What you eat and how much of it is more important than ever while you are pregnant. The amount of weight you gain during your pregnancy is as essential to your health as it is to the health of your baby. While you’re pregnant, you should work closely with your doctor to make sure you keep your pregnancy weight on target.
Not gaining enough weight can jeopardize your baby’s growth and development. Gaining too much weight can cause complications during your pregnancy and make it difficult for you to lose the extra pounds after your delivery.
“Eating for two” doesn’t mean you should double-up on the food you consume. If you are a healthy weight before your pregnancy, you only need to eat an average of an extra 300 calories a day during your pregnancy — that’s a glass of skim milk and half a sandwich.
Eat a nutritious, well-rounded diet. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pregnant women should have three cups of dairy, 5-6.5 ounces of protein, 1 ½-2 cups of fruits, 2 ½-3 cups of vegetables, and 6-8 ounces of whole grains every day.
How Much You Should Gain
The amount of weight you need to gain during your pregnancy depends on a number of different factors, including if you are having twins or multiples, your pre-pregnancy weight, your body mass index (BMI), and your and your baby’s overall health.
Pregnancy Weight Guidelines
Recommended Goal for Weight Gain | 28-40 lbs. | 25-35 lbs | 15-25 lbs | 11-20 lbs. |
4’7” | <80 | 80-107 | 108-128 | >128 |
4’8” | <83 | 83-111 | 112-133 | >133 |
4’9” | <86 | 86-115 | 116-138 | >138 |
4’10” | <89 | 89-110 | 120-143 | >143 |
4’11” | <92 | 92-123 | 124-148 | >148 |
5’0” | <95 | 95-127 | 128-153 | >153 |
5’1” | <98 | 98-132 | 133=158 | >158 |
5’2” | <101 | 101-136 | 137-163 | >163 |
5’3” | <105 | 105-140 | 141-169 | >169 |
5’4” | <108 | 108-145 | 146-174 | >174 |
5’5” | <111 | 111-149 | 150-179 | >179 |
5’6” | <115 | 115-154 | 155-185 | >185 |
5’7” | <118 | 118-159 | 160-191 | >191 |
5’8” | <122 | 122-164 | 165-196 | >196 |
5’9” | <125 | 125-168 | 169-202 | >202 |
5’10” | <129 | 129-173 | 174-208 | >208 |
5’11” | <133 | 133-178 | 179-214 | >214 |
6’0” | <137 | 137-183 | 184-220 | >220 |
6’1” | <140 | 140-189 | 190-227 | >227 |
6’2” | <143 | 143-194 | 195-233 | >233 |
6’3” | <148 | 149-199 | 200-239 | >239 |
Eating a healthy, balanced diet will help your baby get the nutrients they need and grow at a healthy rate.
But how many extra calories do you really need? Though you do need some extra calories, it's not necessary to ''eat for two.'' The average pregnant woman needs only about 300 healthycalories more a day than they did before they were pregnant. This will help them gain the right amount of weight during pregnancy. Ask your
health care provider how much weight you should gain. A woman who was average weight before getting pregnant should gain 25 to
35 pounds after becoming pregnant. Underweight women should gain 28 to 40 pounds. And overweight women may need to gain only 15 to 25 pounds during pregnancy. In general, you should gain about 2 to 4 pounds during the first 3 months you're pregnant and 1 pound a week during the rest of your pregnancy. If you are expecting twins you should gain 35 to 45 pounds during your
pregnancy. This would be an average of 1 ½ pounds per week after the usual weight gain in the first 3 months. It's especially important to gain the right amount of weight when you're expecting twins because your weight affects the babies' weight. And because twins are often born before the due date, a higher birth weight is important for their health. When carrying twins, you
may need between 3,000 and 3,500 calories a day. If a woman is very overweight when they get pregnant, their doctor may want them
to lose weight. They should only lose weight under their doctor's care. But in most cases, women should not try to lose weight or diet during pregnancy. If your health care provider wants you to gain weight while you're pregnant, try these tips: Gain Weight Safely During Your Pregnancy
Where Does the Extra Weight Go During Pregnancy?
Is It Safe to Lose Weight When Pregnant?
How to Gain the Right Amount of Weight During Pregnancy
If you have gained more weight than your doctor recommended, talk to your doctor about it. In most cases, you'll want to wait until after delivery to lose weight.What if You Gain Too Much Weight During
Pregnancy?
Here are some tips to slow your weight gain:
- When eating fast food, choose lower-fat items such as broiled chicken breast sandwich with tomato and lettuce (no sauce or mayonnaise), side salad with low-fat dressing, plain bagels, or a plain baked potato. Avoid foods such as French fries, mozzarella sticks, or breaded chicken patties.
- Avoid whole milk products. You need at least four servings of milk products every day. However, using skim, 1%, or 2% milk will greatly reduce the amount of calories and fat you eat. Also, choose low-fat or fat-free cheese or yogurt.
- Limit sweet or sugary drinks. Sweetened drinks such as soft drinks, fruit punch, fruit drinks, iced tea, lemonade, or powdered drink mixes have lots of empty calories. Choose water, club soda, or mineral water to skip extra calories.
- Don't add salt to foods when cooking. Salt causes you to retain water.
- Limit sweets and high-calorie snacks. Cookies, candies, donuts, cakes, syrup, honey, and potato chips have a lot of calories and little nutrition. Try not to eat these foods every day. Instead, try fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, angel food cake with strawberries, or pretzels as lower-calorie snack and dessert choices.
- Use fats in moderation. Fats include cooking oils, margarine, butter, gravy, sauces, mayonnaise, regular salad dressings, sauces, lard, sour cream, and cream cheese. Try lower-fat alternatives.
- Cook food the healthy way. Frying foods in oil or butter will add calories and fat. Baking, broiling, grilling, and boiling are healthier preparation methods.
- Exercise. Moderate exercise can help burn excess calories. Walking or swimming is usually safe for pregnant women. Ask your health care provider what exercise would be right for you before getting started.
When to Call Your Doctor
Talk to your doctor if you:
- Want to know a good target weight gain for you
- Think you are gaining too much weight
- Are losing weight during the second or third trimester
- Have an eating disorder that is keeping you from eating a healthy amount of food
- Need help setting a good menu plan to gain a healthy amount of weight
- Gain weight rapidly. This could be a sign of preeclampsia, pregnancy-related high blood pressure, a serious health issue