40lb+ weight gain

kramin1022

Hello all! I just went to my OBGYN appt and found out I’m at 40 lbs of weight gain at 31 weeks pregnant. Anyone else have excessive weight gain with their pregnancy? 

Looking for advice and what your experience was from moms that have delivered already and current moms that are hovering above 40lbs weight gain.

katiekins029

I’m 30 weeks and have gained almost 30. It’s more than I would have liked to have gained at this point, but my OB isn’t concerned so I’m trying not to be. What about yours?

kramin1022

Mine referred me to a dietician so I got really self conscious of the weight gain. 

katiekins029

@kramin1022 totally understandable that you’d be self conscious about that. This is only my opinion, but I’ve known women that have gained significant more than that by the time they give birth; I wonder if your OB is trying to make sure the gain isn’t excessive by the end? I also became very self-conscious when I had to speak to a dietitian. It’s because I’ve been co-managed by a MFM Dr for other issues, but I still felt nervous. I actually got some helpful tips though, and didn’t really feel judged.

krysnicole1022

I'm at 30lbs at 32 weeks. With my first two I gained around 42 lbs mostly in the middle. At one point with my first I gained 20 lbs in a week. It was insane. I retain a lot of water which tends to drive that number up for me. I've had friends gain 50-60 lbs. I've gained 30. MFM told me they expect 30-40 out of me. If you're being conscious of what you eat you may just gain weight like that when you're pregnant. My mom and sister both gained 50 lbs each pregnancy. I have to see a nutritionist for my GD and I always get super self conscious when we discuss my weight gain even when they aren't being negative. I think as women we just have this capacity to blame ourselves for any weight gain. Pregnancy does some weird stuff to your body. 

relizabethp

@kramin1022 based on your starting weight you may be ok, tiny ladies need to gain a little extra weight. You also have to consider that number includes the size of your baby, your uterus and the amniotic fluid so knock of like 10ish pounds, lol. Also in the last couple of weeks you do stop gaining and you might lose a little. Most of the time the baby gets so big you have no room in your belly to eat. If you are concerned I would maybe focus on light impact workouts (if the dr has given you an ok). Moving will help keep your water retention down, burn some calories and also keep your endurance up for labor. I am going to switch from neighborhood walking/swimming to water walking. 

serenejellybean

I‘ve gained 38lbs at 34 weeks. My ob is ok with it; my blood pressure is good and I am still active enough (though I am definitely slowing down in these last few weeks). Admittedly I am not being super careful about what I eat; eating healthy but trying to just eat intuitively. Still managing occasional nausea and now plenty of acid reflux. I normally keep an eye on calories, but have really let that go during this pregnancy. I gained about 35 in my previous pregnancies, so my ob said to expect about the same. 

moogieks

Look. Almost every week I'd been in to my OB I've dreaded it. Gaining too quickly blah de blah. I'm pregnant. I'm going to eat. And I'm not going to deny myself some small pleasures here and there bc I can't do MOST things right now. I have a WAAAAY different hormone makeup right now, and if that means I gain weight then I gain weight. I mostly eat well! Pretty healthy..but if I'm crying bc I want a donut so badly but I'm denying it to myself that's just sad.

Every pregnancy is different, ladies! You know your body better than any doctor. If you think you're doing a good job growing ur baby then you probably are. Kinda runs in my family that women GAIN when pregnant. And since I don't eat McDonald's everyday and mostly do home cooking, I really do think a big part of it is genetics/hormones. 

Like...you can always lose weight after your body recovers. It's not the end of the world. And I don't need anyone else to look down on me for it when my baby is healthy, and my blood pressure is fine. Not my doctor nor myself. Tho I admit it will always be a struggle to not harp on yourself.

moogieks

I also hear that breast feeding helps shed weight like crazy after. I think our bodies are trying to help us. 

krysnicole1022

Breastfeeding can but does not always help shed weight. Only 1/3 helped me. I would say at best it's 50/50. I actually gained weight while breastfeeding because my hormones were out of whack. It wasn't until I stopped after 13 months that I was actually able to stop gaining. 🤷‍♀️ Just like pregnancy you never know how your body is going to respond. 
 It took me YEARS to lose the 40 lbs I gained between 2-3. Years. Years of doing everything exactly right. I'm older now. It was easier when I was 27 and only had one kids. I don't believe in criticizing yourself for your weight gain. I certainly don't do anything to gain 30-40+ lbs. But let's not pretend like it's going to be easy if/when someone wants to lose weight. Not only that but your body can shift and even if you lose the weight your old clothes might not fit. It's really difficult. Yes having a baby is a beautiful thing. Clearly because I keep doing it! But it takes a massive toll on your body... 
My doctor has never said a word about my weight gain ever during any pregnancy so this is coming strictly from someone who works hard to stay in shape. I'm glad you have a positive attitude about your weight gain. Good for you! But it's a real struggle for those of us who struggled with eating disorders or are watching our bodies expand to the point where the maternity clothes we bought don't even come close to fitting anymore and people constantly tell us how huge we are. 

