Weight gain in pregnancy

[coffeewithmilk]

I'm just coming up to 15weeks and I've already gained 11lbs.
I was a healthy weight before conceiving and bmi was 24.
I used to run a lot to keep fit but I haven't ran since I found out I was pregnant.

Is this amount of weight gain normal?

I've read hundreds of threads like this, as I was quite apprehensive about piling on the pounds with pregnancy.

It seems to be not a one size fits all model- some mums put on weight quickly at the start, then weight gain slows down, others don't gain until they are mid term, then pile it all on. And then you get the ones who steadily gain throughout the whole of their pregnancies and others that gain only a few pounds for the entire nine months.

Are you eating healthily or stuffing your face? The best advice I've been given is fill up on lots of good quality, nutritious foods - proteins, vegetables, fruits and wholegrains, then have treats in moderation. I had a few weeks of underreating as I was scared of gaining too much, but I'm listening to my body much more now and making slow but steady gains.

If you can't run anymore (I've not been able to since about 12 weeks due to being really breathless due to anaemia) try keeping active by going for walks or try a pregnancy youtube video.

You may be retaining water, which would account for some weight gain, especially if your intake of carbs and sodium has increased.

Also, maybe TMI, but I found that due to sluggish bowels, I hold onto a lot of weight that is just poop weight! I got diarrhoea and lost a shed load of weight just from one good "clearout" The weight didn't return after making sure that I was properly hydrated, so I guess my bowels were storing nearly 1.5 kg of poop (I wasn't constipated either).

Just for reference, I'm 18+5 and have put on 7lb, but didn't gain for the few weeks that I was undereating, so probably should have put on a little more by now.

Everyone is different. My MW said a pound a week which freaked me out but 🤷🏼‍♀️

I was super active pre pregnancy but just can’t do as much anymore, 1st tri I was exhausted and now (20wks) I have my limits.

Food wise I’m just eating what I like, I don’t fancy much, things taste weird so I’m just getting through it.

Hi! My BMI was 19 before pregnancy and the first trimester Ive gained 14 lbs. I havent gained any since. (I`m 18+4) I know they say you should not put weight on the first trimester and start with the second, but weirdly the opposite happened to me. I also stopped heavy exercise (now only walks and YouTube Pilates), and I definitely eat more. Before pregnancy, if I was hungry sometimes I just ignored it, but of course now I can not do that. I think it was a bit shock for my body to change my routines. I think your weight gain is completely normal, especially as you stopped running.

It doesn't sound abnormal to me but I wouldn't get hung up on a number on the scale either. I'd probably worry if I noticed I was visibly gaining weight all over my body but as its just my bump I don't care. I'm 32 weeks and think I've gained around 10kg.

Don’t focus on it too much, as others said everyone is different!

I’m 28 weeks and have gained a stone and a half but seemed to have stopped gaining for now, but I know baby is going to really start growing now so I think I have another stone to gain!

Lots of it will come off when baby is here, plus water!

I'm 27 weeks. For the first 22 all I gained was 5 pounds , since the last 5 weeks I'm up nearly 13 🙈🙈 my pre pregnancy tracksuits and leggings still fit , so the weight for me is all boobs and bump.

I have gained 2.8 stone from week 6-38.
I have put a lot of weight on my legs and bum this pregnancy as I have admittedly been a bit of a slob.
But to be totally honest I'm really not bothered and also don't feel the rush to loose it once baby is born as long as I feel happy in myself.

Can anyone recommend any decent YouTube workout videos?

Bodyfit by amy youtube was my go to, she had a pregnancy playlist. But a quick search will throw up loads if she's not your style.

I gsined 10lbs in my 1st tri. Only 4lbs since, and i'm 39+3 now. So it can he turned round. Once the 1st tri ickiness was over i ate really well and exercised (bodyfit by amy ^^) around 5 times p/week. I was a bit high bmi to stwrt with so i had fat to lose while i gained baby weight. Worked ok i think... and kept me sane & feeling positive.

I am 12 weeks and have put on 2lb (no idea how as I've been eating a lot lately!) My last pregnancy I put on 28lb (2stone).

11lbs is a bit high for 15 weeks. Norm is 2-4 lbs in first trimester then approx 1lb a week each week from 12 weeks onwards. As others have said, it does vary a lot though and some women gain more earlier then less later, and vice versa.

Is there a reason you've stopped running? You can still exercise in pregnancy (even if not running) so maybe try and get going with some walking or walk/run, or anything else you enjoy? Focus on eating as much of a balanced diet as possible, remembering you don't need any additional calories until the 3rd trimester and even then it is only 200 a day (2 pieces of toast or equivalent).

For reference, personally I haven't gained a huge amount (20lbs and currently 40 weeks) and do think exercising throughout has helped with that. I have mostly just eaten what I want when I feel hungry and it seems to have balanced out okay.

I think it completely depends on the person to be honest, you are growing a little human, and a lot of the weight will come off once you give birth! & you will be able to pick up running again, you will be back to your old self in no time once baby is here.

I wasn't particularly healthy or did a lot of exercise before pregnancy but never been particularly overweight, just 'fluffy'. The only thing that seems to have kept my nausea at bay is eating, so I am eating sooo much more than I used to, some healthier choices but others not so healthy. I was expecting to balloon tbh!! I gained about 7 pounds in the first trimester, but somehow have lost 3 pounds since entering the second trimester (I am 15+2 today and eating like a horse, so have no clue how!!). So overall in pregnancy so far, only gained 4 pounds.

