Excessive weight gain- help! Any tips/advice/support?

[ppandj]

Hello

I am expecting my first baby and am currently 37 weeks. As you can imagine, I feel excited/anxious about our imminent arrival as it is and this post may seem trivial, but I am feeling worried about the amount of weight I have gained.

I gained 10lbs within the first 12 weeks and bloated right up straight away. My pre-pregnancy weight was 9st 4lbs and I was really active at the gym and ate sensibly. At my booking appointment the midwife advised me to stop doing the exercises I was doing and just eat within reason. One thing and another happened in our lives with family, work etc and I began comfort eating and spiralled out of control! I had no intention of weighing myself until after little one arrives but then at my 36 week appointment the midwife weighed me and I have gained 4 1/2 stone ????!

I am absolutely full of fluid with quite bad pitting oedema (tested negative for pre-eclampsia) but KNOW that I have overindulged diet-wise. Since then I have been worrying about my weight as well as all the usual first-time worries. Am I being silly? Can anyone share any tips they have for making healthy eating easier with a newborn? I am planning on BF hopefully so I know I need to eat a good diet but want to be healthier!

Sorry if this seems a trivial post!!

I put on a lot of weight with DD1 for various different reasons. I just are healthily for the first 3months & then joined slimming world which was brilliant & lost 5 stone over 6months. I genuinely wouldn't worry about it (I know that's hard).

For the first few months you just need to concentrate on the baby & making sure you have enough energy, dieting is not a good idea then.

My friends & I always say - takes 9 months to put on & 9 months to come off (bar my stomach that is here to stay now!!). Try not to put pressure on yourself!

Teaching123 thank you. It's reassuring to hear that other people have both put on as much as I have and managed to lose it. I'm sure once my little one arrives I'll be so besotted with him that the weight worries will be the last thing on my mind but I think being on mat leave and waiting for b-day gives you time to worry over stuff! Slimming world sounds good from what I've heard! Thanks for your advice :) x

I put on 3st with my first, probably nearly 5st with my second.
After my second I went on a diet and lost 6st, so ended up lighter than before.

I have probably put on 2.5 stone so far and am 26 weeks now, the weight gain has slowed down so hoping it won't end up as much as before, but if it does, it does, I know I can lose it after

Hi there

Glad I'm not the only one in your position. Ive put on exactly 4stone and am now 38weeks. I had terrible morning sickness until about 18weeks and didn't gain a pound. As soon as I got my appetite back I have well and truly made up for it. Feel disgusted with myself. When I was sick my exercise routine went out the window and now I've got spd which means I'm prob not burning much off. Anyway trying to focus on meeting our little baby now and worry about weight after that. Good luck and just want you to know I'm exactly in the same boat xx

You may be amazed at how much fluid you lose after the birth!

Either way, as long as you eat right and excercise after, it'll come off. Don't stress about it now, there's very little you can do at this point. There's also no real evidence that weight gained in pregnancy is damaging to the baby - if you don't put enough on that's another matter! The negative outcomes are correlated with starting weight, and yours was pretty healthy.

Bottom line: as long as you're not retaining fluid for any malign reason, there's nothing you can do about it at this point. Keep your strength up for the birth and why not batch cook a load of healthy meals to stock your freezer with after the baby arrives?

OP it's a big worry of mine too! I'm 22 weeks pg with DC#2 and already put on 1.5 stone despite a conscious effort to eat well and exercise! I think that some people just put a lot of weight on (that's what I'm telling myself). In my 1st pg I put on 3.5/4 stone. But you do literally lose a big chunk when you give birth and if you breast feed it will come off quicker. I would say though that expect it to be slow and steady (I naively thought it would 'drop off' me as Id always been slim and fit). For me the saying '9 months on 9 months off' definitely applied. I also joined Slimming World when DS was 6mo and that really kicked the last bit of weight. I agree that stock piling on healthy meals/snacks helps so your not reaching for the biscuits constantly when he arrives! Try not to stress though as you will go back to 'normal'! Good luck.

I put on-

Dc1-3 and a half stone
Dc2- 4 stone
Dc3-5 stone
Dc4-5 stone

Dc4 is six months old today. I lost a stone and half giving birth and so far have lost 2 and half stone with slimming world. I have two stone to lose to get me to my target weight of 9 stone 10 which was my weight before having children.
Don't worry about it with sensible eating (when you're ready) after having the baby it will fly off especially if you're bfing.

Thank you for all the advice. Batch cooking a load of healthy meals is a great idea! I've got a few good recipes that are full of veg and do freeze well so I'll hop to it before little one arrives. Also I have decided to bite the bullet and go swimming- I'm planning on going to baby swim classes anyway so the sooner I get over the body hang-ups at the pool the better and a bit of gentle activity now will surely be good?! Just wanted to say a big thank you because I have found it really reassuring that I'm not the only one with these worries and I am going to try and not put too much pressure on the immediate weightloss. X