Gaining 35 pounds during pregnancy used to be the standard. Now the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends 20 to 25 pounds at most, says Frances Crites, M.D., an OB-GYN at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas: “Patients were getting enormous, which led to delivery problems.”
Weight gain between pregnancies can also be a problem. In a study of more than 150,000 Swedish women, Harvard and Swedish researchers found that, even in normal weight women, gaining just seven pounds between pregnancies can up the risk of high blood pressure, and stillbirth. And the chance of diabetes rose 30 percent from that small weight gain. But weight loss between pregnancies has its dangers, too. An Irish study found that women whose BMIs lowered by five or more units raised the risk of premature births.
So, what’s an expectant mom to do? Crites offers her suggestions:
Don’t gain fat.
Pregnancy weight breaks down like this: baby, eight pounds; amniotic fluid, three; placenta, one; extra blood, four; and a few extra for breast tissue and fluids. “That’s not fat,” says Crites. “That’s weight to support the pregnancy.”
Keep on moving.
“Most patients gain too much weight not because they’re not smart and don’t know better but because they reduce their activity,” says Crites. “It’s OK to go to the gym.” Check with your doctor first.
Pace your gain.
Normal and underweight women should gain about two to four pounds a month. “But if you’re overweight,” says Crites, “maintain your weight within five to ten pounds.”
By Dorothy Fotz-Gray
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Comments (5)
how good is to eat walnut (dry fruit)frequently in pregnancy and in 50’s.
i am in week 13 of my third pregnancy. i have already gained 7 to 8 pounds with my other 2 i had gained only a couple by now! im freaking out is this normal or am i eating to much?
Brandi, You are eating too much. Stop stuffing your mouth and “eating for two” - literally!
sarah, that’s not necessarily true. every pregnancy (even in the same woman) is unique. there are growth spurts and slow periods. if you were sick with your first two, or the weight you begin with is different, even that could change your weight pattern. fyi, i gained only 18lbs with two pregnancies an 10 was in my first tri both times. you need to eat healthy(a few hundred more GOOD calories per day), drink water AND exercise…and get your weight advice from your doc b/c it is different for each person.
Hey,
I just had a baby 6 weeks ago. I worked out maybe 4 times a week and I still gained 35 lbs. But now since the baby I have lost 25 of those lbs already. So it doesn’t matter about the lbs just don’t gain fat.