[name_m]Hi[/name_m] ladies! I’m feeling down and guilty about my pregnancy weight gain, I was hoping maybe you could give me a little info about what pregnancy weight gain is like for other mommies!
My first pregnancy I was a little overweight to begin with, but that’s normal for me and doesn’t bother me. I gained 32 pounds in that pregnancy and had a beautiful 7lb 4oz baby boy at term.
This time I started the pregnancy ten pounds lighter (breastfeeding perks!) I am currently 35 weeks and I’ve already gained 35 pounds!
I’m really worried about having a big baby or unhealthy/difficult delivery because of the extra weight.
[name_m]How[/name_m] much weight did you gain in pregnancy? Were your babies considered big? Anyone who had a bigger baby, how was your delivery experience?
I can’t weigh in on all your questions, as I’m 37 weeks with my first, will be induced at 38 b/c of preeclempsia but i’ve gained about 50 lbs. I was average to begin with and unlike most people never got morning sickness in the first trimester so i ended up eating lots of mac’n’cheese and cake (the idea of lettuce oddly made me ill), I gained about 10 lbs in the first trimester. Now that i’ve reached a grand total of 50 lbs i seem to have plateaued, thank god. to look at me it seems to all be in my belly, but i’m sure once baby is out i’ll notice where it really went. i do think b/c its summer we retain more water and will hopefully shed lots of that “extra” weight in the first week or so, people have told me this.
I still try to do yoga at least once a week, i think your overall fitness/flexibility will have more impact on the birth than just weight, but of course this is my first. I do get pretty exhausted walking up hills or stairs, but from what i can gather that’s pretty normal no matter your weight around this time. Ultrasounds say i have a normal size baby, around 35%ile, but i don’t think those are super accurate either, and i’m assuming he’s a little bigger than they keep estimating, which still puts me at average size.
i was worried and guilty for a while, kept asking my doctors, but they don’t seem concerned about it, just say everyone carries differently and unless it’s super fast weight gain (4lbs in a week) which can be a sign of complications then i’m fine. though i am really glad i seem to have stopped gaining weight. I’m very much looking forward to breastfeeding and being able to move more comfortably again!
I gained 60+ pounds, and had a 10 lb 11 oz baby! My delivery went well, I had 2nd degree tearing (but so did my sister who had a 7 lb baby), and my recovery was easy. I’m going to try to gain less next time so I don’t have so much to lose next time, but my husband was a big baby too, so if it’s due to genetics at all I’m just doomed. My baby has been super content and healthy from day 1, so I’m not complaining!
I gained 57 pounds with my first baby, didn’t lose all of it, then gained 28 pounds with my second. [name_u]Baby[/name_u] #2 was half a pound bigger than my first (8 pounds 12 oz) and I was induced because he was measuring ahead. I found my second birth much easier than my first, I tore both times but less the second time around. I wouldn’t worry too much about your weight at this point: you’re at the stage where baby starts to fatten up and nearly at the end of it. [name_m]Just[/name_m] focus on being as healthy as you can. [name_f]Every[/name_f] pregnancy is different: with my first I wanted to eat everything and was hungry all the time. With #2 I craved fruit and vegetables and didn’t start to gain until about 6 months along. So please don’t feel guilty, it might just be what your baby needs.
I think it totally depends on your body. I started pre-pregnant at 150 pounds, before baby was born I weight 199 pounds, which was more than I should have gained. HOWEVER, baby came a week early and only weight 6lb 12oz, so she was on the smaller side. After birth I dropped down to 175 lbs. Now after 7 months, I am at 167 lbs, so I’m still losing weight, it’s just a lot slower than I had hoped.
I was average weight pre-pregnancy and gained a little over 30 lb (but I lost a bit of weight in the first trimester due to morning sickness, so I gained that back + the 30). Midwives said this was about average. But I didn’t gain much of anything – MAYBE a pound or two – between weeks 37-42 (she was overdue). I just stopped putting it on despite often giving in to my cheesecake cravings.
My baby was 9 lb 5 oz and she was considered big. Needed the help of a vacuum to get her out, I had second degree tearing and she broke my tailbone on her way out (which I didn’t even know could happen but had apparently happened to both my aunt and cousin who are built like me). I also lost quite a bit of blood but didn’t need a transfusion, just IV fluids.
So – I guess even if you gain an “average” amount, you can still have a big baby! Like the others have said, I would just focus on being (relatively) healthy and not worrying too much. You’re in the home stretch now!
