any pregnant ladies with bmi of 18

[dorayaki]

Hi all, im a newbie on here so would love to hear if any of you has experience in this matter. Im only just over 7 weeks, had my first check up with a mw and she said im just under the healthy range therefore the baby is likely to be small and may suffer from complications etc, quite scary to hear. I'd love to be able to gain weight easily but im normally quite thin (very petite at 5"2 and just 46kg). What is the best way to gain weight and be healthy for the baby in your opinion?
Many thanks, :) x

I was told this also at the very beginning of my pregnancy. Have only just started to put on weight now (at 23 weeks), but all seems to be well with my LO. I am sure everything will be okay with you too, just make sure you are eating well and keeping yourself hydrated

My BMI's 18 too and on my second pregnancy (it was the same last time). Last time I put on about 3 stone without even trying and DC was 7lb exactly, not huge but not small either. My midwife told me not to worry about my weight but also not to be too careful about what I ate (i.e. avoid "diet" options)

Cake all round then...:)

If you are healthy and your weight tends to be constant then I do not think you have anything to worry about. My bmi was 17 in both pregs and I am 5 ft 6. I was given serial growth scans due to my weight. Both weighed a healthy 6.4 lbs. At 40 weeks I only gained a stone. I did not overeat but did increase my food intake. As long as you are taking good care if yourself don't worry about the effect of your bmi on baby.

I'm 21+5 with a BMI of 17 and I'm 5'9. I think I have quite a high metabolism as I don't tend to put on much weight even though I eat like a horse. I've since gained a a couple of pounds, really wouldn't worry too much so long as you're eating regularly/healthily and LO is growing.

My BMI was 18 at the start of this pregnancy and 17 last time, and hasn't caused any problems. As others have said, the level of risk depends not upon your BMI but whether you're healthy with it... there's really no point in scoffing (unwanted) cake simply for the sake of gaining weight. I'd suggest you just concentrate on eating healthily.

Hi, I had a low BMI as well. I am 38 weeks and my baby is measuring small. My doctor says it is probably genetic, but is watching me closely now (have scans every 3 days) and might induce me if growth slows further (i am totally devastated about this)... He told me to stop excercising... I did yoga or swimming on daily basis throughout pregnancy... I ate a lot (healthy stuff) and did put on 30 pounds, but somehow this just didn't get to the baby... I'd say eat healthy and press them for regular scans done as your pregnancy progresses further. If the baby is small, there is unfortunately nothing you can do about it... Good luck!!!

My DS1 was born at 8lb 12oz and my BMI at the start of my pregnancy was 17. I am also 5'2" and weighed less than 7 stones. I don't know how much weight I put on as I didn't weigh myself, but my appetite was vast and I ate and ate the whole time. It all came off quickly afterwards. If you haven't been referred to a growth clinic they can't be that worried about you. Just eat healthily but with the addition of any cake you feel like having. Which in my case was a lot

Yup, I had low BMI too.

As long as you are being honest with yourself and not deliberately undereating I don't think it's a problem.

I am PG with number two now and am trying to put on some weight before the sickness gets into full swing - and because having been honest with myself I don't think I eat enough, so whole family have been upgrading portion sizes etc.

thanks all, maybe i should focus on doing low impact exercise like yoga instead of cycling and jogging. Eating wise, i'll try my best to have a bigger portion perhaps that would help. I just hope my baby is growing ok, when do you find out if the baby is growing enough?

You may or may not have a 12 week scan which is for dating, don't worry if this changes your estimated due date, it is most likely to mean you don't ovulate when you think you do more than anything else.

At 20 weeks (I know it seems like forever!) they will do a growth scan and measure up the size of various bones. If they think there is a problem, they will book you in for extra scans to keep an eye on everything, and they might consider delivering you baby early if they are not growing properly.

But as this thread goes to show, there's a lot of little women who managed fine and had big or average babies!

If you are going to worry about how much you weigh try not to get on the scales just concentrate on eating when you are hungry.

What about trying swimming for exercise? I have swum during all my pregnancies (I'm currently expecting DC4)
Like you my BMI always hovers around the lower end of normal (18-19 so just 'healthy') but with this pregnancy I am being watched carefully as I am breastfeeding DTs who are nearly 8 months as well as running after DS who is 2.10 so using up a lot of energy so my BMI was only 16.8 at 3 months! As such Drs were worried that the baby might be quite small. They have recommended I drink lots of full fat milk or even use gold top and have lots of dairy as it is an easy way to build up calories. I have lots of (decaff) coffees and milkshakes as you don't need to sit down to eat them and can sip slowly but nearly constantly! I've also stopped getting anything diet like MarathonMama says even though I normally prefer the taste of diet options!

