The old adage “You’re eating for two now” during pregnancy still finds its way into conversation, but in reality, this isn’t really true. You’re still in charge of consuming a healthy diet and managing your weight gain. However, you should remember that gaining weight during pregnancy is totally normal, depending on your pre-pregnancy weight.
According to the Mayo Clinic, you may want to think about these guidelines for pregnancy weight gain:
- Women who are underweight before becoming pregnant should gain between 28 and 40 pounds
- Women who are at a normal weight before pregnancy should gain between 25 and 35 pounds
- Those who are overweight before becoming pregnancy should gain between 15 and 25 pounds
- Women who are obese before pregnancy should gain between 11 and 20 pounds
Of course, this number will be higher if you’re carrying twins or other multiples. Regardless of how many babies are growing inside of you, your health care provider will be able to give you more insight into pregnancy and weight gain.
3 reasons you’ll want to gain weight during pregnancy
Here are a few reasons why you should gain weight when you’re pregnant:
Baby’s health: You need to gain weight during pregnancy so your baby can grow. The extra pounds are necessary to support his or her development. If you don’t gain enough weight, then you may be at risk of having a baby pre-term or at a low birth weight. Gaining weight is also important for baby’s health so that he or she doesn’t develop heart, breathing or digestive problems later in life.
Your breasts: Due to increased tissue swelling and early milk production, you can expect to gain about two pounds in your breasts. As a result, your breasts will look amazing. This is especially thrilling for those who have small breasts to begin with, since you’ll finally get to feel what it’s like to have cleavage.
You’ll lose it fast: You automatically lose the weight of your baby when he or she is born. Women lose about 11 pounds on average after giving birth when accounting for the baby’s weight, amniotic fluid and the placenta. A couple of weeks after birth your body will slow its production of pregnancy hormones and help you shed a few extra pounds of fluid. You can lose the remaining weight fairly quickly by exercising, breastfeeding and eating a healthy diet.
How much weight have you gained thus far in your pregnancy? Share in the comments below!