Weight gain the doctor recommended

[c_helwig89]

My doctor recommended that I only gain 15-20 pounds. This seems like so little- is this for the baby + my weight, or just my weight?

Also, I have actually been loosing weight because since I found out, I have been trying to eat better. I am only 13 weeks along, so is this ok for now?

[haleymom07]

What the doctor probably meant was that you should gain 15-20lbs in all, it is completely healthy to only gain that much. Are there other factors why he would only want you to gain that much? it all depends on what you weigh when you find out that you are pregnant! i only gained 17 lbs when i was pregnant with my daughter.

and to answer your other question yes it is normal to lose weight at the beginning, i lost 10lbs when i was first pregnant, its normal because sometimes your appetite isnt as large in the beginning and what you do eat your body is using to grow that baby! as long as you dont become dehydrated or really sick it is ok. good luck with this pregnancy, and enjoy it because it will go by so fast!

[JWills]

My doc told me 25-30 is the normal for the whole pregnancy. Needless to say, I still have until october and I already gained 35 pounds total. Sure doesnt make me feel any better about being preggo, thats for sure!

I think the weight is distributed liek this:
Breast Tissue-- about 1-2 pounds
Baby-- about 7-9 pounds
Amniotic Fluid-- about 2 pounds
Enlarged uterus-- about 2 pounds
Increased blood volume--about 4-5 pounds
Fluid present in maternal tissue-- about 3-4 pounds
Placenta--about 2 pounds
Any remaining pounds are fat deposits that are needed by the body for breastfeeding and energy


Hope this helps you get an idea of where its all going!


As for losing weight, I heard that its common in the beginning. I wouldnt worry about it, but if you are, your doctor can answer your questions and sooth the worries. I have gained steadily throughout my pregnancy so far (i am 30 weeks), but then again, I never had the whole morning sickness thing!

[petersfransen@gmail.com]

25-30 is for people in the normal weight range. If you are over or under weight or having multiples the numbers change. Gaining more than suggested puts you and the baby at higher risk for all sorts of complications.

[veronicabellman]

I am 16 weeks along. My doctor told me that he doesn't care how much weight I gain, as long as the baby and I are both healthy. Which is the way it should be. I wouldn't worry about it, women vary on how much each of them gain.

Yes, it is completely normal to lose weight. At my last checkup I had lost one pund over the last month and I wasn't trying to eat healthy.

[keniapaez]

iam 18 weeks now and i only have gained 5 pounds and have a big belly, i may say that iam a little bit concerned because with my daugther at 5 months i have already gained 15 pounds, which is the perfect weight at that stage

[needsanap]

Don't worry about your weight! Eat what feels right. There is enough stress involved with being pregnant and having a newborn. All I craved when I was pregnant was fresh fruit and veggies, that was when I could eat, which wasn't often. I was the poster child for the everyday all day morning sickness which lasted almost my whole pregnancy(both times). I lost about 40 lbs each time (I had the extra weight to lose), mostly in the beginning and gained most of it back throughout the pregnancy. And I had two totally healthy happy beautiful boys :). Bottom line don't stress it isn't worth it. I think the most important thing is to do what feels right.

[lena241]

When I was pregnant with my DD I started at 112-115lbs and gained only 8 lbs total. I am now pregnant with my 2nd child and I am 5 months (21 weeks). At my last OB appointment, August 28th, I had gained only 2 lbs total. I started this pregnancy at 126, and I now weigh 128. I am not trying to be on the smaller end of weight gain, but my family normally eats healthy. We rarely have fried foods, mostly grilled or baked.

I am not concerned about the minimal weight gain, the doctor says all is good.

Amanda

[brandie1127]

At 17 weeks I had only gained 5 lbs and I swear it was all in my boobs! At 21 weeks total gained 12lbs. Everyone's body is different people give me crap all the time they all think that I'm dieting. MIL is very petite now but is italian and claims that she gained 70lbs when prego with my hubby. She says "italians don't believe in denying themselves when they are pregnant - the bigger the beautiful. Uh no thank you! I could care less about prego weight gain. I just have become a very weird eater. I lost alot of weight in the beginning and now I fill up on funky craving type stuff - thank goodness I don't crave cheeseburgers and fries. :) But if you did then you would probably tend to gain more weight. I say remember that putting it on is easier than taking it off so enjoy everything in moderation, but don't stress if you gain more or less than the avg. chick as long as your baby is healthy.

[cajuncat743]

I started gaining weight as soon as I found out I was pregnant. My doctor wanted me to gain around 35 pounds because I'm naturally very skinny. I remember telling her I was worried I wouldn't be able to gain that much because I didn't put on weight easily, and she chuckled and said, "You'll see. Don't worry." And then people would kind of insinuate that I hadn't gained enough weight throughout my pregnancy because I looked smaller, but I had gained 40 pounds by the time I was done! My sister on the other hand gained a lot less than I did, but she had horrible morning sickness her whole pregnancy and she was kind of overweight. So everyone is different.

[HilnKris]

With my first son I gained 55 pounds. I had started at 118 lbs and was told to gain 35. I was horrified to see my weight shoot up so high especially since I threw up for the entire pregnancy! Looking back, I think my body just had to gain the weight to carry the child or I had massive water weight. Every body is different. And the good news is I lost all of the weight by the time my son was 3. I looked better than ever actually! I am now pregnant again, and my stomach is portruding yet I lost 3 pounds! We'll have to see how the next 7 months go from here...

[brandie1127]

HilnKris - Made a real good point. Water weight. My cousin and my friend both just had babies, at first it looked like my friend was twice the size as my cousin but towards the end my cousins belly definitely trumped my friends. Post baby - My cousins stomach looks like it did when she got pregnant except she has alot of stretch marks, my friends belly is a little bigger than when she got pregnant but not much. I think towards the end my cousin was all water.

( They had babies 4 days apart) My cousin had a girl, my friend a boy.

[A.Duchesne]

I agree that heavier women usually are recommended to gain less and thinner women more. Ave. is 25-35 lbs but i am a firm believer that your body knows what to do better than any book or doctor. as long as you feel you are leading a healthy lifestyle you should be confident that your body will gain as much as it needs to whether it be 15lbs or 50lbs. i also think that everyone is different and every pregnancy is different. so don't take other peoples experiences to heart and compare yourself to them.

[babyconner1]

I am very skinny when i got pregnant i weighed 103 (5' 6"). I did not find out that i was untill i was about 16 weeks along. (i thought that i had the flu bug that would not go away) But I am 21 weeks now and only weigh 108 my doctor wants me to gain 30 more pound before i deliver. He even asked my SO if i have an eating problem or something like that. Is there a way that i can gain a healthy 30 pounds in 20 weeks? Are is he just crazy