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Original poster

to wonder why some expectant mums gain around 80 pounds?

210 replies

eliza456 · 28/08/2018 16:11

This isn't meant to cause offence. But if a baby weighs 7-10 pounds (full term) then why do some women gain over 80 pounds in total?

i understand there are fluids etc that contribute, but, 70 pounds worth??

purely curious to see if anyone has any insight into this

OP posts:
Twotailed · 28/08/2018 16:13

Less mobile, hungrier, chemicals rushing round the body... loads of reasons, totally dependent on the individual. Not something to worry about too much I wouldn’t think...

Hidillyho · 28/08/2018 16:14

That does seem like quite a lot.
I gained about 3 stone - at least 1.5 stone of which was through fluid rentention in my body (not even exaggerating) so lost about 2-2.5 stone after DC was born.

Obviously the fluid counts for some, as does the baby and you also have the placenta which I think (but could be wrong) weighs similar to the baby

OutPinked · 28/08/2018 16:14

Either gestational diabetes or they simply eat too much.

I gained four stone with DC1. No GD, I just ate a lot in the third trimester for comfort and I couldn’t exercise very much because it was the winter of 2009/early 10 when we had the snowstorm that lasted two/three months, I barely left the house.

He was a ten pounder so I lost a stone giving birth as four pounds was placenta and fluid but still had three stone excess to lose. Never made that mistake again!

LeighaJ · 28/08/2018 16:15

This thread isn't going to go well. But okay, I'll play.

  • Hormones
  • Comfort Eating
  • Increased Appetite
  • Food Cravings and Food Aversions
  • Medications
  • Lack of exercise
  • Low energy to do much
AuroraFloyd · 28/08/2018 16:15

Because they are hungrier due to growing a new human and because they don't or can't exercise as effectively and the toll this takes on the body. Bit hard to go to the gym when you're puking every half hour, your back and pelvis hurt just by walking and your centre of gravity is fucked.

Or would you prefer me to say it's because they're greedy and lazy?

silvercuckoo · 28/08/2018 16:15

I cannot see how anyone can gain 80 pounds in 9 months, pregnant or not, even if they do nothing but eat all day long.
No one I know gained that. Up to 40 pounds, with extra fluids, placenta and fat stores - could see that.

FilledSoda · 28/08/2018 16:16

Some women need to eat more to stop the nausea, but I'm sure there are lots of factors involved.

SilkeOvesen · 28/08/2018 16:16

Genetics?

I gained 18 kilos with DC1, almost all in the first trimester. I didn’t gain at all in third tri. Was back to my usual weight 2 weeks after giving birth.

SpottingTheZebras · 28/08/2018 16:17

Sometimes the only thing that stops constant nausea is to constantly eat.

I think that your title is very misleading because it says some with the implication that it is quite a reasonable percentage whereas the reality is that it must be such a minuscule number of women that it is well under 1%!

userabcname · 28/08/2018 16:18

Fluid / bloating.
Only being able to stomach beige food.
Having to eat frequently to stave off heartburn / sickness.
Sleeping poorly and therefore craving sugar / carbs for energy.
Not able to exercise as much / at all during some points of pregnancy (severe morning sickness, spd, high blood pressure).
Hormones.
I don't know how women don't gain loads of weight to be honest!

sexnotgender · 28/08/2018 16:18

I’m eating to stop the nausea, it’s absolutely horrendous feeling sick constantly.

OutPinked · 28/08/2018 16:18

I gained 56 lbs silver. As I said, 14 lbs of that was baby, placenta and fluid but the rest was mostly during the third trimester when I ate for comfort and couldn’t get out to exercise.

I barely gained a thing during the first and second trimesters as I was so bloody sick!

Hoozz · 28/08/2018 16:18

According to Dr Google a woman of average weight should gain 25 to 35lbs while underweight women should gain more and overweight women less.
Lots of things will affect this. I had hyperemesis and lost so much weight early on that by the end of the pregnancy I had gained less than a stone.

Fatted · 28/08/2018 16:19

I don't know anyone who gained anything near that amount. So I honestly have no idea. I gained about 3 stone with each of mine, with about half of that gone within the first few weeks. I'm still trying to shift the extra stone and a half of weight I put on with my youngest that I have actually lost twice already and put on while trying to look after 2 young children and work

SoyDora · 28/08/2018 16:19

Well no one I know has gained that amount (and I’ve known a lot of pregnant women) but I’ll bite I suppose.
Baby, fluid, extra fat stores (preparation for bf-ing the baby), nausea that only abates with eating, lack of mobility (spd etc) meaning lack of exercise...
How many pregnant women do you know who have gained 80lbs OP?
I am 23 weeks pregnant and so far have gained 2lbs due to severe sickness and food aversions. Wish it was more.

