Trouble Gaining Weight

ayeare

I am 16weeks pregnant today. I've always been underweight and had a hard time gaining weight even though i eat fairly frequently. I was 105lbs and 5'7 prepregnancy and lost only 2lbs the first about 3-4weeks due to morning sickness. Ive only gained 1.5lbs of the 2lbs i lost and i have been eating normally and a lot for almost 2 months. Doctor said if by the next visit i haven't gained the 1-2lbs a week as normal during 2nd trimester we are going to have to try different things to make sure i don't have baby too early or small. Does anyone have words of advice or safe weight gaining tips? This has been worrying me a lot recently. (I also can't drink dairy so i can't make a weight gain/protein shake like I've read online)

chocolatelemons

@ayeare I didn’t gain weight until well into the second trimester the last time I was pregnant. I also started off pretty small, like you. I was a little under 110 and I’m 5’6. When I did start gaining, it was natural and not forced. My OB never had concerns about my weight either.I actually just got paperwork from my new midwife and it says gaining 0-10 pounds in the first 20 weeks is normal and expected so I wouldn’t be worried. Obviously, your doctor knows best, but I think most people gain weight pretty easily after 20 weeks. 

keikilove

@ayeare This is a tough one because people assume it’s all in your control. I couldn’t gain weight with my first baby. I started at 145 pounds as an athlete (at 5’10”) and only gained 11 pounds the entire pregnancy. I didn’t show until 5 or 6 months. I was labeled “high-risk” because I couldn’t gain weight. My doctor said I had to either quit working or quit college in order to save calories. But anyone could look at me and tell I was very healthy with a big baby bump—the rest of me just didn’t put on any weight. My mom (a midwife) reassured me everything was fine and I had an 8 pound 10 ounce baby! Every body & every pregnancy really is different. With my next baby I was 17 years older, gained 35 pounds, and had a 1-pound-smaller baby. Go figure...

I share my story just to reassure you that you’re not alone. You may want to look into a food shake called “Huel”. It’s dairy-free & provides tons of vitamins, minerals, & calories. I wish you the best, try not to worry and know that if you were small to
begin with your body will probably naturally not want to gain too much weight. Still, you have to make sure you’re getting enough calories and nutrition to grow a healthy baby. Hang in there!

babycolima12

I don't think doctors and midwives are good resources around low maternal weight gain. It's rare for them to tell someone they need to gain more weight; they tend to be fatphobic, and that leads to an overall mindset that the less you gain, the better, as long as baby looks okay on ultrasound. Unfortunately that doesn't tell you about the baby's metabolic profile or long term effects... and there is also the huge life change of having a baby that is so hard to deal with as is, never mind in an undernourished state. If you aren't gaining much eating intuitively then I really encourage you to actively eat more. Just think about all the different components that make for pg weight gain.... baby, uterus, amniotic fluid, breast growth, increased blood volume, placenta... and a bit of fat so that you have some stores to rely on after birth. It's also much more difficult to gain weight in the third trimester, when your stomach is all squished, than the second. Try more calorie-dense foods - if dairy isn't an option for you, nuts and nut butters are great, and you can also try eating less fiber so you can digest things more easily and thus eat more. 

lovesclimbing

babycolima12 said:

Try more calorie-dense foods - if dairy isn't an option for you, nuts and nut butters are great, and you can also try eating less fiber so you can digest things more easily and thus eat more. 

This is good advice, although fiber is a good thing, too, so you don't get constipated and have an easier time pooping post birth. 

For resources on calorie-dense foods, try googling backpacking food lists. People who are backpacking, particularly multi day/week-long remote trips where they are carrying everything on their backs, really emphasize eating high-calorie foods to reduce the food they're packing. I have friends who did a hike like this. The one guy said peanut butter was the most high-calorie food by weight that they could find, fwiw. 

ur_mom222

I had a hard time with my first baby gaining weight and this time I’ve been holding steady at least (first baby I lost a ton of weight). I have no advice if you can’t have milkshakes. My doctor said eat a milkshake a night and i was supposed to eat 2500 calories a day. I craved burgers and I ate a lot of mixed nuts and high protein things. Good luck mama, being too small is just as hard to hear as being too big