Weight Gain During Pregnancy

Like it or not, weight gain during pregnancy is inevitable. Baby’s growth and development is dependent upon it. Gaining the correct amount of weight at the time of pregnancy can support baby’s health and make it easier to get rid of the extra pounds which are put on after delivery.

Most of the women are puzzled regarding the average weight gain at the time of pregnancy. All women are not required to gain the same number of pounds. It does not mean that during pregnancy you keep on eating whatever food that comes your way and thus leading to senseless addition of pounds. All this depends more on your overall weight, height and health before pregnancy.

Weight problems during pregnancy:

If enough weight is not gained at the time of pregnancy, it may lead to fetal malformations. If body does not get sufficient nutrients, baby will find it difficult to get enough food for its healthy and good growth. That leads to a reliance on reserves which may lead to deficiencies.

On the other hand, if there is surplus gain of weight, it might increase the risk of labor problems or diabetes. Many studies have shown that more than average weight gain at the time of pregnancy leads to obesity in women after delivery. Therefore, at regular intervals of time body weight should be measured so that it may not lead to excessive weight gain during pregnancy.

Suggested weight gain week by week:

The recommendation for average weight gain differs in different countries. Doctors generally suggest 2.2 pounds i.e. 1 kg per month. This leads to total weight gain of 18-25 pounds i.e. 9-10 kg throughout the entire pregnancy period. But, before starting to munch food to add pounds to the body, it is best to discuss with the doctor because each woman has a different body build that decides how much excess weight on her body is good enough during the pregnancy period.

Gaining right amount of weight during pregnancy:

For gaining appropriate weight during pregnancy following things should be done:

• Eat 5-6 frequent, small meals daily.
• Keep quick and easy snacks such as nuts, cheese and crackers, raisins, ice cream and dried fruit on hand.
• Spread peanut butter on crackers, toast, apples, celery or bananas. One tablespoon of creamy peanut butter will give around 100 calories and 7gms of protein.
• Add non-fat powdered milk to foods like scrambled eggs, hot cereals and mashed potatoes.
• Add condiments to your meal like margarine or butter, gravy, sour cream and cream cheese.

Thus, follow the above guidelines and there will be no problems in getting a healthy average weight gain at the time of pregnancy.