75lbs gained in first 6 months of pregnancy.

[RoxieBrown]

I’m a bit worried about my pregnancy weight gain. I’m just entering Week 27 and I’ve already gained around 75lbs. Am I going to be pushing 100 by the time she arrives?!

For full disclosure I’ve struggled with my weight for years. Pre-pregnancy I was 220lbs which means I am now circling the dreaded 300lbs mark...

Dr is useless and uninterested. Just says I need to be careful and sensible, but it’s obviously not that easy!!

Did anyone else gain a whopping about of weight?
Am I putting my daughter at risk piling on the pounds like this?
Am I ever going to be able to drop the weight post partum?!

That does sound like a hell of a lot of weight to put on. Have you been tested for diabetes and thyroid issues?
How much more are you eating?

That does sound like a hell of a lot of weight to put on. Have you been tested for diabetes and thyroid issues?
How much more are you eating?

That looks like a lot of weight, I’d definitely speak to your midwife!

Gosh.. I'd absolutely raise it with doctor. That's a awful lot of weight.. are you sure it's correct?

Has your diet changed radically? That is far more weight than I would expect anyone to put on in pregnancy. And you still have the end of pregnancy when the baby is putting on its weight. Speak to your midwife. Speak to your consultant (you must be under one at that weight) and ask for a dietician referral. Best of luck. It’s not easy.

I agree with the PP's, that's alot of weight and I would think there's a diabetes risk.

Are you exercising and making healthy food choices? Going for a daily walk is a good place to start and I personally ate alot of salad during my summer pregnancies, because it was easy!

You know the answer, yes it is and unfortunately yes you are putting your baby at risk (you knew that also).

Definitely speak to your doctor but you need to get to the root cause of your excessive eating, why is it? I would suggest counselling to help you understand the root cause.

I hope I don’t sound too harsh, my thoughts are with you

Are you expecting multiples?

That's an average of 2.8lbs a week. At that rate you'll put on around 8 stone throughout the pregnancy. You're putting hothnypurself and your baby at risk. What has your midwife said?

It is a worrying amount of weight. Speak to your doctor or midwife. Also the long term impact on your joints wont be good. I agree with trying to get to the root cause of your overeating. Think about if there are any triggers or times of day.

@RoxieBrown

I’m a bit worried about my pregnancy weight gain. I’m just entering Week 27 and I’ve already gained around 75lbs. Am I going to be pushing 100 by the time she arrives?!

For full disclosure I’ve struggled with my weight for years. Pre-pregnancy I was 220lbs which means I am now circling the dreaded 300lbs mark...

Dr is useless and uninterested. Just says I need to be careful and sensible, but it’s obviously not that easy!!

Did anyone else gain a whopping about of weight?
Am I putting my daughter at risk piling on the pounds like this?
Am I ever going to be able to drop the weight post partum?!

‘ Dr is useless and uninterested. Just says I need to be careful and sensible, but it’s obviously not that easy!! ’

Im sorry to be rude, but what else do you expect the dr to say? There is no magic pill or cure, its simply if you eat more calories than you burn off, pregnant or not, you’re going to put on weight. There may be underlying mental health reasons why youd put on quite so much weight but the dr isnt going to be able to advise you to do anything else than reduce your calorie intake and increase the calories you burn off. If you find it difficult, then its down to you to address this. You’re putting your own health at risk, your baby’s health, and also jeopardising your future with your baby by being 300lb. I dont wish to sound harsh but i struggle to know what else your dr can do for you, its down to you to make the change

That is just absolutely not true. The doctor could refer OP to a dietician. And not just fob her off. Imagine if a doctor said to a depressed person it's down to you cheer up. It would be unthinkable.

You need to actively get help and not expect anyone to solve this problem for you. You are clearly overeating by a massive extent, and this is harmful to you and your baby.

I would ask for a dietician referral, and consider following a gestational diabetes type diet (low carb/ GI). What level of exercise do you do and what do you eat in a typical day?

What are you eating during a day normally now?

That level of weight gain in that space of time would be dangerous normally and you are now responsible for your baby as well as you.

Dr saying to be careful and sensible is pretty dismissive but they probably mean you need to be careful and sensible about what you are eating. If you're being honest, are you doing that?

Because if not, you need a major lifestyle overhaul. But if so, you need urgent medical advice on this.

@RoxieBrown I thought it might be helpful for you to have a similar body size to compare too (although, obviously every pregnancy is very different so please don’t feel that I’m being rude as I have no idea what the norm is!! 😊). I’ve also struggled for years with my weight!
I weighed myself for my booking in appointment over the phone at 9 weeks and was 216lbs (BMI 35.2). Consultant led due to high BMI although have been told by my midwife I’ll never meet a consultant because my case isn’t “juicy enough” for them 🙄 not sure what that’s about 🤷🏻‍♀️
I’m just going into my 25th week (first pregnancy and it’s a single pregnancy) and currently weigh 224lbs.