For example, my mum put on 4.5 stone when she had me, and about 3 stone when she had my sister and has managed to lose it all again. Other people gain no more than a stone. It completely depends!

Thank you everyone for your replies
@MGee123 this pregnancy is IVF so when I was doing that, the consultant said I had to stop running, so I did and then once I got the positive test I was so nervous to start back at it again because I had stopped for a few weeks.
I got paranoid that if I was to start back running I would do harm to the baby.

Hopefully it's a lot of water weight, I don't feel like I've gained 11lbs to be honest. My jeans are a little tight but I think because I'm bloated more than anything.
Hopefully it's all good weight gain and it'll slow down from now!

@Pitstop1986 completely with you there about the sluggish bowels too. Hopefully that's contributing to the 11lbs!
All I really ate in the first trimester was anything beige.. chips/bread/pasta. It was the only thing that made me feel not sick. Maybe that's caught up with me now!!

I’m 26 weeks and I haven’t gained anything yet as I’ve been so ill! Can’t complain though as I’m overweight anyway!

It was for me. I gained about 4 stone through my last pregnancy, and was 2 stone heavier after having her.
Honestly couldn't tell you what I gained with my first 2.
I was foen, baby was fine, just big.

I understand the anxiety - ours is an IVF pregnancy too and I was really worried the first few times I went running post positive test as I didn't run between transfer and OTD on advice of the clinic. It did get easier after the first week or 2 and I ended up only stopping at 38 weeks! Maybe finding something you're comfortable with doing so you can feel the benefit of exercising without provoking too much anxiety?

I found my diet became much more normal again from 14 weeks or so onwards as I was very beige orientated too for the first trimester! I'm sure your weight gain will be fine - no harm in keeping an eye on it if you want to and adjusting intake/exercise as needed. Equally, no reason to fixate on it if you don't want to! Wishing you well with your pregnancy ☺️

I’m 33 weeks and I last weighed myself a couple weeks ago and I’d put on 12lbs since the start.. everyone is so so different I’m quite surprised I haven’t put on more weight but I did struggle to gain weight at the start and my appetite has been horrendous the whole way through!

I'm 14 weeks and like you @coffeewithmilk I was told to stop running altogether - I'm allowed to do "very gentle" short walks only, which was hard to adjust to as normally I enjoy cycling, running, hillwalking... All off limits for the foreseeable future.

I've had quite impressive nausea and vomiting, which has not been fun, but trying to look on the bright side - it's kept my weight gain down to 2-4lbs so far...

Im 35 weeks and had put on about 10lb by 28 weeks.

Now at 35 weeks I’m still only 10lb heavier than pre pregnancy so things have settled and slowed down.

I think in the first trimester a lot of what you put on is water weight and bloat like you said so I wouldn’t worry too much. You’ll probably find it’ll all even itself out over the coming weeks!

Hi, I use this webpage to track whether my weight gain is within the recommended range. You can enter all your own info, such as pre-pregnancy weight, height, week of pregnancy and current weight and it shows you the upper and lower limits and where you sit.

www.calculator.net/pregnancy-weight-gain-calculator.html?ctype=standard&pstage=20&twins=0&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=7.5&cpoundbefore=147&cpoundnow=157&cheightmeter=172&ckgbefore=65.8&ckgnow=67.6&printit=0&x=44&y=25

I'm 16 weeks and thanks to sickness am 24lbs down! However I could afford to lose it as I was overweight, now I'm curious to see how I gain..

I put on about a stone because I stopped running in pregnancy too (doctor advice) and I just kept eating . My problem is that my usual plan was to run lots and eat as much as I liked to stay slim. It doesn’t work if you take away the running!

Now the baby is 15 weeks old and I’m slowly losing the weight through my diet. Running is really inconvenient for me at the moment. If I could wind back the clock I’d have eaten more healthily during the pregnancy. It’s no big deal though.

I have gained about 2 kilos so far & just at 12 weeks. I think my food aversion has been the issue, I've been eating more carbs/fat because vegetables make me gag but prior to pregnancy I ate vegetables all the time, I loved them! So I'm hoping if my nausea ends I can eat a more balanced diet again. I actually feel like I've gained loads but I think it's bloating more than anything that's obvious right now. My jeans are definitely a little tighter but I've always been bottom heavy. I think it all probably depends on different people & how their pregnancy progresses . I used to do light exercise but haven't been able to do any due to exhaustion and nausea, so hopefully next trimester will be better.
I think you'll probably balance out over the coming trimesters, at least you sound like me and that's what I'm hoping for (:

I’m sure a lot of it is water/bloat.

I am 15 weeks and am only supposed to gain 0.5 lbs a week starting second trimester because I had gained a bit of weight before getting pregnant and my BMI is like 26 now.
First, I gained a pound and half at week 13. My doctor said not to worry about it, not that much in the long run.
Then I hopped on the scale last week and it was gone.
Then I was worried I was going to get in trouble if I hadn’t gained any weight by my next appointment (17 weeks).
So I started eating a bit more, and now the scale says I gained four pounds in three days.
I think that between our digestion slowing down and water retention, the scale is just not accurate. The “number” is less reliable than ever!