What to do: gaining weight during pregnancy? Weekly weight gain during pregnancy (table)

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-15 22:35

Every woman is happy to look after her appearance, especially her figure. However, during pregnancy, things are different. Appearing fat deposits are an essential condition for the normal development of the baby. Some women lament: “I gain a lot during pregnancy.” How to deal with this situation? And in general, is there a norm for weight gain for expectant mothers?

How to weigh yourself correctly?

To track changes in the weight of a pregnant woman, it is necessary to properly organize weighing. So experts recommend following a few tips:

• measure body weight once a week;
• the best time to weigh yourself is the morning before breakfast;
• bladder and colon must be empty for accurate results;
• necessaryuse the same floor scales;
• mother-to-be needs to weigh herself in certain clothes or not at all;
• received data must be recorded in a special notebook or notepad.

These recommendations will only be needed for those women who constantly weigh themselves at home. But pregnant women who undergo this procedure at the gynecologist should visit the antenatal clinic exclusively at the same time. A woman must empty her bladder before being weighed.

Calculation of body mass index

To determine how much you can get better during pregnancy, you need to calculate the body mass index. This indicator will help determine whether a woman was overweight before and how much she should gain during pregnancy.

It is very easy to calculate it. To do this, body weight is divided by height (in meters) squared. For example, with a weight of 60 kg and a height of 175 cm (1.75 m), this figure would be 19.59.

There are special calculators for determining weight changes in pregnant women. They indicate the following values of indicators:

• weight before pregnancy (in kg);
• height (in cm);
• start date of the last critical days or gestational age in weeks;
• weight at last weigh-in (in kg);
• single or multiple pregnancy.

Thus, the allowable rate of weight gain is determined and how it will increase after a while.

What does weight consist offuture mother?

In the case of pregnancy, a woman's weight is made up of not only the mass of internal organs, body fluids and body fat reserves. In addition to them, a new person develops in the body of the expectant mother. It has its own mass, which increases every week.

The expectant mother begins to fill the mammary glands, which also have a certain weight. When does the breast stop growing during pregnancy? Its growth stops 10 weeks after conception. However, this is not a final process. A few weeks before giving birth, the breasts begin to increase in size again. This is caused by the preparation of the mammary glands for feeding the baby.

Growth in pregnant women is due to height:

• blood volumes (1-2 kg weight gain);
• amniotic fluid (1 kg);
• placenta (0.5-1 kg);
• womb (0.9-1.5kg);
• mammary glands (0.5-1 kg);
• fluid in tissues (2.5-3 kg);
• fat reserves (3-4 kg);
• and baby's weight before delivery (3-4 kg).

So a woman's statement "gaining a lot of weight during pregnancy" may be the result of changes in the body, and not poor nutrition.

What influences weight gain?

Many women are interested in the question: "How can you not get better during pregnancy?". Experts unequivocally answer that in any way. The ongoing processes in the body suggest weight gain, but a number of factors affect what it will be.

• The weight of the expectant mother is affected by the presence and level of toxicosis in the first trimester. Since women lose a large amount of fluid due to vomiting. Therefore, dehydration and weight loss may occur.
• Pathologies associated with the course of pregnancy. Such as polyhydramnios or the presence of edematous syndrome. They lead to weight gain.
• The age of the woman. Experts say that the older the expectant mother, the higher the likelihood that she will gain more kilograms: the body in adulthood is prone to becoming overweight.
• Carrying twins or triplets leads to more substantial weight gain.
• Baby weight. Sometimes weight gain depends on the child being born. So, when expecting a large child, the mass of the placenta increases and the total weight of the woman becomes greater.

The diet and the amount of liquid consumed directly affects the woman's metabolism, as well as changes in the mass of the placenta, amniotic fluid, uterus and the baby itself. Women who have recovered their legs during pregnancy note that during this period they loved to lie in bed longer and eat sweets.

Normal weight gain in pregnant women

How many pounds do women gain during pregnancy? If the expectant mother had a normal physique and the correct build, then weight gain, according to the average body mass index, should not exceed 10-15 kg. If the body weight was reduced, then an increase of 12-18 kg is considered normal. Whenan overweight woman should not add more than 4-9 kg. For better clarity, let's present the rate of weight gain during pregnancy by week in the table.

