Panicking about weight gain

[LittleBoyJuly2020]

I'm 31 weeks pregnant and have gained 13 lbs. Right up until week 20 ish I hadn't gained anything.
I eat really well, avoid all junk and sugary foods. In two weeks I've gained 4 lbs

I walk for an hour everyday and keep active in the house with chores etc. I'm a size 12 and started this pregnancy about a stone over where I like to be.

So this gain is really stressing me out. I was hoping for no more than 20 lbs gain this entire pregnancy (previous pregnancy gain was 50+ lbs)

Is it possible to slow the gain down for these last 8-9 weeks?? Did you gain loads of weight in the last few months?

I eat about 1800 calories a day and just can't understand why the weight is going up so quickly. How much of my 13 lbs is pregnancy and not fat?

I am aware this is taking up more mental space than it should but I've always struggled with my weight and I can't help how it's making me feel. And obviously I would never undereat whilst pregnant so no worries there.

[MammytoElla]

They advise you not to diet during pregnancy, you have to think that the weight gain your looking at is the baby and the placenta. Your meant to gain some weight, they say if you have a healthy BMI you should gain 1-2.5 stone in your pregnancy. If your a size 12 it sounds like you are in this category. The main thing is that your eating healthy and taking regular exercise. Which you are.
I developed gestational diabetes in my pregnancy (it's not caused by eating too much sugar etc it's caused by the placenta and how it affects insulin production) I had to modify my diet as a high fat, high protein, low carb (still need carbs!!) to control my blood sugars. Not to calorie count xx

[MammytoElla]

I ended up being lighter than pre pregnancy after I had my baby xx

[MissMarks]

That doesn’t sound a lot!

[CouscousEvaporator]

That is not a lot!!
Most of what you’ve gained is placenta, baby, extra blood, uterine tissue, amniotic fluid and breast tissue! You also need extra fat for breast feeding should you choose that.
Have you spoken to your midwife about this?
Mine has said they deliberately won’t weigh me to avoid this.

[thosethreewords]

I know it's easier said than done but try not to stress about it. I've found the weight gain has not been linear at all.
I've been tracking my weight just for the hell of it because I usually was very stable with my weight. My BMI was on the lower side pre pregnancy (21) and I'm 35 weeks and gained 11kg now.
Up until 20 weeks I had gained only 1kg despite no sickness etc. I was worried I wasn't gaining! Then had a sudden spike of around 1kg a week until 2ish weeks ago and despite me eating pretty similarly, I've not really gained much since then. I've had growth scans so I know baby is a decent size.

[Birdy1991]

That isn’t a lot at all. I’m nearly 30 weeks and I’ve put on 23 pounds.

[LittleBoyJuly2020]

@Birdy1991 I know it doesn't sound too much but my BMI was already slightly higher than what I am used to so it's really getting me down.
And if you're technically overweight it says 15-25 lbs is what you should gain. I'm worried I could exceed that if this carries on like this.

Thank you for all your replies, I keep telling myself a lot of it must surely be pregnancy related but putting on a stone in 10 weeks (pre-pregnancy) would have sent me into a complete meltdown!

[Birdy1991]

I understand. It’s a hard time processing all the changes the body. Personally I’m concerned about my weight gain but I’m just trying not to focus on it, which isn’t difficult cos I can focus on the pain everywhere else instead 😂 Hormones might add to the anxiety of it...? Just speaking from experience.

[Rosesarere]

Please try not to worry, I was under 9 stone when I fell pregnant with my second, I am 5 foot 8. I put on 5 stone!! God knows how but managed to lose it fairly easily after, when my waters went my belly reduced my about 50% so guessing I was carrying a lot of water too, cake prob accounted for the other 4.5 stone haha

[TTC2019xx]

I’m 30 weeks nearly and gained 2 stone so your doing well!!

[Hatscats]

I’d be happy to just put on a stone 😂 currently about 10kg heavier than my normal. I’m in the overweight category but eating normally and not calorie counting.

My mum put on 4 stone with me, but lost it all, plus another half stone by 6 months post birth, so hoping I’ll be the same.