I’ve been more worried about not putting on enough weight. Well, I was a bit worried about it with my first and not so much with my second because everything was fine first time round. Both times I went from about 50 kg to about 60 kg. Both my babies were very average in size - first was 3.8 kg born at 41 weeks and second was 3.5 kg born 2 days before due date.
My daughter has since turned out to be a very little child. I’m not sure where she is on the percentiles at this stage but she went from average to low fairly quickly and stayed there. She’s perfectly healthy but smaller than most of her peers, which I think is just genetics because I was the same. I wouldn’t be surprised if my son turns out to be a tiddler as well - for me I think it was all just genetics.
If your doctor isn’t worried, I wouldn’t worry. Your first baby was healthy and a normal size so chances are your second will be too. You’re almost finished anyway!
I actually lost 20 pounds when I got pregnant. I was a little overweight to begin with and from week 5 to 16 I had terrible morning sickness and could barely eat and threw up almost everyday. Then it got better but I ate pretty healthy since the thought of junky food make me sick. Also I would take long walks every night. I was worried about the weight lost but the doctor didn’t seem concerned. We ended up measuring him just to be safe and they said he was on the small side but that was okay since I’m only 5 ft. Turns out he wasn’t small! He weighed 8.7 and was 21" long. He’s almost a year now and I’ve gained 10 pounds back since breastfeeding has really picked up my appetite.
I have no idea how much weight I’ve gained each pregnancy because they don’t seem to weigh you here for some reason; however both times I’ve been able to wear my normal clothes again within a week so I’m guessing not a huge amount. But I just wanted to reassure you re. bigger babies. My first was 7lb exactly and I had a long, exhausting labour and tearing which needed stitches. My second was almost 9lb and the labour went off without a hitch, no stitches required. I wouldn’t worry at all - the weight/size of the baby doesn’t seem to have had any bearing on delivery in my case, and I’ve spoken to many other mums who have said the same.
I gained about 50 lbs when I was pregnant with my first daughter. After breastfeeding and pumping, I actually lost all the weight and had to put on some weight because I was becoming underweight. My daughter was 7 lbs 15 oz at birth.
I am 24 weeks now and have gained 15 lbs so far. According to my ultrasound, this baby is supposedly going to be smaller than my first daughter, but I don’t think my weight has anything to do with it.
[name_m]Hi[/name_m] dear. I will be happy to give you information about weight gain while pregnant. First of all, I appreciate you for asking the question in a public forum. I hope you will get the best answer here. I will try to give my best answer. For women of average weight before pregnancy, with a BMI of 18.5-24.9, the recommended weight gain guideline is 25-35 pounds. Women who are underweight pre-pregnancy with a BMI of less than 18.5 should gain between 28-40 lbs. Overweight women, with a BMI of 25-29 before pregnancy, should gain between 15-25 lbs. Obese women with a pre-pregnancy BMI of 30+ more should strive for 11-20 lbs weight gain. One thing I can tell If you’re eating unhealthy food when you are pregnant, your baby is eating unhealthy food. If you face any difficulty while pregnancy the best place to go for treatment is Ukraine. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] the information I gave you will help you. My best wishes are for you. Be safe and stay blessed.
Thank you all for your replies! Fortunately or unfortunately, acid reflux has really limited how much I can eat in the last weeks of this pregnancy! Looks like I’ll be right on track for weight hahahaha! I really appreciate your stories and encouragement!
I can honestly say for many people babies size has little to do with weight gain. It’s genetics. Both my family and my husbands have big babies. For me:
[name_u]Baby[/name_u] 1- 50lb gain 9lb12 oz baby 41 weeks
[name_u]Baby[/name_u] 2- only 4 lb gain (total!) 9lb 10oz baby 38w4d
[name_u]Baby[/name_u] 3- I’ve lost 5 lbs I’m 38w2d now and I have GD this time. [name_u]Baby[/name_u] is estimated to be 8-9 lbs. Probably 9. That’s with very well controlled blood sugar and no weight gain.
So at least in my experience weight gain doesn’t correlate to babies size. So don’t worry. If you and your partner were average size babies you’ll probably have an average size baby.
