How much weight gain is 'normal'?

[SeveredEdMcDunnough]

I hope someone knows...everything I read seems to say random things and I can't work out whether I am getting it right.

It's just that during the first sort of 20 weeks, I went from around 8 1/2 stone to almost 10 1/2. So from 55kg to 65ish. I was a bit freaked out - mostly it went onto my lower half, bump wasn't huge.

I'm now getting on for 29 weeks and have stayed the same - I even lost a few lb during the last few weeks, but I am basically still at 10 1/2 stone.

This seems the wrong way round according to all the books...they say you don't put much on during the first bit, then you put on LOADS from 20-30 weeks, and this is when the baby is getting fatter as well - and I'm a bit worried that I'm starving the baby somehow?

It probably sounds ridiculous. I don't feel hungry, I'm just eating as and when, but in the first half I did eat loads to try and stop myself feeling sick.

So I'm wondering, what is happening now, if I'm staying the same weight? Is the baby taking what it needs from the stores in my thighs and arse or is he going to be really skinny?

Also what point is too much - I'm hoping not to go over 11st altogether, but have no idea if this is normal, realistic or healthy.

Any thoughts much appreciated x

[NotChristmasCarol]

Hi Ed, congrats on your preg. I have no idea what is "normal" but I sound quite similar to you. I'm preg with DD2 and was 55 kg pre-preg (am 5 foot 6) and now, at 27 + 6 weeks am about 65 kg. Like you, I put the majority on in the early stages. For me, it was during the first 20 or so odd weeks where I was feeling nauseous and tired and couldn't stop eating fried eggs on white bagels for every meal.

Now I've gone back to my normal (generally pretty healthy) eating habits my weight has really plateau-ed, even though my bump continues to grow.

I have no idea whether this is normal, but my weight gain followed exactly the same pattern with DD1. Again, I was about 55kg when I fell pregnant with her, put on about 11 kg overall (most of it in the first half of pregnancy when I felt the most sluggish and queasy).

DD1 was born at 36 + 4 weeks (I developed obstetric cholestasis) and was 2.76kg (6 lbs 1 ounce) on delivery, so was on track for a good birth weight of at least 7 pounds if we'd made it to full term- which, as I'm quite small-framed, was probably in the right zone.

So I'm sure that as long as your bump is continuing to expand then you're fine (ps. apart from my bump and boobs, the only thing that has expanded on me is my thighs- which are distinctly "curvier"....).

[oscarwilde]

2-4 stone seems to be an average, it seems to wildly fluctuate when you actually put it on though.
I lost a stone between the baby and the fluid in a week. It was a cracking diet!
About 10lbs came off slowly, 1 stone never lost so that was clearly the chocolate weight.
Provided you are eating fairly healthily it's not worth stressing about. If you have lots of self control and can deny yourself all the goodies for 9 months / or get yourself to the gym regularly then well done !

[duchesse]

Dunno what's normal tbh. I'm not sure there is a "normal".

I normally put on 12kg by the end, my sister normally puts on 20kg, much of it at the start. I believe that quite a few people put on less than me, some people put on nothing at all (but they tend to be larger to begin with.) fwiw I lost weight from me during my last pregnancy, ending it 5kg lighter than before I was pregnant, so presumably my daughter was taking what she needed from the stores available. I think that unless you are very thin to start with this is what happens- the baby is well protected on the whole.

[ZuleikaD]

Supposedly about 10-12 kg is ideal if you're a normal BMI to start with.

[JessieEssex]

I put on weight in the 'normal' way with DC1 (not a lot at the beginning, then rate sped up) and put on about 30 pounds overall. I'm now 16 weeks with DC2 and I've already put on about 10 pounds, but this has plateaued in the last few weeks as my crazy carb cravings have calmed down.

All I mean to say is that I am evidence that every pregnancy is different, and that the rate that you put on weight will differ. The baby gets what it needs!

[cookiewuk]

I cant remember exactly how much weight I put on last time as it was 8 years ago but I remember being a size 8-10 beforehand and a size 14 after :(
This time Im only 13+1 but put on about 4lbs a few weeks ago which have miraculously dissapeared when I weighed myself this morning! Im not sure if this was because I was so bloated and gasey back then with all the nausea or maybe the vomiting and restricted to bread diet due to morning sickness has been the cause! Either way it sounds like everyone is different so dont worry unless of course your putting on a stone a week :)

[Greypuddle]

I too went up to 10.5 stone, then stuck at the same weight for weeks. I've finally put on two pounds now at 31 weeks. Remember that with the size of foetus you have right now at 29 weeks, it could be piling it on and it still wouldn't show up on your adult scales because it would only be a matter of ounces. Someone pointed this out to me a couple of weeks ago and it reassured me.

