10lb on at 20 weeks

[opalescent]

Is this a lot or pretty average? I'm only 5ft tall, so find any extra weight very hard to cope with. Started at 7st10, and now 8st6. I'm not eating excessively, and trying to keep active. Boobs are ridiculously huge, and have a proper round bump. Finding the weight gain very distressing, but I've always been anxious when it comes to body image.

I had put exactly 10lb on at 21 weeks, i am also 5foot tall- and I wish I only weighed 8st 6! Sounds fine to me. Try not to get disheartened about your changing body shape, it is changing for the best possible reason, to grow a healthy baby! 20 weeks is a hard time anyway as sometimes you feel more bloated/fat than actually pregnant with a bump. I am 28 weeks now and have a definite bump and I love it.

As long as you are eating healthily and sensibly, and keeping fairly active, i wouldnt worry.

If you are sitting on the sofa all day eating chips, that might be a concern.

Thankyou both, I'll try to keep it in perspective!

I think it is pretty average. I lost 1.5 stone overnight after the birth which was so gratifying :) The remaining stone is still here though I mostly maintained that comfort eating through boredom after the baby was born :(
Don't forget - there's the baby, the fluid around it, the extra 50% of blood in your system (so circa 2.5 litres of fluid - weigh it!), and then the fat stores. I second Futurenannyogg plus a midwife will tell you if your stomach is measuring on target, weight gain stats are an average and they fluctuate massively. Some people put on as much as 4 stone and lose it all, others hardly any. If you are eating tons more, and it's junk then the latter will add up pretty quickly so just be sensible if you are constantly hungry and eat slow release stuff like porridge. I read somewhere that eating lots of sugar, which converts to fat will result in a bigger, fatter baby so that pretty much put me off the puddings along with the heartburn. I'd like to say it was my sterling self control but that would be utter crap

I've put on at least half a stone, so probably about the same as you. I have been lying in bed a lot for the last few months (still only 16 weeks here, too!) as I have felt so tired and dreadful, but funnily enough I was eating loads as well, despite feeling sick.

My last two pregnancies were different in that I hadn't got very good medication or coping skills so I ate very little till about now when I suddenly started to be able to again, and thus lost weight both times. But then I had a catch-up, with my second at any rate, and put on the right amount afaik.

This time it has been consistent weight gain and I am a bit worried that I will keep putting on loads till I am a moving mountain. I'm just over 9 stone at a guess, was 8 and a half before, and 5ft7.

I think though that I have very little control at the moment over what I eat - it's a case of coping with feeling rubbish, and so whatever it takes, whatever I can manage I will eat. Hopefully as I feel a bit more normal I'll be able to forget about eating and food more and more, like I normally do, and it might slow down a bit. It is such a luxury not to have to think about the next thing to eat all the time!!

(NB my ancient pregnancy book says that weight gain over about half a stone in the first half is 'undesirable' . And all the other advice says it's unfortunate if you lose weight in the first half...you cannot win!)