TheFairyCaravan · 28/08/2018 16:19

80lbs? Are you sure?

I didn’t put on hardly any weight with DS1 because I was lucky and even less with DS2 because I couldn’t walk at all so there was no hope of me getting to the cupboards

BigBlueBubble · 28/08/2018 16:19

I gained about 40lb and 30lb of that dropped off me as soon as I gave birth. I presume it was half baby and placenta, half amniotic fluid and blood and water retention etc. The other 10lb was fat, because I was hungry and ate more, and because I was huge and couldn’t exercise.

sexnotgender · 28/08/2018 16:19

I can also only stomach beige food. Pre pregnancy I ate a very low carb diet.

Now I live on bread and digestive biscuits as it stops the vomiting.

RedPandaMama · 28/08/2018 16:22

I gained about 3 stone. 5 days after giving birth I had lost 2 of it so although my baby only weighed 7lbs the other 1.5 stone must have been placenta, blood, water etc. I'm still carrying the other stone.

Someone from my NCT group gained 5 stone. She was tiny before she got pregnant - size 6 - and had a very active sporty job - she left her job at 3 months pregnant and piled on weight. She looked beautiful though and had a lovely pregancy glow. She lost all of it within the first 3 months.

Some people put on a lot and it falls off, some people put on a bit and it sticks, some people lose weight. Why care so much about other people's weight gain? It's a bit of a yawn that it's 2018 and we still care so much.

Mari50 · 28/08/2018 16:22

I gained 42 lbs plus (I stopped looking at the scales once they hit 11 stone and I still had a month to go) because I ate loads of chocolate.
I lost most of it about 2 months post partum with no actual effort so I figure a lot of it was fluid. Dd weighed 8lbs.
80lbs? No idea.

happymummy12345 · 28/08/2018 16:23

It's the nonsense about eating for 2. I put on 10kg throughout my pregnancy. Never even considered maternity clothes, just got the next size up in what i needed (even then my indoor t shirts and tracksuit bottoms fitted the entire pregnancy).
After the birth my stomach was practically flat the net day, no large bump for days after, and I was back in my pre pregnancy jeans within a month (could have been sooner only i wanted to wait until my stitches were fully healed, I could easily have fitted in them within a couple of weeks though).

VickieCherry · 28/08/2018 16:24

Only being able to eat unhealthy food because of food aversions. Most pregnant women I know who've struggled with food existed on beige carbs (usually some form of salty potato) for at least the first trimester, often longer.

Eating helps stop nausea. Plus being more hungry because your body is working extremely hard.

Extreme lack of energy and being in pain from various pregnancy-related ailments.

GettingAwayWithIt · 28/08/2018 16:24

I gained 12kg when I was pregnant. When my baby was born a month early she was a little over 2kg. A couple of weeks after she was born I got on the scales and was 4.5kg more than my pre-pregnancy weight. Four months on and my weight was back to normal without any crash diet.

I kept fit throughout my pregnancy, ran every day until 24 weeks then either went spinning, aqua jogging or to the gym daily. I didn’t use being pregnant as an excuse to eat anything I wanted.

So yes I gained more weight than my baby weighs - I was heavier than I have ever been - but I’d have had to not eat at all to have only gained the 2kg of pure baby weight.

Why does it affect you how much weight pregnant women gain OP?

FuckyDuzz · 28/08/2018 16:25

I put on nearly 4 stone with my 1st pregnancy, and 5 stone with my 3rd (2nd and 4th hardly anything, was having growth scans all the way through as I was so tiny)

Big babies, carried lots of water, boobs weighed easily half a stone each, ate beige salty stuff to keep the nausea at bay, could barely move due to gigantic babies lay low down across my pelvis and SPD
🤷🏻‍♀️

FreeButtonBee · 28/08/2018 16:25

I stopped weighing myself after I put on 5 st when pregnant with twins. I lost a few pounds in the first trimester so it was a rapid weight gain. I made two six pounds babies and weighed a stone less than pre-preg when they were 9 months old.

I put on 4 st with DS2 and again lost it all within 9 months.

I'm just a big fat pregnant women - only 5ft3 as well so it shows!