After confirming that you are pregnant through due date calculator or ultrasound, you’ve to be very careful. It is becuase it’s very typical to gain some weight during pregnancy.
Avoiding excessive weight gain in the weeks and months preceding delivery is essential for both you and your baby’s health.
The chance of developing gestational diabetes and its associated consequences is greatly increased in women who gain too much weight during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester.
What, then, is an appropriate gain in weight during pregnancy? Sue Cotey, RN, CDCES, and Andrea Harris, RN, CDCES, are two experts in the field of diabetes care.
Gaining Weight Healthily When Pregnant
First, it’s important to acknowledge the obvious concerning pregnancy weight gain: Concerning the ideal reading on a bathroom scale, there is no definitive answer. “Every woman’s pregnancy weight gain experience is unique,” Cotey explains.
Gaining 28 to 40 pounds is recommended if you were underweight before pregnancy. Gaining only 15–25 pounds may be all that’s needed to bring your weight up to a healthy level.
Weight increase of 25–35 pounds is generally considered healthy.
When Exactly Throughout Pregnancy Should You Put On The Most Pounds?
The term “baby belly” refers to the expanding size of a pregnant woman’s stomach. The trend of your weight gain and loss is identical.
There is typically not much development in the first trimester. According to Harris, “a few pounds” (often between 1 and 5 pounds) is all you should gain in the first few weeks.
It’s recommended that most of your pregnancy weight increase occurs in the second and third trimesters. (That is, after all, the time of greatest growth for your infant.) If you eat normally, you should expect to gain around a pound per week throughout this time.
Health Problems Associated With Being Overweight during Pregnancy
But what happens if your weight gain exceeds what is healthy? Scientists have shown that gaining weight during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, raises the probability that the mother may develop gestational diabetes.
That’s concerning since having gestational diabetes raises your chances of having to undergo a C-section if your baby grows too large during pregnancy.
- Low blood sugar levels (low blood sugar)
- Pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy)
- Increasing your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in later life
The issues might not be limited to just you.
Babies of mothers with gestational diabetes are at greater risk of being born with respiratory issues, being overweight, and developing diabetes.
It’s also more common to have a baby early.
Tests for gestational diabetes are routinely administered throughout pregnancy, usually between weeks 24 and 28, to determine whether or not the effects of hormone changes on blood sugar levels have been noticeable.
Do You Need To Try To Reduce Weight When Pregnant?
Generally speaking, the answer is not yes, but there are certain exceptions.
Cotey adds that if you’re overweight going into pregnancy, it’s usually fine to try to trim down before giving birth. Losing weight before a second pregnancy has been shown to reduce the chance of developing gestational diabetes in those who are overweight.
Before beginning a weight loss strategy during pregnancy, it is recommended that you consult with your healthcare physician.
Pregnancy Health Advice
Organize your future first. Harris recommends trying to reach a healthy weight before becoming pregnant. Keep your body mass index (BMI) under 25.
Try for less than 30 if you can’t quite make it. If it’s greater than that, you can develop gestational diabetes.
Take care of the following while you’re expecting:
1. Keep Up With Your Fitness Regime
Regular physical activity is one method to better your health and lower your risk of developing gestational diabetes.
A decrease in insulin resistance and a subsequent loss of weight may result from doing this.
If you have a history of gestational diabetes, exercising throughout pregnancy is even more crucial.
Keeping active and fit during pregnancy is another way to help your body cope with the extra stress.
2. Eat Healthily and Watch Your Weight
Since you are not, strictly speaking, “eating for two,” you should not suddenly begin to consume twice as much food as usual.
During the second trimester, you should consume roughly 300 more calories per day than you did during the first trimester. In other words, you can have two cups of low-fat milk, an apple with peanut butter, or a whole-wheat pita with a quarter cup of hummus.
Breastfeeding requires roughly 500 additional calories each day after giving birth.
3. Achieving a Healthy Weight after Giving Birth
You shouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself to return to your pre-baby weight.
When trying to lose weight after giving birth, treat yourself with kindness and patience.
You go through a lot of changes in your body during pregnancy, and it may take a year to get back to normal.
Starting an exercise regimen to lose one or two pounds per week is a good objective for those who are six weeks postpartum (after giving birth).
If You Have Any Questions, Just Ask.
Pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum are all times when a woman may choose to discuss her weight with her doctor or a qualified dietitian. You two can collaborate on a program of good eating and regular exercise.
