few things niggling at me..please advise?

[yummicheddars]

Ok so I'm 21+2 today with my second DS. Few things bothering me... A) I'm feeling really down about my weight gain, surely at 21 weeks the weight gain of 1 stone 5 pounds is a lot?? And b) chest pain normal? Its not heartburn, had it last night and today and chest feels tight and like slight pressure, when I breath in I feel as though I'm not getting as much oxygen as I should. I also keep getting these sharp pains, everynow and again top right just by my collar bone. Baby is very low, had scan other day and she even commented how low the baby was. (Inch -2 inch bellow belly button. So can't be that. Can it? Bit late for baby to move up now isn't it?

I've been worrying about weight gain too. I'm 16 weeks and I've put on 6lbs so far. Were you slim to begin with? Because I think thinner people gain more because their bodies need it x

6 pounds not a bad weight gain for 16 weeks. I've gained 19 pounds. I was 7stone 9 before now 9 stone. I have previously suffered from an eating disorder after my first son was born.which was why I was underweight. But I never got diagnosed for anorexia as I never believed it, well I cut down my intake to 300 calories a day so didn't see that as anorexia, I saw it as dieting. But looking back I realise that when I ate over 300 I punished myself and didn't eat for days. I'm just starting to feel the whole scared of gaining weight feeling back.

I am completely with you on that. I had an eating disorder two years ago, it lasted about a year and a half. I've been pretty good with it all this past year, and I thought I'd be fine when I got pregnant because we'd been trying for a year. I figured I would just see it as nurishment for the baby.

I'm starting to struggle with the thought of the weight gain though. I keep thinking I'm going to end up huge, and that it'll take forever for the weight to come off.

I had a bmi of 18 when I got pregnant, not sure what it is now.

Are you quite tall? Because 7stone 9 is tiny, and maybe your body just needs the extra food. (stone is probably lighter than most people are when they conceive.

If you need to chat to anyone about it then I'm here :) I think it helps when people understand what you mean. My DH just doesn't understand why I keep getting upset about it all, bless him.

Mine doesn't understand neither.I'm 5ft 4. Was a size 6-8. I am really stuggling especially as I'm due to get married 2 months after this baby is born, so not wanting to put a lot on, and panicking so already decided to do the calorie thing again after I've had the baby but im scared as to if I do I won't get out of it again, I've only just (before getting preg) started coping better with food. At 14 weeks pregnant there was something started with L can't remeber what it is, in my urine which meant that I wasn't eating enough and my body was using my own fat as an energy source. Midwife warned me to eat better n now I have my weight has dramastically gone up. I know I'm still not a terrible weight but I just can't help with the thoughts in my head. The thoughts are gaining weight constantly there haunting me. I just don't know what to do. Weighed myself and burst into tears in the middle of boots.

Have you spoken to your midwife about how you feel? Are you generally eating healthy food? Because that is a good thing, and I guess it means that your body is holding on to what it needs. I know it's hard to think that way, but if it's best for the baby..
Had you not put much weight on at 14 weeks?

I've been feeling bad because I keep eating lots of chocolate and biscuits. I think the fact that it's Christmas really doesn't help. I'm going to try and eat a bit more healthily over the next few weeks.

2 months is a long time to get back to a good shape. Maybe try to eat 1000-1500 calories, and add in a bit of exercise too. If your body was in good shape before, I'm sure it will snap back in to shape. Are you exercising now?

I do no exercising now apart from my saturday night work in a pub, can be very busy on my feet for hours. I'm a full time student, and a full time mum to DS1 who's 2 and a half. I run the house e.g cook dinners, for me, DS and DP and do all the cleaning and washing. So pretty much class all that as exercise. I do eat healthy and unhealthy, like today for dinner I had lettuce tomatos and sweetcorn. Tomorrow probably jacket tata beans, cheese and lettuce tomatos. But then I do eat chips and that to. I wish I could eat chocolate lol, gives me terrible indigestion now. Not sure what I weighed at 14 weeks but at 12 weeks I was 8st 3. So gained..about 5 pounds I think. Its hard isn't it? I know its for the baby and I do/have kept telling myself that but after weighing myself and noticing my extra weight on legs and bum starting to think I'm going overboard with food, not mentioned it to my midwife but thinking maybe I should. Few days this week I've skipped breakfast. And I know! Christmas! The great big tukey dinner and desserts..... I hate the full feeling.

