Pregnancy weight gain fears make me feel nuts!

So I am 17.2 weeks and I just went to the Dr yesterday. I have gained about 5 lbs total. ( I lost 2 lbs to start with because of morning sickness.)  The doc told me I actually could be gaining more weight. But when I asked what I should be eating and general nutrition questions he was clueless (luckily he referred me to a nutritionist, who should be calling soon).

There are several sites that say I should be eating about 2400 Cals a day. I am 5'5 and 164.9 as of yesterday. I am pretty sedentary as pregnancy has not been kind to already injured hips.  I can't eat this much for two reasons. 1 I am completely afraid of becoming a house because I am pregnant, and 2 I just really don't eat that much food (this could be due to number one, I am really not sure). I upped my Calorie intake from 1500 (pre pregnancy and weightloss) to 2000 by focusing on more nutrition dense foods, adding in more nuts and reducing the low fat cheeses to regular cheeses, things like that.

I really just need some support from others who were perhaps afraid of their weight gain as well. I know it is irrational (to a point). But I had worked so hard to lose all the weight and now baby is just putting it back on. I am frustrated and need some advice!!

When I got pregnant, it was at the tail end of a 2 year weight loss that had finally gotten me down to a healthy weight and I was terrified of gaining it all back, too.  Sounds like you already have established good habits, which will help.  The most important thing, though, is to accept the fact that you're going to gain weight.  20 lbs or so of it will be gone the moment your  baby is out of you.  If you are planning on breastfeeding (do it!) you can count on burning about 500 extra calories per day.  Just keep up your good habits and don't give in to too many cravings, and you'll be fine.  It will come back off, eventually.  In my case, it's been harder to lose it the first time around, but I know it's going to happen.  Maybe that's not exactly what you wanted to hear, but your body is going through something extraordinary and you have to stay healthy to make it though.

Your doctor is right that you have gained less weight than average for your dates. Generally, it's recommended to gain 3-5lbs in your first trimester, and 1-2lbs per week for the remainder of your pregnancy.

For people of a healthy weight before pregnancy, a healthy weight gain is around 25-35lbs, the majority of which is not fat.

A 30lb weight distribution would work out something like this:

• 7 1/2pounds is about how much the baby will weigh by the end of pregnancy.
• 1 1/2pounds is how much the placenta weighs.
• 4 pounds is attributed to increased fluid volume.
• 2 pounds is the weight of the uterus.
• 2 pounds is the weight of breast tissue.
• 4 pounds is because of increased blood volume.
• 7 pounds is attributed to maternal stores of fat, protein and other nutrients.
• 2 pounds for the amniotic fluid.
• Total: 30 pounds

This is why it's so important not to diet during pregnancy. Creating a baby - all those bones, tissues, brain cells, neurons etc - requires so much energy. Even though the baby is small, the amount of energy required to build the incredibly complex structures of a tiny human being is not. Bear in mind we are all different and many people will need to gain more weight - eg, if you are taller you will likely gain more blood than a shorter person, might be carrying a bigger baby, might have more amniotic fluid in there, etc.

I have heard it recommended that you should eat around or a little above maintenance in your first trimester, add on 200-300 calories in your second trimester, then eat between 300-500 calories extra in your last trimester.

Within a few weeks after birth a lot of the weight you have gained - placenta, amniotic fluid, blood, enlarged uterus, baby - will have been lost. The leftover weight is what your body stores in order to have enough energy for breastfeeding - like the poster above mentioned, breastfeeding uses up a lot of energy.

So try to relax and allow the weight gain to happen, because it is supposed to happen, and in fact is necessary for a healthy, bouncy baby. And weight gain during pregnancy doesn't mean that you will remain a house after the baby, especially as you now have lots of knowledge about good food choices from your previous diet.

Thanks guys

 

I agree you could and probably should gain more.  There has been numerous studies that show a correlation between how much and what a mother eats during pregnancy and pre-eclampsia and low birth weight babies.

In addition to increasing your calories to around 2400 I would suggest following the Brewers Pregnancy Diet and focusing on eating 100 grams of protein a day or more.

I got pregnant when I was pretty young, and I hadn't been eating healthily before I was pregnant (lots of disordered eating). When I went to my first appointment i weighed ~160 pounds, the day I went into labor i weighed ~235 pounds.