moogieks

I feel ya, definitely not an easy journey but I tell myself that it's ultimately worth the sacrifice. I used to be SUPER fit before pregnancy and now all I can do is gain weight. I don't think anyone wants to gain too much, but it's the cards a few of us are given. I wish you ladies the best!! Im with you on the struggle of feeling like I need bigger and bigger clothes.

krysnicole1022

I was super fit and now I weigh more than my husband. It's brutal on the self esteem. 

serenejellybean

This thread is making me feel so much better. I have definitely struggled with body image and disordered eating, and while I’ve been in a good place for a long time, this weight gain is still challenging. I appreciate hearing that I am not alone, and all your positivity!

I have also outgrown the maternity clothes I bought myself a few months back; thank goodness for the friend who passed on some much larger clothes!! I can’t deal with the indignity of anything not fitting right now 😂 

momof_t_k_e_baby4

I gained 40lbs with my first, but am currently heavier at 34+4 than I was at delivery with him. I've gained about 25lbs so far during this pregnancy, but started 20lbs heavier than when I was 25 years old. After my last pregnancy, I lost the weight, but it slowly creeped upwards with pumping and stress, and non-careful eating. I have always been a little self conscious because hubby is not a big guy (we're actually usually similar in weight), and now I just feel huge, and feel like I am too big in photos, and am dearly hoping to be able to lose the weight after delivery... which gets harder and harder as I pass my mid 30s!

justtaylor

I gained a total of 68 lbs with my first now at 35 weeks with my second and I’m at about a 20 lb weight gain. My doctors have not been concerned in either pregnancy. With my first I delivered a 7lb 14 ounce baby and I managed to loose all but maybe 20 pounds of it without even trying in the first few months after he was born. And then I had to work (I didn’t work too hard because I wasn’t really concerned) to loose the last 20 over the course of a few years, I was down to only 8 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight when I found out I was pregnant with my second (almost 3 years later)

kramin1022

Thank you all for your comments and experience!!!!

merostomata

With my first, I gained about 45-50 lbs by delivery. I was on the small end of a normal BMI, and ate intuitively. I wasn't nauseous and started gaining immediately when I got a positive test result-- it felt like fluids? Fwiw, it came off within 10 months, with about half gone by the first couple months. I didn't count calories, but watched what I ate and breastfed. Everyone is different though, and some people find they have an easier time losing weight after weaning due to hormonal changes and hunger getting closer to normal.

This time, I'm at 35 weeks and up 28 lbs as of my last appointment. What's different? No idea. I also didn't have nausea this time and have been eating intuitively and getting some exercise, but not much over the last couple weeks. For some reason, the scale is moving more in line with recommendations. It seems totally arbitrary though.

I feel bad about how stressed I was at the weight gain the first time around. If you feel like you're treating your mind and body as well as can be expected, maybe your body just needs to gain the weight. Weight is so loaded in our society, but it is just a measurement of mass. There are tons of things in pregnancy that contribute to our expected weight gain and additional factors, like fluids, that can add more.

I know it's totally easier said than done, but I just wanted to offer reassurance and advice that maybe this is just what your body wants to do, and also to go into your dietician appointment with an open mind. Maybe they'll have something helpful that will resonate. If they're a jerk about it though, know that is uncalled for and unhelpful and we've got your back.

sarah_c_o

Hey ladies. You’re growing a human. Eat the damn donut. You are queens. Goddesses. Eat the GD junior chicken.

Aycul18

My first is almost 9, and I gained roughly 50 lbs with her, give or take a bit. This time I’ve gained roughly 22 this far and will be 33 weeks tomorrow. I also started heavier and am very plus sized to begin with 🤷‍♀️

ravenhairedgirl83

@kramin1022 my best advice would be to talk about your concerns, please don't bottle them up. I have found the psychological part of pregnancy (all the changes) is much harder than the physical aspects and talking through them with a few close friends and being honest with my doc/nutritionist has really helped. This is especially true if you are facing any body image vulnerabilities that often come with the additional weight. 
Best of luck and I hope this helps you a little bit.