34 weeks and only gained 11lbs. Worried

[OnNaturesCourse]

I weighed myself around 30 odd weeks just because there was a scale lying around the house I was looking after and I had, at that point, gained 16lbs. (165lbs pre pregnancy)

I just weighed myself again out of curiousity due to me feeling "lighter" and, in my opinion, my bump looking smaller. I'm now at only an 11lbs gain, so seem to have lost 5lbs in a few weeks. (I'd say more like days)

Is this normal?

Im eating well and to be honest doing little exercise due to SPD.

What can I eat to ensure I'm getting enough from my food? I'm concerned baby may be small due to my weight and it was mentioned at a scan around 30 weeks that baby was smaller than expected (but no cause for concern at the time.) and of course I'm now smaller than I was back then... Could baby have slowed in growth?

If you're worried just ask for an additional growth scan to check for IUGD

Just googled what that was.

I'll definitely ask, I'm there in two weeks - no earlier appointments as I need to register in new area first which is proving a nightmare.

You need to eat a balanced diet of proteins/fats & carbohydrates. The big worry with not gaining enough weight during pregnancy seems to be preterm labour and the baby's organ function after birth. It also depends on your bmi starting off. From other forum discussions, if you had a bmi pre-pregnancy and you lose weight but the baby is growing at their own steady growth curve it is less of a problem. Try talking to your Doctor or Midwife. They might refer you to a dietician for advice.

I definitely don't get enough protein, not a massive meat eater. Even harder now my nausea has returned. I tend to have bran flakes, ham sandwiches, fruit yoghurts, a cooked meal (pasta based normally) and toast or bran flakes for supper.. Occasionally I have a fizzy drink or sweets. It's super bland but it all I can stomach right now. Although there's not a lot of variation I do eat a lot of the same thing if that makes sense.

I'll mention it, and maybe make a GP appointment before seeing the midwife in a few weeks

I put on less than a stone during pregnancy, tiny bump so had lots of growth scans
Baby came out a perfectly average 7lb 4 much to the surprise of the midwives
When my waters broke there was barely anything so it was all baby rather than fluid
Had a great birth etc
So try not to worry
Like other posters have said try to eat plenty, and a nice varied diet, plenty of protein
My cravings happened to be healthy stuff like vegetables, pasta, fresh fish and fruit

If you are still worried about loosing weight then you could ring your midwife and have a chat! See what they suggest!
Good luck x

Thank you user. It's reassuring to hear your story. At my last scan they said my fluids were OK, but I guess things change.

Fuckit... Oh no!

If your measurements are fine, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I gained 16lbs total with my first (as of the day before I went into labour). She was smaller rather than huge, but a perfectly acceptable weight. Babies grow a lot in these last few weeks, so I would expect you'll put on some weight soon.

Also, I wouldn't give too much thought to weights taken on different scales (you said you weighed yourself on a scale at a house you were looking after). I weighed myself once on the scale at MIL's house and was quite pleased I seemed to have lost about 10 lbs (not pregnant at the time). I hadn't. Just her scale was really badly calibrated. Scales can easily be off by several pounds, so you could get vastly different numbers on the same day on two different scales.

I'm 32 weeks and have put on 1st 4lbs. I was worried for ages about not putting on enough weight and didn't gain much til 18 weeks. Some weeks my weight doesn't change and occasionally I lose 0.5-1 lb. Some people have said I'm 'tiny' and wearing some clothes I could definitely pass for 'just had a few burgers'

Are you taking pregnancy vitamins? And drinking enough fluids? You are meant to eat 200 calories more in 3rd trimester...an extra piece of toast and piece of fruit will do it. Avacados and dried fruit are my go-toos! Also a bowl of cereal is lovely to make up those extra needs.
At your next appointment, voice your concerns to the midwife. They will measure you and see how baby is growing. If concerned there will be a 'plan of action' for you. FWIW my midwife said it's desirable to gain 1-2 stone which isn't half as much as I thought. Your baby still has time to grow.

Good luck :) x

I would definitely agree that different scales sometimes show wildly different weights.

Also, if I weigh myself at 7pm I generally weigh about 5lbs more than I do at 7am.

Similar to fuckit, I lost a stone while pregnant and baby was entirely average. ! then put 2 stone on during mat leave thanks to coffee and cake and no exercise.

DS is now 20 months old and I now weigh the same as I did just before I became pregnant.

Things even out in the end!

Your weight gain is fine. There is no real recommendation for weight gain apart from raised BMI women to have as little weight gain as possible. Some women lose weight, some put on a stone and others 4 stone.
You probably have only gained baby weight as opposed to fat.. baby is about 4lb now, you have about 800ml of amniotic fluid (800g so about 2lb) then a placenta which is about 1-2lb. So currently your weight gain is more than the contents of your baby, placenta and fluid. You have increased blood volume which will account for the extra weight

I put on about 4 stone and my baby was 3 .13... to be fair I had massive swelling and pre eclampsia and in bed rest in hospital for a month but still. We are all different . I’m sure you are fine. Try not to worry .

OnNatures my midwife has said it's possible to lose weight at the same time as gaining baby weight which is happening to me. But like a pp said, if you're measuring fine then there's no need for concern.

Thank you all. Glad to see my weight gain isn't directly linked to baby growth.

My measurements (last at 33weeks, just checked) have always been bang on exactly.

I'll mention it to them as I think my bump has gone down a little now. Be interesting to see what it measures at my next appointment!

Thank you all again for putting my worries to bed.