Do you think this is right?

bumpuser5228752

I'm at almost 20 weeks and I went to the doctor today. I weighed 160 when I got pregnant and now I weigh 177 which is a gain of only 17 pounds. My doctor started scolding me for weighing so much and was talking about how I'm putting my baby at risk by eating too many calories. She told me I should only gain 1 pound this coming month and to exercise more. I already exercise at the gym 40 minutes a day plus I take walks almost every night. I went from eating one meal and one snack a day to three full meals a day which is another contributor to my weight gain. She also told me to drink a soda each day for the caffeine because of the migraines I've been getting but it's all 0 calorie.

Do you think I'm putting my baby at risk? I don't want to eat less, but I don't think I'm eating too much either.

(Example: what I ate yesterday was a bowl of un-frosted flakes for breakfast, a bowl of whole wheat pasta with light ranch dressing and a coke 0 for lunch, and three slabs of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, some strawberries, and some light string cheese for dinner and that's a typical day plus water)

Pina

I'm sorry, maybe I am missing some details here from your medical history, but your doctor sound like a real ass.  Weeks 20-24 and you are to gain 1 lb total?  Thats not possible.... and no, you do not sound like you are eating too much.

bumpuser5228752

Thank you! I just wanted to make sure it wasn't just me over reacting. Ok, starting the hunt for a new doctor... go! 

camdenfaithful

I'm sure I might get flamed for this, but I question if you really are working out as much or eating as well as you say you are.

If your doctor is concerned about your weight then you should be too.  None of the ladies on here (at least to my knowledge) are OBs so you should really listen to your doctor.

And yes, if you eat too much and put on too much weight, you can put your baby at risk.

bumpuser5228752

No that's ok, I expect someone to. There may have been a few days where I didn't go on the second walk, and while I'm at the gym I do 20 minutes on the bike, 10 walking, and 10 doing arms. Although there have been a few times I've snuck in some alfredo on my pasta or had a regular not diet soda, I have been sticking to my diet. I just wasn't sure if at 20 weeks 17 pounds was too much because my mom gained 50 and my grandma gained 40. I don't know how they were exercising or eating, but that's what I was told.

womancake

camdenfaithful:

I'm sure I might get flamed for this, but I question if you really are working out as much or eating as well as you say you are.

If your doctor is concerned about your weight then you should be too.  None of the ladies on here (at least to my knowledge) are OBs so you should really listen to your doctor.

And yes, if you eat too much and put on too much weight, you can put your baby at risk.

I agree with you to an extent, but I do think that doctors are still people.  They are very educated people, but they are still real people, with their own biases and quirks.  Some doctors seem to be more lax about weight gain, while others are really hyper-concerned and downright rude about it.  So for me, it's hard to just automatically trust someone because they're a doctor, because different doctors have different opinions, ya know?

OP: I think it may be a little rash to run off and find a new doc over this one issue, though I understand why you would want to.  I do think it's unrealistic to expect you to gain only 1 pound in the next month.  One thing I would suggest, just based on what you shared, is to maybe cut back on the carbs a bit?  If you're having cereal for breakfast, and pasta for lunch, and fruit later, that may be too many carbs for you, and they're not going to fill you up as much as other foods will.  That would be my only suggestion--to try to focus on my calorie and nutrient-dense foods that will keep you fuller longer.  Good luck!

camdenfaithful

How much you gain and at what rate is different for everyone.  It depends on so many different things that it's really hard to find a standard.

You'll see the ladies on this board range from those who have lost weight/not gained any weight to those who have gained just as much, if not more than you have.

I wasn't trying to be rude, and I'm glad you didn't take offense, but my main point is you should listen to your doctor.  Next time you're in, or you could call, really sit down and ask him why he is concerned.  What should you be doing differently?  Of course we all have our good days and bad days, but as long as you stay on track you should be fine.  Does your doctor have partners in his practice that you could talk to about the issue?  Are you possibly predisposed to certain issues which would make him worry about the weight gain?

chargermama

I can only speak from my experience but I gained 70 lbs with my first and she was a healthy baby girl with no complications.   I had a textbook pregnancy and other than my pelvic opening being too small and having a c/s it was a flawless pregnancy.  With my second I gained 40 lbs and again had a flawless pregnancy and healthy baby. 

I think what you are doing is completely in the healthy range - well except noodles w/ ranch dressing - that just sounds gross .  I believe that your doctor should ba a support for you not someone who beats you up!  Get thee to a new OB who is more compassionate!

bumpuser5228752

Thank you everyone for the advice! I know it sounds silly, but it was just stressful hearing that because she actually got mad at me for something else (the last two times I was in she told me I had to get a tetanus shot so I did and she got upset because I'm not supposed to get shots while pregnant apparently). Thank you for the idea about the carbs, honestly that never crossed my mind. I was thinking about taking my vitamins and getting calcium and such, but I just feel so frazzled right now. I'm just glad to hear that I'm not extremely overweight!

erikalovesmatt

camdenfaithful:

If your doctor is concerned about your weight then you should be too.  None of the ladies on here (at least to my knowledge) are OBs so you should really listen to your doctor.

