I'm new, I'm pregnant & I'm trying to put on some weight!

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Melstar2002
Melstar2002 Posts: 5
in Introduce Yourself
Hello all! My name is Melissa and I am a first time mommy to be! My husband an I got married last June and we found out I was pregnant in September. I am currently 24 weeks along (roughly 5.5 months) and am due at the end of May.

I came across this site when one of my Facebook friends posted about her weight loss goals. I checked out the site and thought it was a pretty neat format to track my food intake.

I have always been a very thin person who hasn't needed to worry much about what I eat, but now that I am pregnant, I am much more conscious of what I put into my body. Because I have always been "underweight" my Dr has set a goal for me to gain 35-40lbs during my pregnancy. She is a new Dr for me, so I don't think she realizes what a feat that is going to be for someone like me who has a hard time putting on any weight at all. So my personal goal is a bit lower!

I am 5'7" and my pre-pregnancy weight is roughly 120lbs. In November I got a wicked stomach flu and lost almost 5lbs. Since then I have managed to get my weight up to 124lbs. My goal for now is to get to a solid 130lbs and hopefully by the time I deliver I can get myself closer to 140lbs.

My Dr seems to be concerned that I am "afraid to gain weight" which isn't the case at all, I just know that I don't put on weight easily, so I am hoping this site can help me to see exactly what I am eating and hold myself accountable. And also, to show my Dr that I am doing what I am suppose to.

I look forward to making some new friends and encouraging them to reach their goals. As I am probably in the minority around here, I also look forward to meeting some people who share my goal of gaining some healthy weight! :o)

Oh and just for the record, our little baby is healthy as can be and measuring 4 days ahead of schedule!

Replies

  • brittlynne3579
    brittlynne3579 Posts: 217 Member
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    Hi Melissa! I first wanted to say congratulations on your pregnancy!! That is super exciting :drinker:

    I have never been pregnant, so I don't know the exact details to what you are suppose to eat. My best friend's doctor had the same concerns because she is so petite. She asked her doctor to give her a breakdown much like we do on this site. How many a day should she have of:

    Calories
    Fat
    Sodium
    Carbs
    Protein

    Then you can log and instead of staying UNDER like we do, you can reach it or go over. If you doctor isn't helpful, which hopefully they will be, you can always go see a nutritionist. Most don't charge you if you're simply asking a few questions like you would be. I hope this helps! Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • cehrenhaus
    cehrenhaus Posts: 42
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    Hi Melissa,

    I completely understand you! I am about to finish my 24th week and I also have been having a very hard time putting on weight. My first trimester was very bad, I vomited every day, sometimes more than once a day and I lost a lot of weight (10 pounds!). Then I got sick from my flu shot and that made me not eat for a couple of days, I lost 4-5 pounds. Once I passed week 16 though I could eat pretty much everything, but I had a stomach bug this last month and I lost 4 pounds in 2 days. So frustrating!

    My pre pregnancy weight was 127, I am at 132.5 (probably a tad more since I have not weighted in this week). However my doctors and nurses are not worried because baby is fine, growing well and his heart beat is normal. I would say that as long as you and the baby are healthy, do not worry yourself too much. The stress can be worse than the apparent lack of weight gain. Just make sure you do eat healthy and you put the right nutrients in :)

    Also, remember that you are about to start the crazy growth time! So you might actually start putting a lot of weight during these last 3 months!

    Best wishes during the rest of your pregnancy and good luck with your weight gain!
  • Melstar2002
    Melstar2002 Posts: 5
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    Hi Melissa! I first wanted to say congratulations on your pregnancy!! That is super exciting :drinker:

    I have never been pregnant, so I don't know the exact details to what you are suppose to eat. My best friend's doctor had the same concerns because she is so petite. She asked her doctor to give her a breakdown much like we do on this site. How many a day should she have of:

    Calories
    Fat
    Sodium
    Carbs
    Protein

    Then you can log and instead of staying UNDER like we do, you can reach it or go over. If you doctor isn't helpful, which hopefully they will be, you can always go see a nutritionist. Most don't charge you if you're simply asking a few questions like you would be. I hope this helps! Good luck! :flowerforyou:

    That's a great idea! My Dr said that if I don't get my weight gain where she wants it, she is going to refer me to a nutritionist, but now that I found this site, I am going to let her know and ask her exactly what she wants me to be taking in. It just gets frustrating because pregnancy is one of those things that everyone has an opinion on and they are almost never the same. As a first timer, it's hard to figure out what things I should REALLY worry about and what things people just make a big stink about.

    Thanks!
  • Melstar2002
    Melstar2002 Posts: 5
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    Hi Melissa,

    I completely understand you! I am about to finish my 24th week and I also have been having a very hard time putting on weight. My first trimester was very bad, I vomited every day, sometimes more than once a day and I lost a lot of weight (10 pounds!). Then I got sick from my flu shot and that made me not eat for a couple of days, I lost 4-5 pounds. Once I passed week 16 though I could eat pretty much everything, but I had a stomach bug this last month and I lost 4 pounds in 2 days. So frustrating!

    My pre pregnancy weight was 127, I am at 132.5 (probably a tad more since I have not weighted in this week). However my doctors and nurses are not worried because baby is fine, growing well and his heart beat is normal. I would say that as long as you and the baby are healthy, do not worry yourself too much. The stress can be worse than the apparent lack of weight gain. Just make sure you do eat healthy and you put the right nutrients in :)

    Also, remember that you are about to start the crazy growth time! So you might actually start putting a lot of weight during these last 3 months!

    Best wishes during the rest of your pregnancy and good luck with your weight gain!

    Awesome! Congrats to you! We are due pretty close together!

    I am doing pretty good about not stressing too much, thankfully. But I always feel like the bad kid in the classroom when the Dr tells me I'm not doing things right! It does help to know that at least I'm not alone and I am doing the best I can.

    My best friend is pregnant with her 4th and she is quite a bit smaller than me (5'2" 105lbs). Her Dr isn't at all concerned with her weight gain; she puts on only about 20lbs total for her pregnancies. So I just try to remember that what works for one mom doesn't always apply to the next. And even Drs differ in their opinions, so I don't need to freak myself out for nothing.

    This new mommy stuff is hard work! lol
  • EzraCCM
    EzraCCM Posts: 47
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    Congrats on your pregnancy!

    I've never been pregnant, nor have I ever had trouble gaining weight :wink:
    but my mother-in-law was always petite and a very healthy eater. When she got pregnant the first time, her doctor said she needed to gain weight... since she ate so healthy, she started eating a candy bar a day to accomplish that!

    Not that I'm a nutritionist or anything, but I guess if you eat healthy all day long, then a candy bar at the end of the day would be a good reward!
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
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    I'm not a doctor (well, I am but the animal kind), BUT my dad and brother are both OBGYNs. If you are starting at a healthy weight, which it sounds like you did - I've been told you only need 300 additional calories from your maintenance calories to grow a healthy baby without gaining excess weight - however as others already suggested - talking to YOUR doctor or your nutritionist is probably best.

    Also, you need 500 additional calories for breastfeeding (if you plan to do that) - I would just make sure those calories are as healthy as possible.

    Good luck! And of course, congratulations - such a neat little miracle!!!!

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