Pregnancy week	Increase per week	Total increase
1-4	0 g	0 kg
5-9	-200/+200g	-2/+1 kg
10-14	-200/+200g	-2/+2kg
15-18	+100-200g	+1-4kg
19-23	+100-200g	+3-5kg
24-28	+300-500g	+5-8kg
29-32	+300-500g	+7-11kg
33-36	+300-500g	+8-13kg
37-40	-300/+300g	+8-15kg

How much can you gain during pregnancy? If a woman is expected to have twins or even triplets, then weight gain occurs in other proportions. For expectant mothers with normal body weight, an increase of 15-25 kg is typical. If they were obese, then body weight may increase to 10-21 kg.

If a woman is interested in the question: “How fast does the breast grow during pregnancy?”, Then the answer cannot be unambiguous. In girls of normal build, breasts fill faster and gain more weight than those who have extra pounds.

So pre-pregnancy skinny women can put on more pounds than overweight women.

Weight gain during pregnancy by week: table

To evaluate the results and analyze the increase in body weight of a pregnant woman, experts have developed indicators of the rate of weight gain.

Pregnancy week	BMI<19, 8 (kg gain)	BMI=19, 8-26, 0 (kg gain)	BMI>26 (kg gain)
2-6	0, 5 - 1, 4	0, 5 - 1, 0	0, 5 - 0, 6
8-12	1, 6 - 2, 0	1, 2 - 1, 5	0, 7 - 0, 9
10-14	1, 8 - 2, 7	1, 3 - 1, 9	0, 8 - 1, 0
16-20	3, 2 - 5, 4	2, 3 - 4, 8	1, 4 - 2, 9
22-26	6, 8 - 9, 8	5, 7 - 7, 7	3, 4 - 5, 0
28-32	9, 8 - 11, 3	8, 2 - 10, 0	5, 4 - 6, 4
34-38	12, 5 - 14, 5	10, 9 - 12, 7	7, 3 - 8, 6
40	15, 2	13, 6	9, 1

Each of these indicators still depends on the body constitution of the expectant mother and her body mass index. The rates reflect weight gain for all weeks of pregnancy. Such a table helps not only the gynecologist, but also allows the woman to understand what to expect during the childbearing.

The main changes in the body weight of a pregnant woman directly depend on the metabolism, nutritional habits and the needs of the child. This only confirms the individual nature of this indicator.

Eating during pregnancy

In order for a woman not to justify herself to everyone: “I became fat during pregnancy”, it is necessary to give preference to a balanced diet.

Expectant mother needs to think carefully about her diet and make a menu for every day. In this case, the calorie content of dishes should be taken into account. To do this, experts recommend using special tables that indicate the number of calories in a particular product. When shopping in a supermarket, a pregnant woman is advised to study the composition and calorie content of the product.

Foods with high nutritional value include sunflower oil, butter, confectionery and pastries. During the periodpregnancy, it is not necessary to exclude them from the diet. The best option would be to consume these products in smaller quantities.

But carbonated drinks, fast food, chips and crackers should be excluded from the daily menu altogether. They not only negatively affect the figure of the expectant mother, but also harm the he alth of the child.

While waiting for a baby, a woman is advised to consume as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Since they are rich in fiber, they improve metabolism and remove toxins from the body.

If a woman does not want to say a phrase like "I'm gaining a lot during pregnancy", then she needs to eat several times a day, in small portions. In no case should you overeat, this can cause indigestion.

Danger of being overweight

Many women during pregnancy find it quite difficult to overcome themselves and stop eating sweets and other harmful products. Often they do not want to follow the rules: do physical exercises daily, adjust their daily routine and nutrition. To pull yourself together, you need a good incentive. For many of them, this motive is being overweight.

Overweight leads to malfunctions in the body of a pregnant woman:

• metabolism worsens;
• shortness of breath appears;
• varicose veins develop;
• pain in the back;
• blood pressure rises;
• hemorrhoids develop.

Being overweight can cause complications during childbirth. Since the muscles lose their elasticity, they are filled with a large amount of fat and water. In addition, the baby also gains weight disproportionately and can be very large, making it difficult to move through the birth canal.

Conclusion

So that later the young mother does not claim: “I am getting better during pregnancy,” she needs to monitor her diet from an early date. She must understand that her he althy body is the key to the well-being of her unborn baby. And satisfying all your desires in junk food will not lead to the desired results, but will only add to the experience after childbirth.