Calculating weight during pregnancy: weight gain rates, tolerances, medical advice

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Weight gain during pregnancy is a more than natural phenomenon, because the tummy increases in volume, and the baby grows in it. This is perhaps the only case when a woman's weight gain and volume is more likely to be a reason for satisfaction and pride than for shame.

Body mass index

Calculation of weight during pregnancy depends on the physique of the woman, on her body weight before she was in position. For this, the body mass index (BMI) is calculated for the initial height and weight. It makes no sense for pregnant women to calculate this index, because they do not fit into these strict standards. Everyone who is interested in their own figure has heard about this indicator. You can find out about body mass index in almost any fashion magazine, and on the Internet, women's sites about beauty and he alth are simply replete with such information. So how is it calculated? Weight is divided by height squared, with weight measured in kilograms and height in centimeters. Most often tothere is no need to resort to calculations - there are many special body weight calculators that will perform the most elementary work for us and calculate weight gain during pregnancy. The average BMI for a young woman ranges from 19 to 25.

Physique and Weight Gain Rates

Slender women with a BMI below 19 are allowed to gain more weight throughout their pregnancy, from 12 to 18 kg. With a normal body mass index of 19 to 25, it is quite acceptable to add 11 to 16 kg. But if the BMI exceeds 25, it is not recommended to gain a lot and it is best to keep within the numbers from 5 to 11 kg. However, these figures are quite contradictory. Some doctors say that at an initially normal weight, you should not gain more than 8-13 kg.

There are detailed tables that show the calculation of weight gain during pregnancy by week, depending on BMI.

Sum of terms

What makes up a pregnant woman's weight gain? We all know that a baby usually weighs only about 3-3.5 kg, in rare cases, heroes of 4.5-5 kg are born. Is everything else fat? It's not like that at all. There are many processes going on in the body of a pregnant woman, her organs are being rebuilt, moreover, new ones are being formed. So what constitutes weight gain?

• Child weighs on average 3000-3500g
• Enlarged uterus reaches 900-1000g
• Placenta - about 500-600g
• Amniotic fluid 900-1000g
• Increased blood volume 1200-1500g
• Additionalliquid - 1500-2700 g.
• Breast enlargement will be about 500g

Fat deposits - on average from 2000 to 4000 g. And even they are not unnecessary ballast, but a reserve that will come in handy during breastfeeding. So the calculation of weight during pregnancy shows that with a he althy lifestyle, there is nothing superfluous in the mother's body.

Pledge of he alth

Monitoring body weight and weighing yourself regularly is important not so much because of taking care of the figure, but to control the correct course of pregnancy. Sometimes this indicator helps to diagnose some pregnancy disorders.

Calculation of pregnancy weight by week depends on the trimester - at first, the set practically does not occur, and later it becomes more noticeable.

First trimester and morning sickness

In the first trimester, the weight of a pregnant woman will increase by only 1-2 kg, it may not increase at all or even decrease slightly. Weight loss usually occurs with toxicosis. Toxicosis of pregnancy or early preeclampsia is considered a pathological condition, although many consider it a normal and almost integral sign of pregnancy. It all depends on the severity of its course. Many pregnant women are limited to only a subjective feeling of nausea, a slight decrease in appetite and sensitivity to odors. Vomiting is observed occasionally or absent. In this case, the weight usually remains the same or does not decrease much - about 1-2 kg for the entire trimester. It is not dangerous for the he alth of mother and child. However, strong and frequentvomiting leads to malnutrition. Tests usually show a decrease in indicators such as hemoglobin. Ketone bodies appear in the urine, indicating starvation. Together with rapid weight loss, this can lead to treatment and hospitalization. But many women who suffered from toxicosis, especially during other trimesters, are proud that they did not gain weight at all or even lost it. With an initially large body weight, this is not dangerous for the baby.

Second trimester

In the second trimester, the picture changes. A woman gains an average of 250-300 g per week. After all, the fetus becomes larger, grows more noticeably, and with it the organs of a pregnant woman grow. This is usually when the tummy becomes visible.

Third trimester

About 400 g is added per week. Calculation of weight gain during pregnancy by weeks is an important means of monitoring he alth status. It is important to understand that a sharp weight gain is a risk not only for the figure after childbirth. He can talk about serious problems in the body. For example, such a rapid increase is often associated with edema. This should alert the expectant mother and doctors, because swelling is often one of the symptoms of late preeclampsia. You may also experience high blood pressure. True, you should not be afraid of changes in body weight. Pregnant women have to regularly take blood and urine tests, so such deviations in the work of the body will make themselves felt.

Busting

True, excessive weight gain canbe associated with elementary illiteracy. You should not listen to the advice of the older generation "eat for two" - we must remember that the second "eater" is too small to receive a whole adult serving. The diet of a pregnant woman should exceed the usual diet by 200 kcal in the second trimester and by 300 in the third. Counting calories and complicating your life is absolutely not necessary. If weight gain is associated with fat mass, the main thing is to limit the consumption of the most high-calorie and unhe althy foods - sweets, pastries.

You must understand that unnecessary fat mass is not the cost of pregnancy, when a woman sacrifices her figure, but harm to her and the child. This makes childbirth difficult and, in addition, a paradoxical situation may occur - the aging of the placenta will accelerate and the baby will not receive enough nutrition, despite the mother's plentiful diet.

Gestational diabetes

Maternal and fetal weight gain may be associated with gestational diabetes. This disease should not be confused with diabetes, which is not associated with pregnancy. In contrast, gestational age usually goes away after childbirth. However, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes remains. If a woman does not follow a diet and, if necessary, does not use insulin, there is a risk of pathology of the internal organs of the child and macrosomia, when the baby is born with a large weight, despite the fact that his head remains the usual size. The amount of water in this diagnosis is also often increased.

True, timely diagnosis and strict adherence to diet often lead tothat women with diabetes gain less weight than those who do not. After all, fast carbohydrates are forbidden - all the same sweet, flour, potatoes. In this case, slowing down weight gain should not be scared, although it does not hurt to consult a doctor.

Before childbirth

Calculation of weight during pregnancy can be fraught with some surprises, if you do not know the patterns going on in the body. The graph of the increase in kilograms of the expectant mother can not only stubbornly strive upwards. Before childbirth, weight gain can not only slow down and stop, but also go back. The loss of 1-2 kg even serves as one of the criteria by which doctors and pregnant women themselves predict an early birth. True, along with the discharge of the mucous plug and the prolapse of the abdomen, this sign only approximately speaks of the upcoming birth. Some will have to wait several days, others a couple of weeks.

Pregnancy and sports

Of course, you should not give up physical activity during pregnancy. Of course, many activities will be significantly limited, because they are associated with the risk of miscarriage. But activities such as swimming, yoga for pregnant women will only benefit. Moreover, specially designed exercises help prepare a woman's body for childbirth. The fetus also needs oxygen, so walking is very useful. They should be continued until the very last days of pregnancy. Of course, if it becomes difficult to move, you have to reduce distances and slow down.

Sports activitiespregnant women depend on what was the physical preparation before pregnancy. For example, heavy lifting is not recommended for pregnant women, if ordinary expectant mothers should not carry heavy packages from the store and it is better to ask relatives or buy in parts, then a woman who was engaged in power lifting before pregnancy lifted 100 kg, and during - only 50 This is "a little" for her. Of course, you shouldn't rely on her. Therefore, if before there was an unsportsmanlike lifestyle, then it is worth adding only light physical activity and, of course, walking in the fresh air. If you combine this with an adequate, but not excessive, vitamin-rich diet, then the calculation of pregnancy weight is likely to please acceptable numbers.