" category, lol! I can see how some people let the gain effect them to the point of borderline obsession, especially on a site like this. I weigh myself regularly, cringe at the scale and then go eat. I was strong enough to lose whatever weight I had to in the first place (why I even joined this site) and I will be strong enough to lose whatever I have to when the baby is born. I'm not sweating it too much:)0
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Yeah I'm one of those OBSESSIVE people...I really have OCD issues which is why I decided to post this article because it helped me see stats and WHY it's okay to gain the weight.
Because of my OCD behavior is why I chose to stopping logging and counting everyday. Trying to spend the last 10 weeks in a healthy state of mind and eat as healthy as I can.
I just hope that this help other women on here who struggled with this concept as much as I did.
Best of luck for all of you on your pregnancy journeys!
:flowerforyou: 0 -
I agree that you need to gain weight in a pregnancy to have healthy baby etc...
but that being said
i am over weight/obese and have NEVER made an 8 lb baby 5 & 6 lbs always i think my heaviest baby was almost 7 lbs
now that being said- they are all perfectly healthy 11 yrs, 3, 2 & 4 mo LOL
i have never watched my weight in the past with my pregnancies & will ditch the scale as well with this one eventually
so i guess my point was you can gain 50 lbs and still have a 5-6 lb baby0 -
I have never gained more than 27 pounds during pregnancy and that was with #1 and I was a normal weight to start off with. With #2 and #3 and #4 I was heavy to begin with and only gained between 10 and 15 pounds and # 2 weighed 7 lbs 12 oz a week and a half before due date, #3 weighed 6 lbs 10 oz 2 1/2 weeks before due date, and #4 weighed 8 lbs 10 oz 4 days past due date. This time I do weigh myself several days a week and watch what I eat but I eat enough right now. I am at a very healthy starting weight with pregnancy #5. I am 5 foot 8 inches tall and weigh 143 - 144 pounds depending on the day. I don't think completely letting go and going over recommendations is good either as it makes it harder to lose afterwards. I hope to not gain anymore than 25 pounds this whole pregnancy.0
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I definitely see and appreciate your point, however it's my DOCTOR that's pushing me to gain ZERO POUNDS (I'm already up a few so there goes that) and who wants me to monitor my eating very closely because she is afraid of my gaining too MUCH weight or getting gestational diabetes. There are just as many serious side effects of gaining excess weight in pregnancy-- especially when you start out obese as I did-- as there are for people who do not gain enough weight.
So maybe my caloric intake has been a borderline "obsession" in pregnancy (and also outside of pregnancy) but it's certainly with the approval and on the advice of my physician.
How much a women should or does gain in pregnancy is honestly between them and their medical team and not something you can paint with one paintbrush for any size woman. I don't think-- on a calorie counting web site-- that there's any need to make women feel ashamed for counting calories.0 -
Actually, the report supports your point. It does say that this is with the exception of "obese" women. And yes I totally agree that this is a very individualized topic, some women will just gain weight no matter what, me included
I am eating very healthy, exercising at least 3 times a week if not 5 and the weight just keeps adding. I have gained 55 lbs in my first pregnancy (while going wild on food, lol) and though I am doing it VERY right this time, I just keep gaining. My OB is not worried though. 0 -
I was at a "normal" weight when I found out I was pregnant. I am 22 weeks and have gained 10 pounds. Doctor says I am right on track. How much more should I expect to gain in the next 4 months? Another 10-15 pounds?0
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25lbs is a healthy gain for someone starting at a healthy weight.
I would personally plan on approx1lb a week.0 -
Agree with previous poster - 25 -35 lbs would be the recommended for "normal" weight. With 18 weeks left at probably a pound (or more! or less! a week I would expect to put on another 15-25 lbs. In my pregnancies the last couple of weeks I put on like 2-4 lbs of I'm guessing fluid retention PER week. My son I gained 6 lbs from weeks 39-41 (I went overdue with him). So eat healthy, do what moving around you can, but don't put too much pressure on yourself to stay below a certain weight.0
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I'd just like to add to this discussion: when you weigh up the effects of too little weight gain or too much weight gain on outcomes for the BABY (ignoring what effects the Mums have to deal with) then the negative effects are worse if you gain too little. That is not to say there are no negative effects if you gain too much weight, there are just MORE potential risks when you don't gain enough.With this in mind I'd rather go a little bit overweight and have to shift extra weight after pregnancy than deal with my baby having health issues as a result of not gaining enough. That is for me personally, and I am having a normal pregnancy so far and right 'on track' for my weight gain according to my starting weight. Each of us will gain what we will so I guess what i'm essentially saying is don't stress about gaining more than recommended weight (these recommendations are based on averages and the numbers wont be right for ALL women) - it's still better than not gaining enough.0
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I'd just like to add to this discussion: when you weigh up the effects of too little weight gain or too much weight gain on outcomes for the BABY (ignoring what effects the Mums have to deal with) then the negative effects are worse if you gain too little. That is not to say there are no negative effects if you gain too much weight, there are just MORE potential risks when you don't gain enough.With this in mind I'd rather go a little bit overweight and have to shift extra weight after pregnancy than deal with my baby having health issues as a result of not gaining enough. That is for me personally, and I am having a normal pregnancy so far and right 'on track' for my weight gain according to my starting weight. Each of us will gain what we will so I guess what i'm essentially saying is don't stress about gaining more than recommended weight (these recommendations are based on averages and the numbers wont be right for ALL women) - it's still better than not gaining enough.
Yes, exactly. I didn't post this shame anyone into counting calories or being healthy....quite the opposite actually. Why else would I be on MFP?
I posted this because there's another topic titled "How much weight have your gained" and I noticed a lot of women who had lost a lot of weight pre-pregnancy and were in the normal to overweight range have a fear of gaining any weight. There were some women that clearly seemed in the normal weight range and into their 30th week with only a 10lb gain. Other women discussed how fearful they were of gaining any weight at all; I was one of them.
If you read my original post... I lost nearly 60lbs which put me borderline overweight and the suggested weight gain is 25lbs. I struggled mentally and stressed myself out significantly about gaining the weight back. This article helped me understand the importance of nutrition and weight gain for your baby...which then eased my mind and I posted this hoping that it will help those women too.
If you read the article, it also clearly states that women who are obese really don't need to gain weight at all....This is something you would have to talk to your OB about. But this message was geared toward women who were at a normal BMI pre-pregnancy. My goal was never to offend nor shame anyone.0
