to wonder why some expectant mums gain around 80 pounds?

[eliza456]

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

Body retains fat in pregnancy to prepare for breast feeding, also I have PCOS and am insulin resistant, I stay at a size ten usually by eating around 1250 calories a day and going to the gym 3-4 times a week, that's not possible now I'm six and a half months pregnant, I'd faint. Without being pregnant if I did light exercise and ate around 2000 calories a day (as is recommended) I would gain weight that's just the way my body/hormones work. I've gained 29 pounds so far most is bump but I can see a noticeable difference in hips, thighs and boobs, I'm usually flat chested and not curvy, just straight up and down. I'm not sure why it matters to you though?

I felt constantly sick for the first 25 weeks. The only thing that made it better was shovelling carbs in my face. I remember sitting on a train with a bottle of Fanta in one hand and a bag of those 'party mix' M&S crisps in the other. My body has never welcomed food more

This. After the birth I'd only gained about 15 pounds. However my autoimmune system went haywire during/after the birth and attacked my thyroid. Then I gained around 20 pounds a year until a doctor finally diagnosed me four years later. All sorts of things fuck us up during pregnancy/childbirth!

Starting off small, Big baby, placenta, amniotic fluid, extra blood etc.

I gained around this much last time. Half of it was gone directly after the birth, the rest has fallen off naturally since and I'm back in my pre pregnancy clothes less than six months down the line.

Different people's bodies just react differently I suppose. I've seen people who have gained like 10 pounds when pregnant and been perfectly healthy (lucky bitches :-) ) and then there's people like me who also have easy, healthy pregnancies but swell to the size of a whale.

I gained a lot in all my pregnancies (between 4 and 5 stone each time) and had 3 average sized babies (so can't blame that!) - I remained active and was careful not to eat too much, but I still gained the weight. I lost it all within 3 months of having them though - combination of bf and being busy I suppose. I think I must have retained a lot of fluid as lbs and lbs dropped off in the first week or so. I remember reading that you gain fat to help you through the birth (which apparently burns a huge number of calories) and breastfeeding.

I haven’t gained much weight but I’ve been very lucky. I can barley walk let alone exercise, but my appetite hasn’t actually increased that much.

I gained 4 stone at my heaviest. 1 stone was babies, 2 stone was water retention, placenta etc, (had horrific water retention) and the other stone was biscuits.

The biscuit stone is proving harder to get rid of than I thought it would be, 4lbs gone and that seems to be it 🤣

Because they are all GREEDY FAT PIGS OP. I suspect that's what you want the overall answer to this question to be.
Many many factors as previously alluded.
Hunger
Reduced ability to exercise
Hormones
Insulin resistance (for all women to an extent, not just gestational diabetics)
Concerns about nourishing the foetus
Changing body image
Doubling of the plasma volume

Not an exhaustive list. OP this thread does not show you in a good light.

@delphguelph i was not weighed (apart from the very first appointment) due to mental health/eating disorder history. Had i not had a healthy pregnancy throughout im sure i would have but i suppose they didn't see the need to cause unnecessary stress to my mental health.

But i didn't notice any weight gain on myself (my pre-pregnancy trousers etc still fit throughout, apart from the waistline area) so i suppose i was lucky as i know many women do bloat with water retention etc!

interesting guys, thanks! i have seen some posts on here previously where people said they did gain up to 80 pounds so i guess thats where i got it from. i suppose twins is a valid answer also haha!

and the other stone was biscuits.

One of my stones was definitely crisps.

I went from 8 stones to 12 with my first, he was 9 lb , midwife said I had more water than is normal. Within a couple of months I lost 3 stone then after 6 months the last stone went. I didn’t put as much on with my
second I think around 11 stones. I was 19 the first time and I could eat and not put weight on. Unfortunately my metabolism has slowed and I’m 10 stone now!

I have no idea!! I put on 2.5 stone with DS1, and the weight was all off again by the time he was 6 months!

This sadly lulled me into a false sense of security! So I didn't watch what I ate with DS2!!! This time I put on 2.5 stone again!! (But I know most of that his time round was cake!!) and have not been able to shift it!! DS2 now 4 and I'm 3 stone heavier than prior to my pregnancy with him!!! Don't even Tzotzil

Cos I was a greedy pig and just ate round me?

