Not putting on any weight

[JJ456]

At my last scan baby was measuring fine, but I am nearly 20 weeks pregnant and only put on about 3lbs. I have a bump but pretty small, you could easily miss that I was pregnant.

I’ve been kind of assuming all fine because the scans have been ok, but should I be doing something to try and gain more? Will eating help or will that just add fat rather than growing my uterus, or whatever? (Sorry for my limited understanding).

I was underweight when I got pregnant and naturally very small/slim.

My midwife is a bit hopeless tbh has only weighed me once and I can’t contact her, only triage or GP. I have my 20w scan in about 5 days so I can ask about it then.

Has anyone’s weight refused to budge in pregnancy?

Nhs guidance suggests you shouldn't be gaining much weight at this stage - they say on average women will put on 22-28lbs, but mostly after week 20. So plenty of time to put on some extra. Ideally you don't want to put on much weight, you want most the extra weight to be fluid and baby. If you're underweight I'd speak to your Dr about ensuring you have a healthy diet for baby and are getting enough nutrients from what you eat rather than worrying about the scales.

I didn't gain much weight when I was pregnant, I don't think it's necessarily a problem.

Just concentrate on eating nutritionally rich foods, lots of protein as your body's requirement for it is increased in pregnancy and everything will be fine.

I think I'd only put on a couple of pounds too by 20 weeks and my bump was still tiny.... Now at 36 weeks it's definitely grown and I've put on just under 1.5 stone, it's all bump though, don't seem to have gained any extra padding anywhere else! It's best to eat a varied balanced diet but if you fancy a treat once in a while don't worry about it - baby will take what they need from you 😊

With my second I didn’t put on a lb until 38 weeks and my bump was huge.

Thanks everyone this is really reassuring :) I will keep just eating healthy (plus the occasion cake!) for now. As long as baby is ok!