And yes, if you eat too much and put on too much weight, you can put your baby at risk.

 

ITA! It's very important to listen to your doctor - they have gone to school and specialized for 4 more years in their field. I know you won't always like what you hear or what they request/tell you needs to be done, but it's in your (and baby's) best interest.

brit072206

I've heard over and over again that everyone's body responds differently to pregnancy. You may be the type to gain 40-60 pounds. I'm assuming it's your first and so you don't have anything to go off of, but I've heard repeatedly that everyone's body is different.

I also feel like there's a lot of factors that go into weight gain, for example, if you had been dieting beforehand, what your diet was like pre pregnancy, what exercise was like pre pregnancy, how sick or not sick you were 1st trimester, etc.

I agree with the PP's that you should take an honest look at your eating and exercise habits, and if they're honestly good, then you might have the kind of body that packs it on during pregnancy.

If you really want to see what's going on, keep a food and exercise journal for the next month. If you gained more than your doc would like, then you can say here, this is my journal, this is what I'm doing, so what's wrong.

Marettie

I would just say make sure that your activity is up. I have gained more than you so far, but started out at 125. I put most of it on in my first 10 weeks and now have only gone up a pound at my last appointment. I have been super self conscious about this and have asked my doctor, and she says as long as you're active you have nothing to worry about. According to my pedometer I do at least 10 miles a day at work so I just try to make sure I keep my steps up on days I'm not working: park at the back of the parking lot, extra trips up and down the stairs, go to Target/the mall and walk around...you aren't alone here, but you should trust in your physician if not seek out another one.

julygal

brit072206:

If you really want to see what's going on, keep a food and exercise journal for the next month. If you gained more than your doc would like, then you can say here, this is my journal, this is what I'm doing, so what's wrong.

I agree with this idea.  Also make sure you include more exact measurements, as a "bowl" is subjective and even cereal bowls vary in size.  I also think that you need to work with your dr on this issue as too much weight gain isn't healthy for the mom or baby.  I think so often we want to villainize a dr that says slow it down forgetting they believe they have our best interest in hand.  These recommendations aren't made up arbitrarily by an individual OB but often come from ACOG. I think an OB should be sensitive to the issue as it is never easy to discuss weight, but I don't think it should be off the table for discussion.  Good luck to the OP. 

Pina

erikalovesmatt:

camdenfaithful:

If your doctor is concerned about your weight then you should be too.  None of the ladies on here (at least to my knowledge) are OBs so you should really listen to your doctor.

And yes, if you eat too much and put on too much weight, you can put your baby at risk.

 

ITA! It's very important to listen to your doctor - they have gone to school and specialized for 4 more years in their field. I know you won't always like what you hear or what they request/tell you needs to be done, but it's in your (and baby's) best interest.

I think the biggest issue with this statement is having the dr say that in 4 weeks she should only gain one pound.  That seems unreasonable. And it seems the way he handled the situation was rather harsh....

prism207

The dr sounds like his beside manner sucks.  

Your typical menu is seriously lacking in fruits and vegetables, at a glance.  I'd try adding more of those to your meals generally, pregnant or not.

I am probably on track to gain at least 17 lbs by the point you are now-I've gained around 14 ish.  And that is on top of my 5ish lb holiday/cruise gain I was carrying when I got pregnant.

I started at a healthy weight, my OB says my weight gain is appropriate, I'm not worried.  I hate gaining weight, but that is a mental issue I'm having.  In truth I know I'm eating healthy food on the whole, even if I occasionally eat too much of it, or splurge on an unhealthy treat some days.   And I'm, now that I've recovered from 1st tri nausea and exhaustion, pretty active.

You didn't say what your height is, or I missed it.  If you were overweight significantly before hand that could make a difference.  Of course, with Sam, I was 50 lbs overweight at the start of my pregnancy and gained 40 lbs and my OB never said a word about it-maybe he should have!   

KAK ;->

julygal:

brit072206:

If you really want to see what's going on, keep a food and exercise journal for the next month. If you gained more than your doc would like, then you can say here, this is my journal, this is what I'm doing, so what's wrong.

I agree with this idea.  Also make sure you include more exact measurements, as a "bowl" is subjective and even cereal bowls vary in size.  I also think that you need to work with your dr on this issue as too much weight gain isn't healthy for the mom or baby.  I think so often we want to villainize a dr that says slow it down forgetting they believe they have our best interest in hand.  These recommendations aren't made up arbitrarily by an individual OB but often come from ACOG. I think an OB should be sensitive to the issue as it is never easy to discuss weight, but I don't think it should be off the table for discussion.  Good luck to the OP. 

 I agree too. Based on what you said you ate and judging by the serving sizes I would have eaten of those things, you consumed around 1000 calories. Your serving sizes would have to be huge to get what you need and it doesn't sound like a very balanced diet.

With that said, I don't think 17lbs is that big of a deal unless you were overweight to begin with. Just do your best to get the right nutrition. Your body will gain what it needs to gain.