7 weeks pregnant and very rapid weight gain - is that normal?

[PimlicoBelle123]

Hi all,

I'm 7 weeks pregnant with our first, and I noticed that since week 5, I have put on weight rapidly and noticeably (4kg in 2 weeks). I eat salad most of the time but have been incorporating a sandwich or some lasagna once a day as I've noticed I am a bit hungrier - but not enough to warrant such rapid weight gain! I am also incredibly bloated and sluggish, and I feel my digestion has slowed right down. My boobs are now massive (much to husband's often voiced delight lol), my butt has become sizeable, and my belly now sticks out. None of my clothes fit anymore. Very naive of me, but I hoped that I'd be able to wear my cute black bodycon dress for another few weeks, haha.

A pregnancy book I'm reading says you don't really put on any weight in your first trimester, and this seems corroborated by what I see online, so I'm a bit confused. My midwife appointment isn't for a few weeks so I can't ask her just yet, and asking my mum doesn't yield any helpful info (other than I should basically starve myself which is hilariously stupid). I guess I'm a bit concerned about it causing complications for my baby and me.

Is this sudden and rapid weight gain normal? Has anyone else experienced this? How did you manage it? Did it level out?

I put weight on very rapidly with all of my pregnancies. I did develop gestational diabetes so I’m not sure if it was linked to that.

How do your ankles look? It's probably water retention

Hey OP, midwife here. Everyone is different and gains weight differently in pregnancy. I've known some women to put on roughly the same as you have by the time I've booked their pregnancy, and I've known some women to lose weight due to a mixture of sickness, nausea food aversions etc. I appreciate it can be alarming but please try not to worry. It sounds like you're eating healthily as you can, and as long as you're not going to start any crazy crash diets I would carry on as you are.

Try and drink plenty and often, as this will help any water retention, as will trying to stop using any extra salt and avoiding heavily salted foods.

With my son I didn't put on any weight until halfway through my second trimester, then got pre eclampsia and ended up losing weight for a while because I was so ill.

I'm currently 10 weeks pregnant with our second baby and again I've lost about half a stone from vomming my guts up and generally losing my appetite 😭

I had this in first trimester, put on 4kg in 4 weeks, I was quite thin before getting pregnant and very hungry for the first couple of months. I'm now 17 weeks and the weight gain didn't continue at that rate and has slowed, midwife told me not to worry and some women put on more at the start, also that your body needs a good amount of fat to prepare for breastfeeding so if you've not much there to start with this is more likely to happen. As long as you focus on eating a healthy diet where possible, it's not something you need to worry about.

I'm 17 weeks. Put on 5kg in the first 12 weeks and have stayed the same weight since then.

I was hungry and the only thing that stopped me feeling sick was food, so I ate. Now I feel better I've gone back to eating better.

Listen to your body and don't stress.

I put on half a stone before my booking appointment at 9 weeks. The weight gain hasn’t continued at that rate at all. I don’t actually own any scales and haven’t been weighed since so I’ve no idea what I am now, but at 28 weeks I haven’t put anything on in my arms and legs. My hips and ribs are wider and there is some weight around my tummy with the bump, but it’s not gone to my face (yet?!) really so I don’t think I’ve gained lots.

The first trimester weight gain was mainly lack of exercise for me, and a diet which consisted mainly of full fat coke and Cadbury’s crème eggs for weeks on end! It’s made buying maternity clothes a bit harder as they all say buy your pre-pregnancy size which for me was a 10 but actually I find I usually need a 12. But that’s also partly the massive boobs as I’ve gone from a 36C to a 38DD/E.

I wouldn’t worry, eat what you need to.

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and advice! I thought I was doing something wrong but it's reassuring to know this seems normal.

In summary from what's been said, every pregnancy is different and rapid weight gain in the first trimester can be normal. It's important to listen to the body and eat well, while also reducing salt intake. It seems that the weight gain tends to level out in the second trimester. I might also have to buy some new clothes now 😅

It still feels strange to be putting on lots of weight rapidly and something I'm trying to accept, as well as all the body changes. Thank you for sharing, I do feel better about it now.