God I wish I could gain weight! I'm 14weeks and have actually lost two pounds midwife is sending me to a nutrition specialist as I'm 5'7 and weigh 6st 11 which isn't good at all and definitely can't be good for my baby. I've always been slim (skinny) and although my jeans are tight I look ill for someone who is pregnant. Embrace your extra weight I'm sure you will look like a 'normal' healthy lady once baby is out! As far as I'm aware weight gain is fine as long as it's not excessive, which can be a sign of gestational diabetes. As for your chest pain I suggest getting your blood pressure check just to rule out a high blood pressure.

Mango that sounds awful. Have they checked your thyroid?

yummi This might sound really odd, but I thought I'd look at 'inspiring' stories of people who have gained weight proudly in pregnancy who were previously skinny. Mila Jovovich is my new fav person, haha. She obviously was a model and very slim before she got pregnant with her daughter, she gained 4stone whilst pregnant. Which yes I think is excessive, but she was proud of it, and she lost it again slowly afterwards. I'm due june 1st, and I'm looking at booking a holiday for November time. So I'm hoping to be back to around 8stone 5 by then.

I'm going to try to eat healthily for a few days, carrot sticks with hummous instead of choccie biccies. Just to see if that calms my mind a bit.

I understand your concern. I have to get two extra NHS scans one at 30 weeks and one at 34 weeks. Made me feel awful - like I was a bad mother, reason being I had a low BMI when I first visited my MW, 17.7. I modelled when I was in my teens and early twenties (only 29 now) and the mindset had really stuck with me. When I found out I was pregnant I made sure I ate 1800 kcals a day and a lot of fresh fruit and veg. So far in 19 weeks I've gained 12lbs, which I don't think I too bad, but I'm really worried that the MW won't think this is enough.

How bads this..I'm jealous over you two that hasn't gained a lot of weight..19 pounds is so much

OK. I am 24 weeks, and have put on a stone and a half. I was overweight to begin with. I only know how much weight I have gained as I had my weight taken in alongside some extra tests in the week.

I know that it's hard - but STOP weighing yourself. This is the one time your body absolutely needs to put on weight. Throw out your scales if need be. You might be putting on more weight than others because you need to - your body is building reserves which you need to nourish your baby, and to get you through your labour and the first few weeks after the birth.

Your weight isn't usually checked at routine antenatal appointments so it's not necessary for you to do it. If you are concerned given your past problems then please speak to your midwife, because you need to make sure that you're taking in sufficient nutrition for you and your baby.

The advice to put yourself on a 1000-1500 calorie diet when you have a newborn has left me to be honest. It takes 9 months to put the weight on during a pregnancy so you should allow at least that to get it off again afterwards. These celebrities who snap back into shape after having a baby generally are on very strict exercise and diet regimes which aren't necessarily healthy. There are a few women who do naturally spring back within a couple of weeks, but not many.

If you choose to breastfeed your baby then you'll need to be taking on more calories than you would normally in order to keep yourself going. Your milk production should be OK even on a low calorie diet, but you yourself won't be getting any nutrition.

The stress and pressure you will put on yourself in trying to not gain 'too much' weight or to lose it all very quickly after the birth is going to be far more harmful to you and the baby than the actual weight gain itself :(

Please, please speak to your midwife about this. She should be able to give you advice about what you should be eating and how much weight you can expect to gain (and remember, up to 1 1/2 stone can be just baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid which is lost almost immediately) or she can refer you to someone qualified who can.

I've just had a baby, and my pre-pregnancy bmi was 17.3. No eating disorders, I just think my natural appetite levels are probably smaller than average.

I found that, whereas normally if I forgot a meal or didn't eat much one day, then I would still feel fine, when I got pregnant I would feel like shite if I didn't eat substantially more than usual. Sick, dizzy, panicky, weak. Your body forces you to eat sensibly while pregnant, and to a lesser extent afterwards while breastfeeding.

I'm 23 weeks pregnant, was a size 2-4 pre pregnancy, and 45kg, now weighing in at 50kg and a size 8, no disorders etc, I'm naturally tiny, and I gotta say, I am really struggling with my body getting bigger and putting the weight on. Never used to eat that much, now, I can't stop eating. But I do worry about losing it after the birth, I really miss my body.

My MW has made it clear that around 30 weeks, many maternity hospitals will weigh mothers who they feel are too thin (because the baby will have a legal right to life at that point I assume) and may admit them to supervise.

Im worried about my own pregnancy weight gain. I was lite to begin with and have had awful awful MS.