$Unique_ID{BRK02062}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Recommended Weight Gain During Pregnancy}
$Subject{pregnant pregnancy weight gain fetus fat nutrition trimester diet
prenatal care overweight underweight}
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Copyright (c) 1993  Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Recommended Weight Gain During Pregnancy


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QUESTION:  My mother and mother-in-law are having a battle and my friends are
having a real laugh.  It is all about my pregnancy and the object of the
discussion is the amount of weight I should gain.  One side says I must keep
the weight below 20 pounds, while the other camp claims I can gain as much as
the baby needs to be healthy, a ton or more if necessary.  Who is right?  Are
there any rules to this or is this just a lot of unnecessary attention to a
process that should be left alone?  Help, please!

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ANSWER:  You certainly have both sides represented by powerful forces, and the
fact is that at one time or another in the history of prenatal care both the
restrictive attitude as well the more permissive one held favor for a time.
The main concern is truly not the weight gain of the mother, but the health of
the baby.  Since it is true that more calories are required to produce the
needed tissues in the mother as well as all the growth of the developing
fetus, additional food is certainly required.  And it is generally agreed that
the mother will add a few pounds in the form of fat to ensure the optimal
newborn weight, as well as the fact that this form of energy storage is a part
of the normal bodily processes during pregnancy.  But there are many factors
to be considered before your family feud can be resolved, and they include the
state of your nutrition before the pregnancy, your own age and height, and
your weight before the pregnancy.  Without that specific information at hand,
let me provide you with some general rules that are currently considered to be
correct.  If you were within the weight range considered normal for your
height at the onset of your pregnancy, a weight gain of from 25 to 35 pounds
is just fine, and should be gained at the rate of 3.5 pounds during the first
3 months of your pregnancy, and 1 lb. per week during the 2nd and 3rd
trimesters.  Women who are overweight to start should gain about 15-25 lb.
during the entire pregnancy, 2 lb. during the first three months then about
2/3 of a lb. a week.  A women who is underweight at the beginning may put on
from 28 to as much as 40 lb. during the pregnancy, 5 lb. during the first
trimester and better than 1 lb. a week thereafter.  All of these numbers are
general averages and your own doctor can help you evaluate your condition and
the appropriate weight gain for your pregnancy.  Looks like both Moms were
just a bit in error.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.