weight gain question

Killer Tomato · October 2012

I know you are supposed to put on 35 pounds by the end of a pregnancy...I am a little freaked out by this. (Partly by the idea of weighing 35lbs more, but mostly with the logistics of gaining that much.) I have always been on the thin side, am a vegetarian, and find it difficult to eat huge amounts of healthy calories. I know it is not a huge issue in first tri (which is good, as I am eating less than optimally with the nausea,) but will I just naturally gain the weight later on? It feels like my stomach already gets full quicker...won't it get harder and harder to fit food in there as baby grows and squishes everything? Will I get hungrier and magically be able to eat millions of calories? If I end up losing weight b/c of m/s during 1st tri, will I need to eat even more to make up for it? If I can't manage to gain 35lbs, what will happen? Am I freaking out for no reason?

I know how to eat well as a vegetarian and I have plenty of nuts/legumes/healthy fats and whatnot in my diet, but I just don't know how I am going to eat 2400 calories a day by 3rd tri, especially if I am trying to avoid junk. (This is assuming the online nutritional needs calculator is accurate in its assessment of my requirements.)

Gregermis · October 2012

Don't stress about that too much. I've read 25-35lbs, and everyone is a little different. My SIL is a little on the heavy side and she only gained maybe 10lbs from beginning to end (she went down when she started eating more healthy and then back up as baby grew).

Also, remember, a fair amount of those lbs are going to be water weight. Your blood volume is going to increase significantly and you have all that amniotic fluid in your ute. Water weighs a lot for the volume it takes up.

LuvWIfootball · October 2012

As PP mentioned, 25-35 is average weight gain and a lot of that will be water weight. You also have to include how much your baby + fluid + placenta will add on to that.

Per a very well followed book on pregnancy w/multiples, my caloric needs per day with triplets is 4000 calories. There's no way I'm eating that much. But my nutritionist said to add fat wherever I could. Olive oil on whatever I'm eating is a good way to add healthy fat/calories. Nuts is another good source. Anything that we had been eating that was skim/low fat needed to be full fat (mainly dairy products). And I also had a nurse say that milkshakes were a great source of calcium and calories. I couldn't really argue with that Big Smile

I wouldn't put too much pressure on meeting the 35lb goal with a singleton pregnancy. You'll find that in the 2nd trimester the lbs start appearing out of nowhere.

EMNTOM · October 2012

I was told by my OB this week that our digestive track slows down the first and third trimester. That the second trimester will be easier. You will find that your weight gain might be a ton within a couple of weeks and then you may go a month without any weight gain. Just make sure you are eating healthy. To combat morning sickness eat more small meals during the day rather than large meals. Your digestive track slows down so you get full quickly and when you get too full or too empty you will be nauseous. I have only tried this since Tuesday and it has seemed to help some! I drink a breakfast shake when I get to work, a couple hours later I eat an apple with peanut butter. For lunch I will have either a sandwich, a salad or some soup and then a few hours after I will eat the rest of my meal. (today I had a sandwich at lunch and am eating some soup now). Also lifesavers have been a lifesaver lol.

hunterjumper102 · October 2012

Don't stress! I lost 10lbs in the first 18 weeks and didn't actually get back up to my pre-pregnancy weight until right around 26 weeks. My OB was never concerned. I have still only packed on 14lbs since then and they are still not worried about it. As long as baby is growing ok and your are measuring on schedule I think weight is just a number.

As far as diet, I didn't change how I ate. I eat what I did before pregnancy and no more and no less. I have gained the weight without having to worry about diet at all. I will say I snack more through out the day because I just can't hold as much at one time but I think it still equals out.

kgs0505 · October 2012

I've started adding Ensure (the higher calorie, higher protein one), it's helping add protein and it tastes like a milkshake, so I think I'm getting away with something. It also goes down pretty easily where a lot of other healthier choice don't. I especially need it with twins, although my weight gain goal isn't too bad since I'm considered "obese" to begin with (what a crock!).

Killer Tomato · October 2012

Thanks for the responses...they made me feel a lot better!

I put olive oil and/or peanut butter on practically everything...those are good suggestions. I have also started eating full fat baby yogurts (mostly b/c they were the only little ones that came in blueberry.) I keep forgetting about all that extra blood (and am still a bit confused as to how it all fits into a system that was designed to operate on less volume...I would expect blood pressure to rise significantly.)

I shall stop worrying about this, eat healthy and often (hopefully this will be easier soon!) and let my OB worry about my weight. Thanks again for the input...it helps a lot!

angela2004 · October 2012

I lost about 12 lbs just before I got pregnant. I onyl gained about 4lbs in the first trimester. OB was never worried. Some weeks I gain nothing and other weeks I'll gain 3lbs. It's odd. Some how I've gained about 20 lbs in the second and third tri. I'm not eating that much more than I normally eat. I think I will end up pushing the 35 lb mark. I have found the further along I get the hungrier I get. Right now I could eat all of the time... I don't.. but I could. LOL!

Try not too stress too much about it. Eat healthy and your body will do what it needs to do. :-)

albjag · October 2012

Don't freak out

Everyone is different - that's just an avg healthy weight gain for most pregnancies. Doesn't mean everyone has to gain that amt.

As long as you and the baby are healthy - that's all that matters

I have gained 17 lbs total - I do have GD and am due in 13 days. Everything is looking good though

kyna81 · October 2012

I talked to my doctor yesterday about weight gain. What I should be doing and what is normal. He isn't too concerned about it. He said as long as the babies are growing that is all that matters, not a number on the scale. Try not to stress about it. Eat when you are hungry and every few hours to keep your blood sugar up.

byrne15 · October 2012

With ds #1, I felt pretty normal my entire pregnancy and gained 29lbs.

With ds #2, I was sick in the beginning and lost a couple lbs. I felt better in the 2nd tri and then had no appetite during the 3rd tri. I would actually have to keep track of what I was eating to make sure I got enough calories. I ended up gaining 14lbs and ds was a perfect 7lbs 11oz.

Talk to your dr about ways to add healthy calories to your diet.

Jbromberg1985 · October 2012

I was concerned about this too as I've had terrible m/s and already lost 6 lbs... I gained 2 back but lost them again with a second wave of m/s. I talked to my dr about this and she isn't concerned at all. She said the most important thing right now is eating whatever sounds good because appetites come and go so quickly.

But PP are right... a lot of the weight you gain is water/ fluid weight that comes on naturally. I met with a nutritionist that my fertility clinic recommended and she explained the breakdown of where the weight gain comes from, and very little of it is from diet (I don't remember the exact ratios, sorry).

If you're that concerned, just ask your dr and see what their recommendations are!

PennyLane26 · October 2012

I am not a vegetarian, however I am also thin (5'5" and 120 lbs. before IVF). I asked my OB about weight gain and she said I should aim to gain as little as 15-20 lbs! I was surprised to hear such a small amount. I haven't changed my eating habits much (I've had aversions to foods, but make myself eat anyways) and in first tri alone I've gained 8 lbs.

I wouldn't think about it so much, just eat when you're hungry! If you're well into second tri and not gaining weight, I'm sure your OB could recommend something, maybe even talking to a nutritionist. GL!

nycitygirl1 · October 2012

A lot of this weight is not "food" weight - my doctor said in 2 tri you start to gain about a pound a week in blood volume (crazy, right)? Plus you gain a lot in your breasts to prepare for BFing, the placenta is heavy, the uterus is heavy - so it's not like all of this weight is coming from what you're eating or goes straight to the thighs. Just continue to eat healthfully and you should be fine

Want a personalized experience?

weight gain question

Re: weight gain question

Choose Another Board

Search Boards