I have already been concerned given my pre-pregnancy weight issues that my 8lb gain might be too much. I don’t see my midwife again until 30 weeks but was planning on monitoring things until then and hopefully having a good chat with her about what to realistically expect or contacting her sooner if I become more concerned before then. If I was in your position I would definitely be contacting my midwife or a different GP to make sure there are no underlying issues causing the weight gain and if not I would be pushing for a referral to a dietician for some advice.

I put on almost 4 stone (not sure what pounds are in comparison) before I was a professional athlete so very slim and fit and it was a huge shock. Pregnancy did something to my thyroid, the levels are only just sort of getting back and I'm 2yrs 3 months post birth.
Ask you gp to check your thyroid levels
Even with any help there you need to make sure you keep moving...its not the time to do a rigorous training schedule but it is so damn hard to drop the weight with a young baby so try to prevent what you can.

Thanks for everyone’s responses.

My Midwife has been more helpful than the GP. I was diagnosed with PCOS pre-pregnancy which I was advised to lose weight to improve my chances of falling pregnant. As luck would have it, I fell pregnant a few weeks after that appointment so didn’t need to lose the weight.

I’d been given weight loss print outs due to this, so the midwife’s advice has been to just follow those guidelines. I’m a bit worried about actively TRYING to slim down whilst pregnant though and baby not getting the nutrition she needs.

I feel like I’m in a Catch 22 situation!

I do appreciate all of your advice though. I know my weight is going to be an issue in the future if I can’t lose the lbs post partum. I struggled at my pre-pregnancy weight and I definitely struggle now.

My diet could be better and I’m going to work on that even if it’s not for active weight loss at this stage. I’m going to cook for myself a bit more and not succumb to the pregnancy crisps and McDonalds cravings!

I know I might be wishful thinking, but I’m hoping that a lot of the excess weight with naturally fall off after I deliver?

I think it's unlikely it will all fall off after delivery.
At full term only about 1.5-2 stone is actual pregnancy weight (baby, placenta, fluid etc).

I gained 3 stone with ds, the first 1.5 stone came off within about a week or 2 of delivery, next 0.5 a couple of weeks later. I had to really work at that last stone.

I'm 5 months pregnant now and I'm really trying to actively watch what I eat this time. I've gained 6lbs so far and hope to only gain another 14lbs. Baby is growing fine and I have a large bump.

There are weight loss diets that are approved for pregnancy, you'd need to look into it to make sure your mw agreed it was ok.

Wow that's a lot of weight. I'm 29 weeks and I've put on 13lbs (139lbs and healthy BMI to start with). If you were already overweight to start with you should have put on very little/no extra weight. I'm surprised your GP hasn't been more helpful, so you should really push for more support. You've also said your diet isn't ideal - I'm sure you already know this but you really ought to be on a super strict healthy diet to try and curb the weight gain. There's a difference between fad dieting in pregnancy which isn't good for the baby, and eating a strictly healthy diet which is good for the baby. If I'd gained that much weight I'd be being very careful with what I ate! Have you considered joining Slimming World/WW? They'll take pregnant members and they're not diets as such, just healthy eating plans.

Re your last post @RoxieBrown, the baby will take from you what she needs. Eating a sensible diet and staying active is so important for a developing baby.

Unless there is a specific medical reason to the contrary, no additional calories need to be consumed by an expectant mother until the third trimester, and then it’s only an extra 200 cals a day (an apple and banana will get you to that).

I’d follow your Midwife’s guidance. There are some good articles on the NHS website that might help you, too. There is an interesting study they talk about which talks about the impact of pregnancy diet on the child’s own weight. Pretty sobering stuff.

Good luck!

I’m a bit worried about actively TRYING to slim down whilst pregnant though and baby not getting the nutrition she needs.

I don't think it's a catch 22 at all OP. If the maternal diet is unhealthy the child may be at risk of developing various long term health risks such as obesity. Don't try to lose weight be going on some diet with shakes etc - who knows what the nutritional content of those is - but I would suggest chucking the McDonald's and crisps and sticking to the good stuff, meat, fish, veg, fruit etc. Do some research - and I think you'll find having a good healthy diet is the best thing you can do for your baby in the circumstances.

Average weight gain in pregnancy is 22-26 lbs in total so unfortunately you are already well over this.

I would suggest you try to keep your food intake onwards as healthy as possible. Perhaps aim not to put on much more weight as the risks of complications in the pregnancy will be greater the higher your BMI.

www.rcog.org.uk/en/patients/patient-leaflets/being-overweight-pregnancy-after-birth/

Good luck

Op I’d be concerned now due to potential health complications. Five stone is a lot in a short period of time.

I’m sorry but no it doesn’t just come off, the weight and the baby will clearly but likely in the region of a stone maximum.

I lost weight during my pregnancies due to severe hyperemesis. Both daughters were over 8lbs. Babies take what they need, regardless of your diet.

You don't need any extra calories until the third trimester and even then it's 2-300 extra a day. I wouldn't try to lose weight but maybe try not to gain any more. Move as much as you can and portion and calorie count what you are taking in.