How much weight should I put on when I am pg?

[SANA]

My mid-wife told me at my booking appointment that I should put on about one and half stone to two at the most. My best mate tells me I need to put on about 3 stone as thats how much she has put on, is this not excessive? i am currently just ove 4mths pg & have put on a couple of pounds, my eating habits are fairly healthy ( except for the choccie bing here & now) & I havent really changed the way I eat & dont want to. In a normal day I will have breky, lunch & a light supper, I munch on fruit & only have takeaways maybe over the weekend, how do I avoid putting on unneccessary weight?? by the way everybidy around me including DH thinks I should b eating for 2?

I have read that 2 - 2 and a half stone is "normal" for most women - I've put on just over a stone and I'm 36+2, but midwife isn't concerned and I've been eating as normally as I did before pg - maybe a little more in the last few weeks, but nothing out of the ordinary.
As long as you're not piling the weight on, or not putting on any, I shouldn't worry too much. Let your midwife guide you - tell her your concerns and see what she says. Everyone is different. I for one fully expected to pile on the pounds but haven't.

I'm nearly 38 weeks and have put on 15kg (started at 55kg, now 70) but while that would be a fair amount according to the books, I'm hardly enormous. I basically have a bump attached to my (nearly) old shape.

Your diet sounds similar to mine and I haven't changed what I have eaten as it always was fairly healthy. We really don't need to eat twice as much though, that's just not the case. About 300 more calories a day is the figure I see the most and that feels about right to me.

We are all different though. The most important thing is to get the nutrition right and everything else can be sorted out afterwards (that's what I'm telling myself anyway!!!)

SANA, it sounds like your diet is very healthy which is great. You should just eat to satisfy your appetite. You apparently only need 200-500 calories per day extra which actually isn't much. In my first pg I put on 2.5 stone, which horrified me at the time, but it was all baby weight thank goodness and I didn't have any excess weight to lose after the birth. This time I have put on 1.5 stone so far (I am 30 weeks now). I am not worried as I don't feel I've put on any weight apart from the bump and on my boobs, I just know now that it's the pattern for me to put on quite a bit of weight.

Think how much you put on depends on many things including your weight/BMI to start off with - i.e. thinner women may need to put on more to build up the requisite fat stores. I put on about 2.5 stone but by 6 months after birth had lost all that plus an extra stone due to bf. Don't worry about how much you eat, just how healthily you eat.

There definitely isn't a fixed amount you should gain. Provided you're eating healthily and satisfying your appetite you'll be fine. I just carried on eating what I'd always eaten, but did find I got hungry between meals more often, so always had fruit and stuff to snack on.

And eating for 2 is sadly a myth! The one time I did find that was nearly true was when I was breastfeeding, and was starving hungry all the time and eating constantly whilst rapidly shedding the pregnancy weight.

I have no idea how much I gained with dd, as we don't own scales ... personally I find that the healthiest way not to obsess with my weight. I do know I lost about half a stone in the first trimester due to morning sickness, that's because I used MIL's scales out of curiosity! I lost track after that as it seemed irrelevant to be even thinking about my weight as the pregnancy progressed.

I think like everything else it all depends on the person, some people put on more than others. Personally I put on 2 stone, funny thing was I weighed myself the day after having the baby and I had only lost 3lbs, despite 6lb babe, placenta, fluid etc. Back to pre preg weight after 6 weeks, not dieting think it's breast feeding.

Sana, thanks so much for posting this thread! I was about to ask the same thing today as I weighed myself this morning and I have put on a stone and a half. My shape is basically as it was (less muscle as I used to run but can't since pregnant) with a bump that has really got big over the last month.

At 4 months I too had only put on a few pounds. I have MAINLY been eating well, to my appetite etc, but have had some days where I think - may as well have a chocky bar. I usually exercise so no change as I could do it then and not worry. I don't see the point in depriving yourself if you want something special, as long as you are getting all the nutrition, just go with what feels right.

Am quite pleased to hear it is normally about 2 - 2 1/2 as I was perplexed at how I could have put so much on with only the bump getting bigger really (haven't weighed myself in months you see)

Very envious of all you ladies who've been able to eat as normal throughout pregnancy . Like last time, I've had to eat all the time throughout this first trimester for temporary relief from the constant nausea. I put on 4 stone in total with dd and lost it all without trying in the months after she was born (then when she was 9mo got pg again - back up we go!)

So I'd say don't worry anyone about putting on more than the "normal" 2 stone or whatever - it really does vary from woman to woman. My mum also put on and lots of weight & then lost it again with each of her 3 babies.

although obviously not envious of those who lost weight in 1st 3mo because of throwing up!

I have gained a lot of weight but gave up smoking when I got pg and also ate a lot to curb morning sickness, started to pack on the lbs straight away. It's rubbish anyone saying you need to eat for 2. that isn't so, as long as you eat health is the main thing. I have gained at least 3 stone and still have a month to go - really hope it comes off quickly once baby is born. If I was going to do anything differently I would of eaten less!!

I think it's often beyond your control. Look at Kate Moss, she got pretty fat, and she's clearly never gained weight before. If you aren't gaining much weight then you are a lucky woman, and will be very glad of it after the birth. I think midwives should be careful of saying things like that. It can be very depressing to hear.

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Thank u girls that is reassuring, am getting fed up with those who are trying to force feed me as if i need the extra food and by not eating it I am depriving the baby. I am just going to continue to eat as normal, I wouldnt stay hungry anyway as love me food. I have however found that even at just over 4mths once I have eaten my tummy goes round & sticks out as a balloon, is that normal?????????

Sana, at that stage I certainly found I looked a lot more pregnant as the day wore on, so by the time I had eaten my dinner, I was looking at a v preg looking belly! Don't think that really happened at lunchtimes though (although was at work, so not so easy to inspect my belly!)

Hi sana i had put on 4 stone's, i think i was eating for 10, but i loved every minute of it. Make the most of it.

Haven't some health authorities actually stopped weighing pregnant Mums now as they are trying to move away from looking at 'weight' as an indicator of a healthy pregnancy? I'm in Surrey and was weighed continually throughout my pregancy with dd - but a close friend of mine in Hampshire wasn't weighed at all - they just used the fundal height measurement to ensure that her bump was growing...

I'm sure I read somewhere that Surrey were also going to stop weighing people soon too.

Perhaps Mears could comment on this one. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm entirely convinced that the amount of weight you may or may not put on necessarily correlates exactly to the 'healthiness' of your pregnancy. As the others have said, you should just eat what you feel comfortable with and as long as both you and your mid-wife are happy - who cares?!

I think you're right handbag, I wasn't weighed at all. My mum didn't believe me, she thought I was making it up so I wouldn't have to admit how much weight I'd gained. My brother also didn't believe that I didn't find out the sex of my baby as I wanted it as a surprise and he couldn't believe we hadn't chosen a name before baby was born. My family clearly has no faith in my honesty!
BTW, I put on almost 4 stone and am struggling now to get rid of the last 1/2 stone or so. I'd like to say I'd do it differently next time, but the constant nausea gave me little choice.

i ate what i wanted in both pregnancies. it is the only time in my life that i have allowed myself to do it, and it was great. ok, so it means i got a bit fatter than maybe i should, but hey, bf gets a lot of it off. i only had a year between pregancies and hadn't quite got back to original size, now, almost 4 months after dd2, it took me a little longer to get back into my diesel jeans, but only a few weeks longer.
remember, 9 months on, 9 months off.
dammit, still need to loose 2 stone though...just can't get rid of the sweet tooth