That's a lot of weight to gain. My son weighed 8lbs 11.7 oz. When i got home from the hospital and was well enough to weigh myself i was about 200 even, and by my 6 week follow up visit i was ~184.

So yes gaining the weight is scary and I gained more than most (if you add the weight i gained in about the month before i got pregnant and the two months before my first 8 week visit i gained almost exactly 100 pounds) but if you stick with healthy eating after wards it will drop off pretty quickly. Also if you breastfeed, as was said above, you will burn about an extra 500 calories a day.

If you are THAT worried about it make sure you bring it up with the nutritionist. The usual blanket standard for a pregnant woman is to eat an extra 300 calories each day. An extra 300 calories a day is about 2 cookies depending on the cookie, or ~2 oz of raw almonds.

I don't know if it will help with the fear but like I said, at least for me, the weight dropped off very quickly.

I have a 14 week old and was very worried about gaining weight as well because i have several friends that gained 70+ pounds when they were pregnant.  What they have "confessed" to me once I became pregnant is that they treated their pregnancy like the last supper and ate every fattening thing (Mexican food, pizza, french fries, etc. whenever they wanted and just kind of let it get a little too out of control.)  Which is why they gained so much weight.   They told me to learn from their mistakes.   Although I have never had an eating disorder, I am a very all or nothing person so I wanted to find a happy medium between being the calorie nazi and eating every meal with wreckless abandon (which is very tempting.)

So what I tried to do was NOT freak out about every fat gram, but only eat one really heavy or fried thing a day.  For example, if I had a burger and fries for lunch, then I ate a healthy dinner and I wouldn't let my husband order a pizza or something else heavy on the same day.  Or I wouldn't eat a big dessert if I had had a heavy dinner, etc.  So enjoy your calories, but realize you only really need about 300 more calories and that is VERY easy to consume without trying very hard.  That being said, go ahead and live a little, just not at every meal!

My son is now 14 weeks and I have 15 lbs of baby weight to lose and he was worth every pound.  (I gained right around 30 which is where my dr. wanted me to be.)  You will be so happy when your baby comes you will not care if you have a little extra weight.  Just don't be so hard on yourself to look perfect right after you deliver.  It will take some time to get back to a healtlhy weight and that is ok.  I am a work in progress right now but I remind myself that being a mom is worth everything I have to do to get back into shape.  You will feel the same way.

I wouldnt worry too much either way. Eat healthy nutritious foods as far as possible and dont worry if you lose/ gain a little weight. Seriously.

BUT PLEASE DONT DIET DURING PREGNANCY_ ITS THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO TO YOURSELF AND YOUR BABY.

Having said that, a lot of women do in fact lose weight during the first trimester. There are women who gain 10 lb during their first trimester and women who lose 15 (those who have m/s). So dont worry if you havent gained as much as recommended. Eat nutrient dense foods that will give you and the baby maximum health. On the other hand, dont panic if you are hungry and feel like your body wants more food.

Eat well, get as much rest and exercise as you need, and relax.

Easier said than done, but go with the flow.

 

 

I was also worried about gaining too much weight but decided that growing a healthy baby was a much higher priority!

My eating habits were pretty good to start with so I just focused on that and making sure I got all the nutrients and calories I needed...I often eat even if I'm not really feeling that hungry to make sure I get enough calories and nutrients. BUT I eat healthy, whole foods--skim milk and low fat dairy, lean meat, whole grains, fruit, veggies, nuts, healthy fats, very, very, very little sugar, no processed food, etc. Luckily I don't really get cravings (except my daily 2 squares of dark chocolate but that was a pre-pregnancy thing anyway :).

I only gained about 3 lbs during my first trimester, despite ensuring I ate enough and good food, and was pretty worried about the little weight gain (yeah, worried about gaining too much, worried about not gaining enough!)

I discussed my eating habits with my Dr and she said to continue and we'll just monitor my weight gain and baby growth. Since then I've steadily gained about 1 lb per week-- I'm now 28 weeks and have gained 18-19 lbs.  I had an U/S a couple weeks ago and the baby is right on average (I know the US weight estimates can be off but it's reassuring anyway).

So, to sum up a long post...if you eat whole, healthy foods (and a prenatal vitamin), ensure you're getting a good mix of carbs, protein, healthy fat and all your nutrients your weight gain should be in-check and your baby should be getting everything he or she needs to grow big and strong and healthy and happy :)