[name_m]Hi[/name_m] dear. I am here to help. First of all, you should ask your gynecologist, how much weight can you gain. I did the same and asked my gynecologist. He was a genius and I did not have any problems in my child birth. A woman who was average weight before getting pregnant should gain 25 to 35 pounds after becoming pregnant. Underweight women should gain 28 to 40 pounds. And overweight women may need to gain only 15 to 25 pounds during pregnancy. In general, you should gain about 2 to 4 pounds during the first three months you’re pregnant and 1 pound a week during the rest of your pregnancy. If you are expecting twins you should gain 35 to 45 pounds during your pregnancy. This would be an average of 1 ½ pounds per week after the usual weight gain in the first three months. It’s especially important to gain the right amount of weight when you’re expecting twins because your weight affects the babies’ weight. And because twins are often born before the due date, a higher birth weight is important for their health.
Hello my dear friend, congratulations on your pregnancy and it is always one of the most amazing and beautiful moments of your life. I can understand your weight gain problem during pregnancy because it is very normal and I also faced this situation when I was pregnant. You should not take stress and anxiety because of this problem. In pregnancy, your body will go through many physical and hormonal changes and it is normal for most of ladies to gain weight due to it. If you want to stay healthy and active during pregnancy, I will suggest you make some changes in your lifestyle. First of all, you should consult your health expert to know about your physical condition and health. He will advise you to go with some light exercises and yoga to maintain your body weight and health during pregnancy. It is very important to use regular exercises and yoga to stay fit and active during pregnancy. You should also add some healthy nutrition to your regular diet so that you can get help to maintain your weight. Make sure that you can control it at the right time otherwise it can be a big problem for you. With regular exercises, good nutrition and yoga, you will be able to control your weight. You should not think too much about it because you just need to stay healthy and you should not think about body weight. You can control your body weight after birth and then you can go with regular exercises and yoga to maintain your body weight again. I hope it will work for you and you will be able to stay healthy and active during pregnancy. Best of luck my dear.
I was a healthy average weight for my build when I first got pregnant (121 lbs at 5’3), and I gained 40 lbs. I was really nervous about gaining too much weight because everything I read insisted that it was a lot of weight and my pregnancy tracker ap. kept informing me that I had gained an “excessive” amount of weight. However, my midwives insisted that it was entirely fine. I also consoled myself with the fact that my body sends me pretty good signals as to what I should and should not be eating/weighing, etc. and it’s always been correct before so I decided to trust it.
Despite the weight gain, I had a very normal, healthy pregnancy, ate very healthily, and my daughter was only 7 lbs even when she was born. I breastfed her and all the weight came off (and then some) within a few months.
A helpful piece of advice from my midwives was to cut the carbs and sugars during pregnancy. Lots of carbs and sugars tend to lead to bigger babies.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] a tiny note on baby size and difficulty giving birth–the largest part of your baby, which can’t really be contorted to be much smaller, like say, the shoulders can, is his or her head. The head is what will most likely cause tearing, difficulty in labor, etc. A larger weight baby won’t necessarily cause more difficulty giving birth, unless their weight is also correlated to larger head size.
I gained 40 lbs with my first child, who was 3 weeks early (so I would have gained a lot more). My second child was 2 weeks early and I gained 50 lbs, even tho I spent the first half of the pregnancy throwing up, so I gained it all in the last half.
I know someone that gained 100 with both of her pregnancies!
I started my first pregnancy at 170 lbs (most of that was muscle as I biked 5+ miles every day to work) and lost a lot of weight (muscle mass) during the pregnancy, though I was still very active and walked a lot everyday. In fact, the last month I was dilating early and my doctor told me I had to stop walking. Still my son was born two weeks early at 4 lbs 11 oz (he was barely “full term”, and his small size was due to the cord being fused to the placenta oddly). I immediately dropped to 150 lbs after he was born and actually had to eat extra fats for the next seven months to keep from losing more weight (the weight loss was messing up my milk supply). So talk about a slightly odd weight gain/loss story!
I’m currently pregnant with our second little one. I started this one at 160 lbs. I had suddenly gained weight the month before we conceived. I was still breastfeeding but my supply was decreasing. This time, I lost about 10 lbs the first trimester due to all-day sickness everyday, but I gained the 10 pounds back really quickly once the sickness ended. Last time I was at the doctor’s office, I weighed about 170 lbs. I’m only about 22 weeks now, and I’m as big/heavy as I was when my first was born! It is making me a little nervous… but everyone says I’m still in the normal range.
I have a second ultrasound tomorrow morning to get better measurements of the baby (he was not cooperative the first time) to get a more accurate due date and will be weighed before the scan.