I gained 3/3.5 stone in both my pregnancies - in both I’ve had pre-eclampsia and couldn’t help it! I’ve just had DD2 and she’s 9 weeks, I’ve about 1 and half stone to lose. Do I give a fudge? Nope.

Should we be judging women on this? Absolutely not.

What started life as a nasty trolling little question has turned into something genuinely informative and useful - thank you mumsnetters from a currently pg lady! 😊

• Don't even fit into my maternity jeans!

(Not sure what happened there! Sorry for typos!!)

What's it to you op?

With my first little girl I gained 3stone! She weighed 9lb 9 at birth so wasn't small.. but I'm now 31 weeks pregnant with twins and only just gained 14lbs which is on the low end for weight gain with twins, but this time I have a 3 year old to run around after/forget to eat etc 🙈 so I'm guessing once they're born I will be around the same weight I was before I got pregnant.. where as when I was pregnant first time round I could just do as I pleased when I finished work/had days off which usually included laying in bed or on the settee eating!

I probably gained around that amount, but I only actually weighed myself 8 weeks after birth, I had already lost a lot without trying by the so I can only guesstimate. At 8 weeks post baby I was 3 stone 8 heavier, but was definitely much, much heavier than this when pregnant. I had preeclampsia and retained a ridiculous amount of water. I had really bad reflux so basically spent all of my pregnancy sat down, nibbling on beige food constantly. I felt really ill, but never actually threw up. My baby was over 9lb too

I am ashamed to say I put on 5 stone with my first. I used pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted and basically I just stuffed myself with a lot of the wrong sort of food, cakes, crisps, sweets etc. A week after the baby was born (8lbs) I had lost 2 stone, what was left was fat. I did lose 2 stone of that post baby weight by being really strict about "healthy eating" whilst breastfeeding. Then 4 months later I got pregnant again. Second baby, I was super strict about what I ate and only put on 2 stone, which was all gone a week after she was born, I was back at what I weighed when I became pregnant with her. Which was a relief.

Every pregnancy is different; I didn't gain much with either DC and seemed to drop most of the pregnancy weight within a month or so of giving birth. My sister found pregnancy far less 'easy' and gained a great deal of weight with both babies, each time struggling enormously to lose much after giving birth. Both us began our pregnancies a similar height/weight, and had straightforward pregnancies, so it must just be pot luck.

What's that, about 5 1/2 stone? That is quite a bit. I put on about two I think. Also piling it on this time round. I've decided I replace booze with food as my stress relief. Also for the first trimester only carbs made me feel less sick and I normally low carb so I think my body was in shock and cling on to every carb it could get!

No rhyme or reason! 2 successful pregnancies where I don't think eating or exercise habits differed that much. Craving for beetroot first time around, melon second time so probably similar calorific content! Normal weight was 9st 7lb approx.

DC 1 - 7lb 7oz - Put on 3 stone. Lost 1st immediately at birth. Returned to normal weight when stopped breast feeding 12 months later

DC2 - 9lb 12oz - Put on 1 stone despite looking huge! Constantly asked if I was having twins. Could fit in to size 10 jeans one week after giving birth. Weighed less than I did pre pregnancy.

Luck of the draw I think. I was lucky.

I don't think there is a pattern. I only gained 6lbs at full term so was less than I was before when I delivered. Weird. Totally expected to put weight on but I didn't.

I ended up a completely sdifferent shape when I delivered though. Previously flat stomach is now round, saggy boobs and big hips. It's all good though, I don't really care! Ha ha

I can't answer your question but I can tell you why I went from 'goth skinny' to 'galleon in full sail' in 9 months? (Still only made 54lb increase, but hey)

First and only time in my whole damn life I was 'allowed' to eat.

Back to 'not thin enough' now, and constantly working at the last half stone off. Hope that meets your standards, OP?

I hold my hands up to generally liking food a bit too much (four full-term pregnancies, BMI 28 at lowest and 35 at highest) but during pregnancy with DD2 I only put on 15lb and 12lb with DD3.
I know overweight/obese women generally gain less weight during pregnancy, but I've never known anyone put on 80lb!