My sister-in-law inspired this one... is it true that you should only gain a certain amount of weight when you're pregnant? First of all, let me give my disclaimer that I am not a medical doctor and do not claim in any way to be giving medical advice. But, I will tell you what I've learned about this issue from my own experience. The books will tell you that you are supposed to gain between 25 and 35 lbs. during pregnancy.
I gained 40 or more with each of my pregnancies. I really believe though that this amount was the perfect amount for my body, especially since I gained pretty much the same amount in both pregnancies and within the first month lost 20 of those 40 lbs. I know that my body was just putting on the necessary weight it needed to be able to support my growing baby, and especially the weight it needed to be able to produce the amount of breastmilk my babies were going to need after they were born. While it deserves its own blog, the things your body needs to be able to produce such large quantities of milk might be surprising: you need lots and lots of water and liquids, 500 calories more a day than you needed when you were pregnant, and maternal fat stores from which your body makes a lot of the milk from. So, a lot of the reason your body stores up so much weight when you're pregnant (if the baby only weighs around 7 lbs., where is the rest of the weight from?) is to be able to have what it needs for AFTER the baby is born. In fact, when you look at the breakdown of the pregnancy weight distribution, most of it is related to breastfeeding... (approx. weights)
12 lbs. maternal stores (fat, protein, and other nutrients)
4 lbs. increased fluid volume
2 lbs. breast enlargement
2 lbs. uterus
7.5 lbs. baby
2 lbs. amniotic fluid
1.5 lbs. placenta
[from Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Dr. Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler]
The first three are all related to breastfeeding in some way or another.
I would also like to point out that even doctors will agree that it is much more serious to not gain enough weight than to gain too much weight during pregnancy.
But what I really want to reitterate in this post is that our bodies are good at self-regulating and doing what they need to do in terms of weight gain during pregnancy, as long as we are doing our part. If we are eating healthy foods and eating when we're hungry, stopping when we're full, and getting regular exercise, we don't really need to worry about how much weight we're gaining. Our bodies will take care of that!
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3 comments:
I'm glad you posted something about this. I get concerned about weight gain all the time, but now its starting to worry me a little that I'm 21 weeks and only gained 3 lbs?? When did you really start gaining most of your weight? Personal question, so you don't have to answer if you dont' want!!!
Well, I am the one HOlly is referring to. I am 24 weeks along. My midwife told me this week that I gained 8 pounds this past month. She said that was ok, but it wont be healthy if I keep up that pace. I have never been worried about my weight, and I still am not b/c as Holly said : I only eat when I am hungary (which is kind of a lot these days), and I exercise regularly. I think I started out underweight - 108 pounds and know I am up to 133! I think I am just gaining what I need. I do beleive that our bodies know what we need. THanks for the encouragement Holly!
Catherine - I am not sure when I started gaining my weight - I think it started fairly soon. I am sure you are fine. I would just check in with your doctor if you are worried.
Catherine, it is not uncommon for someone to not start gaining much weight until the second half of pregnancy...I really can't remember exactly when I started to gain most of my weight, but I know it is slower with the first baby than the second. I wouldn't worry too much, just make sure you're eating plenty and not being skimpy on your food intake out of the fear of gaining weight. It really won't be that hard to loose it later!
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