Yahoo Lifestyle Weight gain in pregnancy
Every expectant mum knows that gaining weight is all part and parcel of the journey that is pregnancy… but what’s the healthiest way to gain it, and how many extra kilos should you really put on?
To work out how much weight you should gain during your pregnancy, you need to know your body mass index (BMI). This number is derived by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in centimetres squared. Maths not your thing? Try googling ‘BMI calculator’, following the prompts and working it out that way!
Once you know your pre-preg BMI, this is a rough guide to weight gain:
If your BMI is less than 18.5 (an indication that you’re underweight), look to gain around 12.5 to 18kg.
If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9 (a healthy BMI), you should gain between 11.5 and 16kg.
If your BMI is 25 to 29.9 (considered overweight), aim to put on 7 to 11.5kg.
If your BMI is over 30 (medically speaking, this is obese) you should not put on any more than 9kg in total.
These weight-gain guides are for single-baby pregnancies only. If you’re having twins, you’ll naturally gain more weight than this, so speak to your midwife or doctor about the appropriate amount for you.
When it comes to how you gain the weight, you should only put on a couple of kilos in your first trimester, but then steadily gain around 400g a month after that. Having said that, your doctor or midwife won’t weigh you every time you have an appointment, because having regular weigh-ins hasn’t been found to achieve anything in terms of weight control during pregnancy. In fact, regular weigh-ins seem to make underweight women gain less weight during pregnancy and we certainly don’t want that!
Slow growing
I frequently see women who aren’t gaining enough weight, or who are actually losing it during pregnancy – especially ladies who are experiencing terrible morning sickness and so don’t feel like eating. Not gaining weight may worry you, but it isn’t as much of a risk to your baby as being dehydrated from vomiting. In most cases, the nausea fades away after the first trimester and you’ll be left no worse off overall.
If you continue to put on very little weight (something more common in exercise junkies!), don’t just plough through the chocolates and chips. Instead, look for healthy, kilojoule-rich foods such as full-fat yoghurt, cheese, wholegrain fruit toast, milk drinks and nuts.
Packing on the pounds
Gaining too much weight in pregnancy is common – and increasingly so. Statistics show that 37 per cent of ‘normal weight’ women and 64 per cent of overweight women gain too much weight over the course of their pregnancies. This is worrying because it puts both mum and bub at risk of a number of problems. For the mama-to-be, these include gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and the complications that come with having a big baby, such as increased likelihood of needing a caesarean or having an assisted delivery with tearing. If you’ve put on too many extra kilos, you’re also more likely to suffer from fatigue, back and leg pain and varicose veins. Studies also show that it’s very hard to shift the weight once you’ve gained it.
For bub, excess weight gain during pregnancy not only puts him at higher risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes in his life later down the track, but puts him at a higher risk of developing birth defects, too.
Taking control
When it comes to taking charge of your weight, the key is simple: eat healthily and exercise. You don’t have to ‘diet’ or count kilojoules. Simply eat less of the highly processed, fatty, sugary foods you already know you shouldn’t be eating. No matter how urgent your cravings feel, doughnuts, cakes, biscuits and soft drinks have no nutritional benefits but do deliver plenty of kilojoules. Stick to things that will help keep bub healthy: dairy, lean meats, fish and, of course, plenty of fresh fruits and vegies. Always eat breakfast, too, and have healthy snacks such as raw nuts, a piece of fruit or even dried fruit on hand to help you avoid reaching for sugary snacks!
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water, either. You need about 10 glasses each day when you’re pregnant! If you hate water, tea and coffee as well as milk and fruit juice go toward the total glass count. Be wary of any store-bought juices, though – they’re packed with kilojoules and much of the best part of the fruit is removed during juicing.
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