The weight you gain during pregnancy helps your baby grow. In general, women are told to gain between twenty five and thirty five pounds throughout the whole nine months. Other factors affect how much weight you should gain. If you are having twins, you will gain more than this, usually between forty and forty five pounds. If you were underweight before pregnancy, you may gain a little more than thirty five pounds. Overweight women should gain a bit less.
Keeping your weight under control and gaining at a steady rate has several benefits. Some of these include having fewer problems with hemorrhoids, backache, stretch marks and varicose veins. In addition, excessive weight gain can lead to problems such as Gestational Diabetes and Pre eclampsia, which can be serious conditions.
Most women gain between four and five pounds during the first trimester. During the second and third trimesters, gaining a pound each week is a good rule of thumb. So if you go to the doctor every four weeks, you should gain four pounds at each appointment. Don’t worry if you don’t gain much in the first trimester. This is common with nausea and morning sickness. The baby doesn’t really need extra calories until the second trimester anyway.
Focus on eating a healthy diet, rather than on the amount of food you eat. Many women find eating six smaller meals is better than three large meals. This spreads out your food consumption and keeps you from getting hungry and filling up on junk between meals. Six smaller meals is especially good for nausea in the first trimester. During the third trimester, when the baby is pushing up on your stomach, you may not feel hungry or will feel full faster. Smaller meals helps with this problem as well.
When planning your meals and snacks, focus on a balanced diet. Choose a variety of foods from each food group. Aim for a good mixture of protein, carbs, fruit, vegetables, calcium and iron rich foods. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. You should try to drink about eight glasses each day.
Eating a healthy diet and gaining only the recommended amount of weight will make it easier to lose the weight after the baby. Some women don’t care how much they gain, as long as the baby is healthy. I felt this way with my second pregnancy and gave in to my cravings for hot wings. I ended up gaining a lot of weight. (I won’t say how much!) Later, I was very sorry and it took a year to lose the weight. After that, I focused on healthy eating with my next pregnancy and found getting back in shape much easier. Besides, it’s healthier for baby anyway!