[SeveredEdMcDunnough]

Thankyou very much everyone, it's reassuring to know that people have healthy babies and put on such varying amounts...it's silly really as I've had two kids already, I should know what's about right by now but still, I get these little worries that I have got it all wrong and everyone else knows the answers.

NotChristmasCarol - you do sound very similar to me in your pattern! I was so sort of shocked to put on so much in the first 20 weeks. It was odd, I felt awful but I think having better drugs this time helped, as it meant I kept on eating, instead of stopping entirely like with the other two.

I think I lost weight during that time with ds1 and 2. So it was odd to find my weight creeping up quite rapidly.

What I'm hoping, and I bet this doesn't happen IRL - is that any further bump growing will come directly from my thighs, so I can get back into my jeans again - someone told me my knees were fat, a few weeks ago! And since then I don't do jeans or shorter skirts at all...long and flowing is the new, erm, something but I don't feel like 'me'.

thankyou again...will see what happens, and all the best with your pregnancies everyone (NCC - we must be due about the same time!)

[ladymia]

i used this to work it out and it's been spot on for me (the average).

www.baby2see.com/pregnancy_weight_calculator.html

[SeveredEdMcDunnough]

Oh wow...that's really good. I think I'm reading it right! It seems to think I was underweight to start with though - I'm about 5ft7, says BMI was 19. Oh well.

Thankyou x

[bonzo77]

Not sure. I gained about 24lb last time, lost about half of that in first couple of weeks and the rest over the following 3 months. Not sure this time as haven't weighed myself. I'm 28 weeks but don't feel huge.

As for the baby, provided you are not dangerously thin, and your placenta is functioning ok, it will get what it needs even if you don't. I think that if you are very overweight the baby might also be bigger than average, but that might be more to do with the fact that wen with a high bmi are more likely to get gestational diabetes. Which can cause big babies.

[Polipencoch]

Ed - as it says (I think) on baby2see apparently if you're low BMI you should put on more weight than if you are heavier to start with. So maybe if you put on more than expected in the beginning some of the fat bits may be converted to baby bits later - if that makes sense.

I would like to know how much I've put on just out of interest - now 35 weeks - but I think with IVF and stuff my weight had fluctuated a little before i started - I think I was about 9.5 stone - and now last time I checked was just under 11 but think the scales are not very good. In hospital now with placenta praevia and there doesn't seem to be a scales here. Anyway, boobs are huge, but bump seems quite moderate for my dates although the fundal height thing seems to measure bang on 50% so quite happy with that.

[SeveredEdMcDunnough]

Thanks guys - Polipen, I hope everything is Ok with you, sorry you're in hospital. Have you got to stay there now for a while?

[spandau1980]

iv gone from 9 to ten half Im 23+3 x

[Polipencoch]

Ed - it looks like I'm likely to be in here for another three weeks or so - consultant seems to think they will do C/S at 38 weeks. As I feel fine, and baby is growing according to plan (and kicking like a right little frog) I'm just taking it easy, getting lots of visitors, and enjoying the fact that DH is waiting on me, bringing clothes and entertainment (e.g. knitting, kindle, dongle...)! In some ways I think its harder on him than on me, but especially seeing people in here with worse problems (premmie babies, pre-eclampsia etc) I'm mostly counting my blessings.

[Isandri]

I'm 36+4 and have gained just over 10kg. I have a bump they is all at the front, have gained some weight on my hips and thighs and have gone up 5 cup sizes. My mum keeps commenting on my chest

[Rockchick1984]

When I had DS I gained about 4-5 stone

I lost a stone between going into labour and coming home 2 days later, and another stone over the next few weeks despite eating like a horse. The rest has been a bugger to lose, so for me at least next pregnancy I'm going to try and keep weight gain to a max 2 stone as that is clearly the parts that were my baby weight, the rest was just fat :)

[rogersmellyonthetelly]

Tbh, everyone's body does things differently in pregnancy, so as long as you are eating normally and healthily, what you put on is fine. Personally I always end up losing loads of weight in pregnancy, and then put it all back on when breast feeding, so even though I'm 23 weeks and 11lb down on my pre pregnancy weight, I'm not worried, baby is growing fine and moving normally, so I just take it that this is normal for me. That said im well padded to start with so can afford to lose some chub.

[bonzo77]

Just came back to say I weighed myself. Was 8st10 before I conceived, and now 28+6 and 9st10. So a stone exactly. Sort of where I expected to be at this stage.