Every woman should gain certain amount of weight in order to sustain the pregnancy. If you gain too few pounds, you are at an increased risk for a baby who’s born too soon or too small, besides few other pregnancy complications. But too much weight gain during pregnancy can lead to increased risk of developing gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorder of pregnancy or even complication during labor and delivery. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy may lead to bigger baby which may lead to change in mode of delivery and may also put the baby at greater risk of other problems. That means though gaining weight in pregnancy is important, gaining the weight the right way in pregnancy is even more important.
The reasonable rate to gain weight each week
According to doctor Helain Landy, MD and Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University Hospital in Washington, D.C., a normal weight patient should ideally aim at gaining 25 to 35 pounds of weight in a 40 weeks time during pregnancy. This translates to about a pound and a half gain per week.
Knowing your BMI
Women whose BMI or Body Mass Index falls within the range of “normal weight” are suggested to gain weight in the range of 25 to 35 pounds. So your first step should be to find your BMI which is calculated based on your height and weight.
Recommended weight gain
Calculating BMI is a straight forward process, but calculating the amount of pounds you should gain is not that straight forward. Here is a chart from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that will help you understand the amount of weight you should gain based on your present BMI.
| Pre-pregnancy Weight | Body Mass Index | Gain weight in the range of (pounds) | Rate of weight gain in the Second and Third Trimesters (pounds) (Mean Range [lb/wk]) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Underweight |
Less than 18.5 |
28–40 |
1 (1-1.3) |
|
Normal Weight |
18.5–24.9 |
25–35 |
1 (0.8-1) |
|
Overweight |
25–29.9 |
15–25 |
0.6 (0.5-0.7) |
|
Obese |
30 and greater |
11–20 |
0.5 (0.4-0.6) |
Watch your weight
In order to gain the weight the right way during pregnancy, you should keep your eye on the scale. This will prevent you from throwing your weight way off target.
Amount of calories you should consume while you are pregnant
The key is to consume a well balanced diet. You don’t need to eat for two during your first trimester. Instead of concentrating on increasing your diet, you should concentrate on eating nutrient rich food. From second trimester onwards you should add about an additional 300 calories per day. In your final trimester you will need close to 500 calories more than what you used to eat before you conceived.