It's worked for me and luckily I'm a lot bigger now but I found it hard, especially when everything out there seems to be about loosing baby weight!!!

fyrtle, i swam about 60-70 laps per session 4 times per week or so... but i am used to swimming since very early age as my mom was a professional swimmer and i haven't been racing during pregnancy.... however, my doctor told me that this exercise diverts the oxygen away from the baby (?) and could further reduce the growth (well, he told me this at 37 weeks which is probably a bit late) and recommended that i only do gentle strolls... personally, i think there is nothing wrong with any form of exercise within reason if one is accustomed to it and is feeling well during pregnancy... i do not see any correlation between exercise and low birth weight, but there is definitely one between low BMI and low birth weight which we cannot control... wishing you all a good pregnancy!

fyrtlemertile - did you say DS 2.1, DTs who are 8 months and you're pregnant??? You're my hero!

I think exercise is great in pregnancy, I exercised throughout my first and believe that's why I had such an active and relatively fast labour. Obviously you need to be sensible though.

I'm putting on less weight this time around, I think because I'm running after DC1!

I make your BMI to be 18.7- within the healthy range. I'm 5 foot 2 and 47 kg, and mine is fine, nobody has said anything.

I'm just eating what I fancy while pregnant and not worrying about weight, but I'm not trying to fatten myself up either.

I am 28+5. I think my BMI before pregancy was about 18. However I didn't have morning sickness and was ravenously hungry so by the time I was weighed it was 20. My weight has never been mentioned as an issue - as I am diabetic it is probably a plus.

I have always been a reasonably healthy eater so my weight is my natural weight. I haven't held back on eating during pregnancy and my weight seems fine. My appetite has continued to be huge throughout and I do wonder if I am making up for a lack of reserves. I just had a 28 week growth scan (because of being diabetic) and everything was perfect.

Listen to your body and try not to worry.

I had a BMI of 17 with my 1st and had growth scans etc, she was born at 39=1 5lb 13oz. I had a BMI of 19 with my last one and he was born at 36+3 6lb 3oz with no mention of weight etc, am pregnant again and still 19, however they are wanting to do growth checks for this one which means going to hospital for measurements not CMW, due to having two previously small babies apparently.

Sorry sent before finished. I had a big taste for fruit and salads and non fattening foods with my 1st, gained less than a stone, with my 2nd it was more pies etc and gained about a stone. With this one I have the fruit and salad taste again and have lost a little. It is hard to judge with this pregnancy as my son is only 7 months old and I am 20 weeks pregnant so have fallen pregnant quite quickly, so no gym or musle tone time in between.

My BMI is slightly higher (19 - 20) but like you I am just lucky enough to be naturally like that. I am now 16 weeks pregnant with DC3 and, just like with my other two pregnancies, I have certainly found myself hungrier than normal and have just gone with it. Anyway the main reason I wanted to write is because even though I have a pretty low BMI, my two sons were 9lb4 and 9lb6 - so I would say that unless you are actually e.g. depriving yourself of food then babies will get whatever they need from you!
Good luck x

hey
i am going through the same thing. i am 20 weeks and due for my scan this week, i am very anxious about it and can't wait to get everything checked out. they think at this stage the baby is the right measurements but will have to do a few more checks to make sure (i booked in late as i didn't know i was pregnant) but my bmi is only 15.5. i am really trying to boost my calories and was told that protein was the thing to focus on for the baby. but i haven't gained weight yet and was told this was fine so far, the baby looks healthy from the ultra sound they have done already. i just want to get the 20wk mile stone over, and focus on eating healthy. my bmi is a concern for me too! all the best, im sure you will do just fine, there are people overweight and underweight who have all given birth to healthy babies and sometimes i think its the quality not quantity of the diet that counts x

dorayaki I am 35 weeks pg with DC4 (mine aren't quite as close in age as fyrtle - all singletons!). I had a pre-term labour 'scare' 3.5 weeks ago and the mw suggested (and showed me some evidence to back this up) that it was due to chronic under-nourishment. I am naturally a bit of a skinny-pin, and when stressed I just don't eat. Unfortunately, I had a really stressful Christmas (4 months pg) and consequently lost weight. Since the contractions episode, I have been instructed to rest as much as possible and keep eating, especially protein, and keep drinking plenty of fluids.

I am drinking protein+carb shakes designed for body builders and my current favourite bedtime snack is banana, double cream and brown sugar.

I also have a very lovely DH who is doing everything - school runs, housework, holding down a full-time job - and forcing his wife to eat and sit on the sofa more.

Yes, there is a place for eating healthily, but if you need calories, you need calories.

I've got to the point now where bigger portion sizes are impossible, I have to have more meals...

I hope we all have lovely, healthy babies :) Happy eating!

I am 5'3" (160cm) and was 7.4 stone (47kilos). I have always been this weight, my mum and brother are the same. I eat like a horse (including weight gain products for body builders) just to maintain the weight!

At 34 weeks preganant I am now 8.9 stone (57 kilos) which my gynea is very happy about. At the 3rd trimester scan the baby was bang on the average weight at 1.7 kilos. I've been eating pretty much the same amounts as usual, but have had more of an appetite for pasta and potatoes. I think my metabolism has changed a lot and my body is 'holding on to' a lot more weight than before. I do find I need to sleep a lot though!