What is normal weight gain in pregnancy?
The usual healthy weight gain in pregnancy is 10-12 kg, which works out to approximately one kg and a bit every month of pregnancy. This is an average and healthy weight gain that is experienced in most women.
Weight gain patterns vary considerably though. Larger women tend to gain less weight in pregnancy than this. Your pre pregnancy weight will also give you a lot of insight into how the rest of your pregnancy will go when it comes to understanding any potential pregnancy weight gain and whether you would gain too much weight in pregnancy.
Excess Pregnancy Weight Gain
Excess pregnancy weight gain has an association with having a larger baby, gestational diabetes and hypertension in pregnancy, but for most women there are no pregnancy concerns.
The good reason for watching your weight gain in pregnancy is because how much weight you gain the more weight you have to loose to get back to your pre pregnancy weight once your pregnancy is over. There has been many a woman who has ‘lost her figure’ because of gaining too much weight in pregnancy.
It is also known that women who have an excessive pregnancy weight gain are at higher risk of having overweight or obese children. Childhood obesity is on the increase and is associated with many health and psychological challenges for the child.
As well if you don’t learn how to eat healthy before you are pregnant what hope do you have of your child eating healthy foods?
What Can Be Done About Weight Gain During Pregnancy?
Attention to your diet and adequate exercise are both important when it comes to managing pregnancy weight gain. Ensuring that your BMI (Body Mass Index) stays within your healthy weight range will help you balance how much weight you gain during pregnancy.
By staying in a healthy weight range, you would be able to bounce back after pregnancy much easier. Here’s what we recommend to help you stay in a healthy weight range during pregnancy.
Optimal Diet
Avoid foods which are more likely to result in excessive weight gain. Another reason for avoiding these foods is that they are usually unhealthy for you and so your intake should be minimised whether or not you are pregnant.
Such foods include snacks and sweets, fast foods (such as KFC, McDonald’s, Hungry Jacks, pizza, etc), excessive fat content foods, processed cheese, full cream milk, refined white sugar, sugary beverages including soft drinks, donuts, potatoes (including potato chips and french fries), excess alcohol, pasta, fried food (such as fried chicken), white bread, low-fibre breakfast cereals, processed meats and desserts.
It is not recommended you go on a weight reduction diet in pregnancy. Just eat sensibly. Remember you are eating for two not one.
Endeavour to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods including Bread (wholegrain or wholemeal rather than white), cereals (choose one low in sugar), rice, pasta and noodles, vegetables and legumes, fruit, low-fat milk, yoghurt, hard cheese, well-cooked meat, fish, poultry, cooked eggs and nuts.
Try to have food with a wide range of colour, which implies a wide range of natural vitamins and minerals.
A diet generous in folate is important pre-pregnancy and in the first trimester. The recommended daily folate dose is 400 to 600 micrograms. A folate supplement is important.
Make sure your diet also contains foods with a rich source of folic acids such as green leafy vegetables (broccoli, sprouts, spinach and salad greens), chickpeas, nuts, oranges and grapefruits, orange juice, some fruits and dried or lightly cooked beans and peas, wholemeal bread, seeds, liver and other organ meats, poultry, fortified breakfast cereals and enriched grain products.
Iron
You will have checks for iron deficiency at the start and at 28 weeks of your pregnancy, to make sure there is no iron deficiency. Iron demands are greater in pregnancy and the recommended daily intake (RDI) of iron during pregnancy is 27mg per day.
Iron supplementation is important in pregnancy. Good sources of iron include lean beef and lamb, poultry, fish and shellfish, breakfast cereals fortified with iron, eggs, cooked legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, kidney and lima beans, dried fruits, green vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and spinach. Eating foods high in vitamin C will also help you to absorb iron if you consume them at the same time.
Calcium
The recommended daily intake of calcium during pregnancy is 1000mg to 1300mg per day. As well as calcium-containing supplements, good sources of calcium include dairy foods, such as milk, hard cheese, yoghurt and calcium-fortified soy milk.
Adequate Iodine Intake is Important in Pregnancy.
Iodine deficiency is an increasingly common problem in the community. Most breads, except organic varieties, are fortified with iodine which will help to address the iodine needs of most of the population. However, pregnant and breastfeeding women have higher requirements for iodine so some women may need to take a supplement.
Exercise
You should not join a gym, etc because you are pregnant and want to get fit. But if you do go to the gym, participate in gym classes, play sport, etc., you can continue to do so with consideration for the need to be extra careful because you are pregnant.
You will be more accident prone because you are pregnant. Avoid contact sport and potentially dangerous sports, recognising you won’t able to perform as well as you are pregnant.
Any pregnant woman without contraindications should be encouraged to participate in light aerobic and strength conditioning exercises to encourage a healthy lifestyle during their pregnancy.
Focusing on a goal of aerobic conditioning rather than trying to reach peak fitness is a great place to start when trying to maintain a good fitness level during your pregnancy.
Benefits of incorporating light exercise into your routine include:
- Improved physical and mental wellbeing
- Maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy helps in returning to pre-pregnancy weight faster. It also reduces the risk of developing gestational diabetes which can be more common in mothers who are overweight. It also encourages staying within your BMI (body mass index) which is a great way to measure if you gain too much weight and how much weight you lose post pregnancy.
Give me a call here today! (02) 9680 3004
Sports Medicine Australia have also released some really helpful information for you to consider in regards to exercising whilst pregnant to help maintain a healthy weight. https://sma.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/SMA_AWiS_Pregnancy_-_Exercise.pdf
For most women brisk walking on a regular basis is all that is done in the way of exercise in pregnancy.
Don’t stress.
If you are doing your best then don’t get stressed. Remember some of your weight gain will be due to fluid retention and baby, which will go after you have your baby.
